mother's day surprise

Mark surprised me for Mother's Day by planning a weekend getaway for all three of us. All I knew was that we were leaving Saturday at Jake's nap time and coming home Monday in time for our ultrasound appointment mid-afternoon.  It was a perfect weekend! He took me to Atlanta where we had a lovely Mother's Day brunch at the Georgia Aquarium and then spent many hours checking out all of the tanks. Jake loved every minute of it. This is the best aquarium ever- if you are ever close to Atlanta, you should definitely go. It is worth every penny. In fact, it is worth it to make a special trip to Atlanta just for the aquarium! 

Our table at the brunch was right in front of the beluga whale tank so we had great viewing while we ate. Jake was facing the tank straight on, and every time a whale would swim past, he would point his little finger and say, "Ooh," or "Whoa!" It was priceless! This enthusiasm lasted throughout the aquarium. He stayed up right through his nap and remained a happy camper. He loved it all and babbled and pointed at everything. 

After we left the aquarium, we decided to hike to the top of Stone Mountain and get a view of the Atlanta skyline. Once at the top, we actually could see a big fire in downtown Atlanta. The billowing smoke was clearly visible and everyone was snapping pictures. It was a beautiful afternoon/evening and we loved getting some exercise and enjoying the weather. It was a perfect Mother's Day!

There was an underwater tunnel that went through the middle of a huge tank. You were surrounded on all sides and could see all types of fish swimming above and beside you. Pretty cool! Jake was pointing at the divers swimming above us.

Pointing at the jellyfish.

Family photo in front of one of the big tanks. Jake was happy in his stroller the whole time:)

This was Jake's face...

... as he watched the whale sharks swim past in this huge tank! It's the largest indoor exhibit of fish in the U.S.- the acrylic is two feet thick!

Pointing at the fish and giant turtle swimming.

The billowing smoke from a fire in downtown Atlanta visible from the top of Stone Mountain.

Family photo on the top of Stone Mountain before we hiked back down- it was very windy.