Christmas Vacation!

This year, Frank and I decided that instead of getting each other Christmas presents, we'd take a little family vacation. And let me tell you...it was a great decision. We had such a wonderful time! We'd been wanting to take Little to the Aquarium, so this was the perfect opportunity. We invited my parents to come with us and all headed out to Chattanooga a few days after Christmas. We decided that once we got there, we didn't want to have to drive anywhere. So we stayed at a hotel right by the Aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum. We were also only one block from Sticky Fingers. Yum! The hotel was so nice, and we got such a good deal on the room (I am a cheapo). We actually got all kinds of deals the whole time we were there. Thanks to Frank's handyman skills, we even ended up getting free breakfast ($11 per person) for all 4 of us for the whole stay, which was about $90 worth of breakfast buffets! Hilton Hotels are known for their chocolate chip cookies (the recipe is actually a secret even from the employees) and we got free cookies the whole time we were there. The staff at the hotel restaurant even gave Little a necklace and toy. We also had adjoining rooms with my parents, so while Little napped, we were able to go in their room and hang out. We couldn't have asked for things to work out any better.

The first day in Chattanooga, we just ate and ate and ate. We walked one block to Sticky Fingers and Frank ate a whole slab of ribs for lunch. Then, we got cupcakes from a little bakery next door. For dinner, we went to a wonderful seafood place called Bluewater Grille and shopped at the Moon Pie store.

The second day of the trip was Aquarium Day and so much fun! We got up and had our free breakfast in the morning and then headed to the Aquarium. This was such an experience with Little Pea, and she really enjoyed it. We didn't have to wait in any lines because we got there when it first opened. First, Little pet the sting ray while Daddy J was feeding it. This girl is fearless. She also pet a snake! She made a few friends while we were there. (Notice her penguin feet attached to her shoes.)After a couple of hours there, we went back to the hotel for morning nap and then for lunch we went to Cheeburger Cheeburger. Little had her first milkshake, and let me tell you...we had to bring her up for air once she started sucking that milkshake down. She ended up drinking half of Frank's big milkshake. And then she ate lunch too! This girl can put away some food.After lunch, we headed back to the Aquarium, and this time we saw Little's two favorite things...the River Otter and the Peacock Bass. She ended up picking out an otter to take home as a souvenir and has enjoyed kissing him and singing to him ever since.Our last night there, we had dinner in the hotel restaurant (which as you can see in the picture is a really nice restaurant), and the food was wonderful! It was a great relaxing evening after having such a busy day.Our last morning in Chattanooga, we had another free breakfast and then headed next door to the Creative Discovery Museum. This was just what Little needed to wear her out for the car ride home.I would definitely recommend this vacation to anyone looking for a fun family getaway with a toddler. We will most certainly be going back and will probably stay at the same hotel. It was a great experience!