"Oh boy...fisheees!"

Last month, Shayne, Avery and I took a day trip to Pigeon Forge to go to the aquarium. Shayne and I are like little kids when it comes to the aquarium and always love to go (we're the ones who make multiple trips on the conveyer belt to go through the shark tunnel over and over again). Needless to say, we were excited to take Avery for her first aquarium experience.












For the most part, Avery really enjoyed it. While walking through the aquarium, her eyes would light up as she pointed towards the fish and said "Fisheeees! Oh boy!" I was especially excited about the new penguin exhibit, since I think they are the cutest things ever....Avery didn't care as much about them, though. She did, however, like the stuffed penguin her daddy bought her much more than the real ones.




After the aquarium, we walked around town and ate at Bubba Gump's, where I realized that I probably know more about the movie "Forrest Gump" rather than actual important, historical facts...sad, I know. Another realization: No matter how far you travel and how much you spend, all it takes to make a small child happy is a simple red balloon. This was definitely the highlight of Avery's trip. And of course, we stopped at Bass Pro on the way home, which was the highlight for Shayne.




Overall, we had a really good time. I think Avery will appreciate it more as she gets older, but it's still so much fun to share these experiences that are new for her!

Update...

This morning I was happily awakened at precisely 7:00 am and I got out of bed with a smile on my face. Admittedly, I am not always this happy to get up early on a Saturday morning, but this morning was different. I was grateful that I had the opportunity to be with my child....

If you happened to read my previous post, I am sad to say that Preslee did not make it. Please remember this family in your thoughts and prayers. Pray that they are comforted as their little girl has moved on to a better place.

Prayers

During my morning blog stalking, I happened to come across this story of a little girl named Preslee. She fell into a canal and was in the water for an estimated 30-40 minutes until a farmer discovered her and pulled her out. As I was reading it, I literally found it hard to breathe as I could not even imagine what this family is going through. I have no connection to these people whatsoever, but I do believe in the power of prayer, so I wanted to share their story with those that actually keep up with our blog and ask that you please pray for this family and their precious little girl as she fights for her life.

http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/