Atlanta Field Trip: Part 2

After a FULL day of fun on our feet, I decided to take things down a notch for day #2. Rather than leaving the hotel right after breakfast, the kids enjoyed being lazy in bed and watching cartoons for an hour. Because we don't have cable at home, they are convinced they can only watch the Disney Channel and ESPN at hotels. (Sheltered much?)

I packed a picnic lunch and we headed out for an hour at the Atlanta Monetary Museum inside the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. No cross town driving adventures this time, but because I was unwilling to pay for parking I was a bit, ahem, maniacal driving around and around city blocks looking for street parking. Much satisfaction when I dropped several quarters into the meter rather than forking over $12 to a nearby garage.

No cameras were allowed inside the building - actually, no personal items were allowed inside. Once through security we had to lock everything in a locker, which had Annalyse worried we'd forget which locker was ours, Grady Lee convinced there were guns following us the whole time in case we tried to steal, Micah begging to be in charge of carrying our locker key, and Jaxton oblivious to it all and simply whining to get out of his stroller.

We learned about the history of money, how and why the Fed makes monetary policy, and we watched parts of the cash-processing areas where money was counted, sorted, shredded, and stored. 

Afterward, we ate lunch in the car while en route to a natural science museum nearby. The museum was free for us because of our reciprocating membership elsewhere. To be honest, the museum was a let down but since we didn't pay I didn't feel so bad. 

Because we cut our time at the museum short, we made it back to the hotel by mid-afternoon so Jaxton could nap and the older three could spend an hour doing schoolwork. Oh yes, spelling and language arts and geography came with us. And I may or may not have laid down and told all my children not to talk to me or say my name unless it was an emergency. 

Day #3 began with cartoons and then a couple hours of seat work. Grady arranged a late checkout so I could put Jaxton down for an early nap, pack up the hotel room, and have the kids complete some school work before heading out for the remainder of the day until it was time to leave town later that evening.

Gathering everything up, getting it on a luggage cart, and loading it in the van proved to be a bit more of a chore than I anticipated. (Read: chaos) 

But, lo and behold everything finally fit, kids were fully accounted for, and we were off for a fun afternoon at the Legoland Discovery Center.

Our family visited Legoland three years ago, when Annalyse was the age Jaxton is now. I knew that she and Jax would have a heyday, but wasn't sure the boys would stay interested as long this time. 

Wrong.

Several 3D movies; a Lego-themed knight/princess/dragon/bad guys ride with laser guns that we did again and again (and again); a huge Star Wars Lego display; and all the Lego blocks you could want for building and creating. 

Three and a half hours whizzed by and before we knew it we had to leave to pick up Grady from his office and end our Atlanta adventures. 

Atlanta, you didn't disappoint!