A special Saturday

It has been a long time since we've had no plans for an entire Saturday. Today we took full advantage of having no plans and had a wonderful day. Ricardo woke up early with the kids so I could sleep in. I came downstairs to a pancake breakfast and a happy family...no better way to wake up!

We did a little research in our Georgia hiking book and decided to drive about 30 miles to Sweetwater State Park. It was a breathtaking place and we all had a blast. Diego walked the whole way and was such a champ. Alexia rode in a hiking pack and was as happy as can be on her daddy's back. We walked along a river which led us to ruins of a factory from the late 1800's which were fascinating. We had a picnic lunch on a bench along the trail and walked for almost 2 hours. It was such a treat to hear the excitement in Diego's voice and to see the sparkle in his eyes as he discovered all the wonders of the forest. Alexia was also very observant and enjoyed all the scenery from the perfect view.

Diego loved the river and especially enjoyed throwing rocks into it...such a boy!

This was Alexia's first time in the pack and she loved it.

There were some awesome granite formations and Diego loved the "sparkles" on the rocks

A beautiful view as we crossed a little bridge

Ruins from the river-side mill

As were walking to the car, Ricardo caught sight of this snake. It was fascinating to watch it slither around this tree trunk. The kids were...

...MESMERIZED by the snake.

Playing with a stick and being silly

After the hike we headed home for a much-need family nap. The boys didn't get out of bed until 5:00pm so we were all rested. We showered, got ready and headed out to dinner. Ricardo had been wanting to take the kids to the Old Spaghetti Factory for awhile now and we just haven't had the chance to go. Since he's going out of town tomorrow, we decided to celebrate being together as a family and headed to a special place. It was a really cool restaurant and the food was yummy. The kids were on great behaviour and we really enjoyed our time together.

Ricardo said "cuddle for mami" which is why Alexia is in this position...she is giving me a "cuddle."


Papa's turn for a cuddle

Alexia's monster plate of macaroni and cheese. She polished off most of the plate!

Diego opted for pasta with butter and cheese and loved it. He didn't eat as much as Alexia, but ate quite a lot. He loved the salad and bread as well. We found the kids meals to be a great deal at $4.99 for drink, salad, bread, pasta and dessert.

Alexia enjoying her ice cream

The hostess snapped a family shot for us on our way out

This is how Diego rode home from dinner this evening. He loves to read in the car, but this is the first time I've seen him using his "footrest."

On Tuesday, we drove up to spend the morning with Taylor and her kids. We went to a neighborhood swimming pool that was really close to her parent's house. So, we let Israel and Diego hop in the back of the van and wear seat belts. You should have seen the look on their faces - it was precious!