Trick or Treat

The pictures below are from our Trunk or Treat at the Senior Center building with our church family.  Magan also took the kids to Columbiana while Sam and I were at the Space and Rocket Center.  And our normal trick or treating neighborhood of Forest Lakes.  Wolverine, Commander Astronaut, Gandalf, Fairy Godmother, Cinderella and her little Pumpkin...lots of candy for this crew. 

 



 

 

 

Field Trip to Space and Rocket Center

So Magan had signed us up as a chaperone for Sam's 5th grade field trip.  And when I learned it was going to be at the Space and Rocket Center, I gladly volunteered to take this trip for her.  But I didn't realize I was going to be a chaperone...I thought I could just go and hang out with Sam...but I only had one other kid to watch so it wasn't bad.  We boarded our charter bus at 6:00 AM, and didn't get back until 6:00 PM. 

 

Sam enjoyed the bus ride with his gang...Austin, Trey, Benton and Brody...and they hung out for most of the day together.  The bus ride was a mixture of them trading Pokémon cards, and some really strange Disney shows. 

 

After riding the Gforce and the Spaceshot, we all gathered together for the group picture.  We did get to eat lunch in one of the SpaceCamp buildings that I have never been in...so I took an opportunity to wander off for a bit...like a good chaperone.  We then toured the new Saturn V rocket Davidson Center, and had some actual retired NASA scientists telling us about different projects.  Our official tour guide for the day was Wonder Woman (It was the day before Halloween), and I must say all the other dads were jealous of our tour guide...

 

After an IMAX movie (I can NOT stay awake in these things), then another ride on the spaceshot, we headed back to the bus for the long ride home.  I actually got another ride on the spaceshot while the kids were doing a science experiment...I slipped off...like a good chaperone.  :) 

 

I was happy when I asked Sam his favorite parts, because his matched mine...1. Riding the Spaceshot, and 2. Talking to the NASA scientist about the Skylab project.  The group got ahead of me and Sam, so I pulled him back to show him the Skylab module, we read all about it, then walked out to see our group had gone, but one of the NASA scientists that was a part of the project came over and talked to us about the goals of the project to test living conditions and effects of space on bone mass.  He also talked about having to fight with those pesky shuttle guys that got all of the funding he wanted for Skylab 2.  Really cool conversation, until we realized that our group was completely out of the building, and we had to link back up with them...wherever they went...

 

Scout Campout at Racoon Mountain

 

So It is just tradition to stop at the Tennessee Welcome Center on the way up to Chattanooga.  And me and the boys had the car packed and ready for a fun filled Scout weekend at Racoon Mountain.  Our campsite was nice, and had a beautiful view of Lookout Mountain.  This place was great in that we never really had to go anywhere, they had hiking trails, gocarts, mini-golf, and a cave. 

 

 

 

 

 

I was almost hit by this ball coming straight at the camera.  The bricks did not do to much to keep sam and davis on the course.  The gocarts were fun, but Dave was just barely too short to ride by himself, so that was a downer. 

Our first night in the tents, Sam woke up with a really bad headache around 2 in the morning.  I had some advil, and that seemed to help, but all during Saturday, I could tell he was not feeling well.  And knew things were going bad when he went back to the tent after the cave tour and just slept for a couple of hours.  As it got closer to Saturday evening, Davis started feeling sick.   Then when my strong guy Sam said that we just need to go home, I knew he was bad.  But I made an attempt to go to an urgent care but they had just closed, so with Sam having a 102 degree fever and Davis starting to apply the dramatics, I knew we couldn't make it another night. 

We packed up camp around 6 on Saturday, and barely (Davis, you are not dying) made it home by 9 PM to sleep in our own beds and recover with our Mom.  The sick bug has been bad on us these last few weeks.  I think Magan even got it as the boys were getting over it.  But as sick as they were, I see a lot of smiles, and was glad to be able to spend this time with my boys.