Family Fest - Day 1 & 2

This week we have all the kids! (I have four stepsons in case you didn't know) for a week of family fun.

Yesterday we had a very leisurely morning - not really stirring until around 9 or so (well, them -- i myself did not get up until about 11!). We headed out to run a couple of errands (including vehicle registration, which if I had only known about the new online option last week I could have avoided).

[Kaleya & Miles at the county clerk office.]

Then, we decided to go to the TN State Museum, however, I failed to realize that the museum is not open on Mondays. Instead, we went to the public library for some time, then hit a local used bookstore to pick up some of our own books, went grocery shopping and came home.

[Walking downtown.]

Last night, the boys are watched the movie Pride about a black swim team that came out last year. It chronicles the story of Jim Ellis, a swim coach who started the first black swim team. The team was based out of a recreation center in Philadelphia. I watched this with Kalonji a couple of weeks ago and it is definitely worth watching.

This morning, we went to our local Regal Cinemas and were able to see Bee Movie for free due to a program they run in the summer for showing free movies. We had all seen it before, but it was fun to see it on the big screen again. The movie theater was packed to!

After having lunch at home, we then took the kids to the Tennessee State Museum. This was my first time going, despite all the years I've lived here and I was pleasantly surprised. There were a good number of exhibits -- all of them well done. We asked the kids to take turns reading from the exhibits and discussing what was presented. I actually learned quite a bit about some of the history of early Tennessee and the cities here. Also, learned more about some of the lifestyle conditions of the people in Tennessee from the early frontier days to early 1900s.

[Kaleya next to a bench carved by Davy Crockett. ] [everyone watches a short educational film]

Tomorrow we go to take them on a tour of Fisk. We got them started early as they had to read the plates that went along with each item in the collection.

[Miles reads about the Fisk Jubilee singers.]

Not sure what tomorrow necessarily brings after the tour - possibly visit BiCentennial Mall for a minute or Fort Negley, then I'd love to get some swimming in for them; we'll see.