Day trip

Stephen took Friday off, and we all headed up to north GA for some adventures!  We made the almost 2 hour trip and our first stop was Unicoi State Park right outside of Helen.  The four of us hiked (while Parker strolled) up to Anna Ruby Falls, a beautiful pair of waterfalls nestled in the colorful autumn trees.  

After the hike back down, we stopped at the park's playground to play for a bit.

Then, we headed into the town of Helen, and first stopped for lunch.  We hit up a local sandwich shop, which didn't disappoint (though we had worked up an appetite, so anything would've been good!).  We walked around town for an hour or two, looking in the little shops and enjoying the scenery.

When we left Helen, we drove to the neighboring town of Cleveland.  There was...  my childhood fantasy.  Babyland General!  The birthplace of Cabbage Patch Kids.  They have completely upgraded the place since I last went in probably 1988.  It looked like a mansion from the road, and inside was a paradise for all three of my kids... dolls you can play with!  Toys galore!  School buses, trucks, firetrucks, police cars, and other wheeled-objects!  They had a blast.

Scary CPK!

We then headed to nearby Gainesville, where my sister and her family live.  My brother-in-law is the head football coach at a high school there, and they conveniently had a home game that night.  We hung out at my sister's house, went to dinner with her and some of her friends, and then surprised my BIL at the game!  

Giving "Uncle Mashoo" a lucky penny!

They did a little parade during halftime.

All the kids got free icees!

We stayed there until about 9:30 and the kids were pretty much done.  Heck, so was I.  It was a long, but really fun, day.  The kids crashed in the car on the way home, and we finally made it back around 10:30.  It was a great family day!