USS Alabama

We went to visit family & attend the wedding of my cousin this past weekend in Alabama.  While we were there we took a tour of the USS Alabama.  Everytime we drive into Alabama and cross over the Mobile Bay bridge we always spot the huge USS Alabama battleship parked out in the bay.  I always comment to Craig that we need to go tour the huge boat but we never have taken the opportunity.  This trip we wanted to make that dream a reality.  As Connor said on the ship, "This is a dream come true!"

The enormous ship was really neat to tour and the kids loved it. 

Stormy

We got a new addition to our family, a kitten!  Let me tell you how this all got started.

Earlier this week the kids & I were out picking up some bales of pine straw for our flowerbeds at Fairfield Nursery.  While we were there the kids found these two cats lounging around and they fell in love.  That night when Craig got home the kids & I started working on him about having an outside cat.  He has never been a huge cat fan but he wasn't opposed.  Then Friday we were at lunch with the Windham boys and she was telling me all about how she found some kittens that needed a home.  We dropped by her house after lunch and picked one up. 

The kids decided to name it Stormy because it had been raining all day and his colors kind of look like rain clouds. 

Connor drew a picture of Stormy.  His explanation of the picture is - "Stormy is hiding under the cabinet on the porch and I am bringing it food but I tripped and the glass food bowl dropped & broke all over the place."  I just love their pictures and explanations.

Cooper just loves Stormy, especially when Stormy sits in his lap out on the porch and falls asleep.

Caroline drags that cat all over the place.  I feel bad for Stormy because she just grabs it by the neck and hauls it around with her.

Connor says, "Stormy is a lovely cat but he is only a kitten!" 

So we'll see how Stormy survives being a new member of the Cannon Family.

And the Award goes to . . . .

I know the summer is in full swing but I am really behind on my blog so I thought I'd share a little bit about the kids end-of-the-year ceremonies.
We must have some artistic blood flowing in the family bloodline although I am most positive it didn't come from me because they both got an award that dealt in that realm.

Connor got the creative award and the good friend award!  He also got an award for earning all E's in Music this year and a Spanish award. 

Caroline got the most artistic award.  Craig says when he picks her up from school she has a ton of art projects to take home with her.

Astronaut in Training

Just wanted to share a funny photo of me from my recent field trip to Kennedy Space Center.  We did an overnight field trip and slept under the world's largest rocket, the Saturn V.  I learned a whole bunch about space travel and astronauts.  Although science isn't my thing I did enjoy the trip. 

Where's Cooper?

Has anyone seen Cooper?  That question was asked this morning before an all out search began.  Guess where he was?

 Hiding as quiet as a mouse in a storage box on our back porch.  Apparently he was ready for a game of hide & seek.

Somebunny is wishing you a Hoppy Easter!

Happy Easter from The Cannon Kids!

Creepy, Cramped Caverns Create Collections of Crazy Memories

Last week we enjoyed Spring Break.  We took a little road trip up to Alabama but made a few pit stops along the way.  I am just now getting around to looking at the pictures from our trip.  I thought I'd post our first stop on the trip. 

We decided to stop halfway between Florida and Alabama at Marianna to visit the caverns.  It helped the trip by breaking it up.  The kids had a blast.  It was their first time in the caverns as well as Craig's.  I had been to the caverns a few different times while on field trips in my previous life before children.  I shared with the kids what to expect and they were so pumped in the days before our trip.  We loved seeing all the different types of rock formations and the rugged nature trail that we walked after the tour of the cavern was over.  Another special first for our kids on this trip was the chance to sleep in a "hotel".  It totally cracked me up, I think they had as much fun in the hotel as they did in the caverns.  I wish I would've saved it but this week in school they learned "story problems" and Connor came home from school the other day and created his own story problem.  The question was "Which one is my home?" of course in adorable Kindergarten spelling.  He drew a huge picture of a black bat and then underneath he drew a house, a hotel, and a cave.  I think the hotel was just as much a memory maker as the cave. 

Monument outside of cave remembering all the CCC workers in the 1930's who chiseled pathways through the cave so tourist could walk through it. 

Tiered column, this one was my favorite.

Draperies, also quite beautiful, in a cave, rock sort of way

Rim pool (I think that's what the guide called these)

Just a cool picture of the inside of the cavern

After the guide announced that Florida used to be underwater & that if you search real hard you can find sea life from lifetimes ago Connor was on the look out.  He found this anicent sand dollar and made me take a picture.  The guide also showed us a shark's tooth that was really neat.

Towards the end of the tour there was a rock formation that you were allowed to touch.  The kids loved it especially after waiting throughout the whole tour just to touch something.  Apparently it is a federal offense to touch a rock formation in a cave because the oils on your hand kill the growth of the rock.  They designated a special rock for the kiddos to touch & I'm sure thankful they did.

After the tour we went on a hike through nature down one of the nature trails.  Rigorous and rugged is all I can say!

Along the hike were several Indian sites where the Indians used rock shelters.  The kids liked looking up in them. 

I think their favorite part of all was the tunnel cave on the nature trail.  You could see the other end and they were short enough that they didn't have to bend down to walk through.  They loved it!