Day 1 of the America World Africa Reunion and Ryan's Birthday

The 2nd Annual America World Africa Reunion was held in Franklin, Tennessee over Labor Day weekend this year. I was SO EXCITED to "meet" so many of the people I have spent the last two years sharing life with on our agency's yahoo group!

On the way we made a quick stop in Louisville, Kentucky to pick up some discount tickets I had purchased for Dinosaur World and Kentucky Down Under. (If you are considering these two attractions or others in the Louisville area, check out this discount website!) Across the street from where we picked the tickets up was a Big Boy restaurant. One of Mike's first jobs was a cook at a Big Boy. And if you don't know the story, please ask him about the Big Boy statue!
John was just too cute in this photo:

After 9 hours in the car, four rest area stops, and 1 throw up mishap, we made it to Dinosaur World. We brought our lunch in and ate before exploring!

This was far and away Ryan' favorite part of the day:

Before the fossil dig, we made a stop at the playground (I did point out to Mike that we drove over 400 miles to the home of over 100 life size dinosaur statues and what were the boys most excited about - the playground!):

Digging for dinosaur bones and teeth:

This is the boys asking me why I want to take another picture of them:

In front of the "Packer"-sarous!

Some of the life size statues:

The boys making crazy faces in front of the dinosaur:

There was a Dinosaur Walk, a winding path through the forest with various dinosaur statues hidden throughout. The boys took most of the path like this, at a run:

A top a wholly mammoth:

Our family posing with, as the boys called him, Manny (from Ice Age):

Mike's favorite dinosaur, the triceratops:

They loved seeing the T-Rex:

Mike hamming it up:

Playing in the Bone Yard:

One last picture:

Then it was into the car for a short two hour drive to the hotel. Ryan loved the pillows:

We met at a local family's house for a Bar-B-Que. Then it was back to the hotel to celebrate Ryan's birthday:

Opening his fire engine puzzle:

Pretending to drink from his Buzz and Woody water bottle:Unwrapping the pirate ship (not a car seat like the box says!):

So after being awake for roughly 20 hours (and the boys were up with us right at 2:15am - "Mommy-a, are you waking us up to put us in the car!?"), it was finally time for bed! A GREAT first day and a special boy's birthday.