Finding Nemo in a Haystack

Ahhh...the excitement threshold of a toddler. Wouldn't it be great to achieve nirvana over the sighting of an orange and white fish? Well, it's just as much fun (maybe more) seeing your little boy get there.
We had originally planned an extended family vacation to the Gulf of Mexico this weekend. However, Ivan had other plans. After logging on to weather.com every five minutes and searching for a reason to hope, we finally decided to change direction and head north to Chattanooga, Tennessee. A much shorter ride in the car and essentially a much shorter duration of "100 Best Loved Kids Songs" was a nice way to start. We arrived just in time to visit the Tennessee Aquarium where we all had a blast watching Ethan recite the entire script of "Finding Nemo". No, really...I'm serious.
Today we went to the Tennessee Valley Railway. It was a very cool exhibit. We even got to ride in a vintage 1930's train. Once again, Ethan was in heaven. Donning an engineer's cap, he entertained everyone with his reenactment of his favorite "Thomas the Tank Engine" stories. I have to admit, and I know I am a little biased, but he is the cutest, smartest, sweetest, most precious little boy I have ever seen. Our trip comes to an end tomorrow, but it has been a welcome retreat from reality. I will, however, be ecstatic to see Hallie (my 4 year old daughter) tomorrow. It just hasn't been the same without her!