Trip to Birmingham to Holiday Shop and McWane Center

SO...three days before Bates was born I was a little sad because at the Dr., it didn't look like I was anywhere close to going into labor.  Not dilated or effaced AT ALL...as a matter of fact, I ended up in tears in his office because I wanted to be induced SO bad!  SO..three days before he was born, we took a little trip to Birmingham :)  Birmingham always makes me happy.  I love to go in little stores there and it brings back great memories from growing up.  We usually get little treats throughout the day while we are there, too!  This day, we started with breakfast at Magic Muffins...if you are in Birmingham, you will have to check it out!  It's been my favorite little muffin place since high school.  I worked at a balloon shop and we would sell muffin bags and get our muffins from there!  They are in Mountain Brook and pretty much all of them are excellent!  German Applesauce is my favorite :)  They sell out fast so you have to go early or call and have them hold them (which is what I do if I know we are headed there!)  After that we headed to The Holiday Shop...it's a little Christmas store in a barn off Rocky Ridge Road at the Acton Road exit.  It feels like the you are stepping back in time when you go in there.  I love that Joyce Ann, the owner, always remembers our names and greets us with a hug when we walk in!  We buy a new piece for our Fontanini nativity from there each year.  AND...we take pictures of the boys while we are there! 

I just love pictures of my boys :)  I know some of y'all may wonder why I post so many but this is how we are going to look back and see them growing up...I'm not great with the scrapbook thing and I don't print my pictures off so having my blog printed will be our best memory!

After the Holiday Shop we headed to the McWane Center for lunch and to see their winter wonderland! 

The boys were looking at part of the train exhibit!

They had "ice skating" which was more like carpet skating.  Not as exciting as it sounded and didn't last long :)

Cass tried it with them!

There was a slide that was on the escalator that went from the third to the second floor.  They LOVED going down it!  Cass tried that one out, too!  Being 39 weeks pregnant, I decided not to :)

Sitting in the sleigh!

Playing the piano by walking!

Then...they had SNOW!  It was whatever is in diapers that makes them absorb.  It was very slippery and you had to wear special shoes (and I didn't try this either because the lady was afraid I would fall). They made "snowballs" and filled up buckets!  It was very entertaining!

Cass and the boys playing in the "snow"!