Hatten Family Day 2012

Each year, Jay and I pick a random day and declare that it is "Hatten Family Day." 

We do a fun activity with the family and spend the whole day together. Jay and I commit to not even check our phones or have other distractions :) The kids talk all year about what we are going to do for Hatten Family Day. We hope we are creating a really fun tradition that will continue until they're adults and establish some great family memories. We want them to know how much we treasure our family.

In previous years we have gone apple picking (2008), gone to a Reds baseball game and the aquarium in Atlanta (2009), hiked in the Cradle of Forestry (2010), and gone horseback riding (2011).

This year we went to Charlotte for the day and went to the Discovery Place.

The kids thought it was great to walk a few blocks in downtown Charlotte and see the skyscrapers.

While walking down the street, a family stopped us and said "Did you have 3 kids and then have twins??" Turns out that they had the exact same pattern. Their kids now range in age from 6-12 so they're past the baby stage of it all. It is encouraging for us to see people who have successfully made it past this stage when they're all little. 

We enjoyed pizzas at Brixx for lunch.

 Then we spent the afternoon in the Discovery Place. We investigated and learned about all kinds of things--bears, shells, fish, rainforests, and more.

We watched a 3D movie about lions

 The babies took naps off and on in their stroller. They were very good overall. It was a little tricky when it was time to fix them bottles because the bathroom didn't have hot water. I asked a lady who worked there if there was a sink somewhere with hot water. The next thing I knew, I was hanging out in the breakroom with all the people who work there while I fed the babies and changed diapers. Let's just say that there are some interesting people who work at the Discovery Place. (and I was a science teacher....)

 They really liked the aquarium section, especially the jellyfish.

 I have no idea what Catherine was doing in this part. I was in the break room. I think it was a chair lifted by air??

 Will really liked these drums he found.

 Overall it was a great day! A little hectic and we were all exhausted by the time we got home. Two days of travel, lack of naps and different schedules puts us at our limit. We spent today being very low key and recovering.

We were so thankful to have a fun day together and make great memories for Hatten Family Day!