Ashton's 3rd Birthday!!!!!

Ashton's birthday this year was a 5-day celebration! After work on Friday (the 7th), we made the 4 hour drive to Atlanta and stayed at one of my company's Doubletree properties in Alpharetta (delightful room and hotel!) The next morning, we woke up early and headed out to the Georgia Aquarium. What a treat that was! It was our first time visiting there, and we had a great time. Ashton especially loved the sea lions...

Georgia Aquarium Sea Lions from Mike and Ash on Vimeo.


Georgia Aquarium 3 from Mike and Ash on Vimeo.

Georgia Aquarium 4 from Mike and Ash on Vimeo.

I've heard tales of how uncomfortably crowded the Aquarium can get, but I think we got there early enough to leisurely take it all in without feeling cramped or rushed.

After our visit with the fishies, we strolled across the street to Atlanta's Centennial Park and played on the playground, watched the ice-skaters and enjoyed the holiday decorations. Next was a little "daddy time", as we headed out to Atlanta's IKEA store for a bit of shopping. VERY COOL store!


That night we drove out to Lake Lanier Islands'...
...Magical Night of Lights


Magical Night of Lights from Mike and Ash on Vimeo.
I had obviously overbooked our Saturday, because by the time we got there, Ashton slept thru the hour and a half that it took to drive the entire light show. I did enjoy it myself though!


Now, if you're familiar with this blog, then you already know what a Doodlebops fan my son is. Sooo....for the main event on our weekend getaway, we wrapped up the trip by seeing his favorite "rock" band Live in Concert at the Philips Arena!! Holy cow! What an experience that was! Of course daddy had to blow a wad of cash before we even got to our seats...what with the new hair, photos, strobe-light flags, and other oh-so-necessary Doodlebop gear...


Doodlebops Concert 1 from Mike and Ash on Vimeo.

Doodlebops Concert 2 from Mike and Ash on Vimeo.

Suffice it to say, Ashton LOVED the show and LIVED in his Doodlebop halloween costume after we got back to Savannah!
After getting home Sunday night, I took Ashton in to daycare on Monday and spent the day in my pj's recovering from the weekend :)

Well Tuesday finally rolled around and the Birthday celebration was ON! I had decided to do the Atlanta trip instead of having a big birthday party, so the folks came over and we had an ice-cream birthday cake and presents...

Ashton's 3rd Birthday Cake from Mike and Ash on Vimeo.


Ashton's grandparents were quite proud of themselves when they brought over his thousand-piece present

Ashton's 3rd Birthday....Grandparents' revenge from Mike and Ash on Vimeo.


After the gifts were unwrapped and the dust finally settled, Ashton's favorite gift was the box-turned-fort that his new desk came in!
After all of that, I don't think I had ever been so happy to go back to work '-)