Our kids became professionals at taking 10 hour car trips this fall (to & from Charleston, and then to & from upstate NY a few weeks later.) Joe was thrilled to get to turn around in his car seat for the occasions (stop judging; it's perfectly legal, just not recommended.) He got to watch movies instead of the back window. It also made all the hand-holding he insisted on much easier for me. (That boy & his hand-holding are KILLING me. I swear my arm almost fell off on our trip to Charleston; it went numb at one point and I thought to myself "Well, at least I can't feel him digging his nails into my skin anymore.") Brooke was thrilled we got to eat at "Old McDonald's" on both car rides (What the hell does the South have against Wendy's?) Both kids had gigantic smiles on their faces any time we stopped & got out of the car, borderline giddy. They weren't super keen on napping in the car on the way down to Charleston, meaning they were awake for about 8.5 of the 10.5 hour trip. I KNOW, I can't believe the husband & I survived either. (Did I mention it also rained for a majority of the drive? Lovely.)
Thanks to the oh-so-stellar weather we had while we were there, it was tough to do much sight-seeing with the kiddos. Rather than walk around Downtown & explore, we often booked it to the first place we could reach once we hopped out of the car so we could keep them dry/warm. We managed to hit a few highlights though. One of the kids' favorites was probably the boat ride we took across the river from our hotel to the eastern side of the city. Though it was very cold & windy, the kids sat wide-eyed as we slowly trudged along in a 7-person water taxi. We had been spotting dolphins in the river from our hotel balcony all week, but they were up close & personal while we were on the boat! We even saw them jump out of the water; our taxi driver said it was only the 3rd time he'd seen it all year. Though she claims she could see them, I'm not totally convinced Brooke saw the dolphins each time we pointed them out. But it was still fun to be on the water for both Joe's first boat ride!
On this particular day, we were taking the boat into town so we could go to the Children's Museum. The kids spent a few hours running around and exploring the museum. Joe seemed most impressed by the room full of golf ball ramps (which was a tiny bit dangerous, not gonna lie...) though he also got a huge kick out painting in the art room. And Brooke's favorite was probably the grocery store, complete with a working cash register/scanner that printed out real receipts. It was a fun way to kill a few hours indoors.
We spent the better part of the morning one day at a plantation house. It wasn't quite what we expected; most of the exhibits/presentations were closed b/c it was the off season. We were able to walk around the beautiful grounds for a short time (too cold for a long time - I did not pack a warm enough jacket for this trip...) and take some cute pictures, though. The massive oaks trees lining the driveway and scattered throughout the property were incredible; they made my giant kids look tiny :)
The kids & I joined the husband & my parents for 1 of UD's 3 tournament games. Brooke remembered to bring her pom poms on the trip & we cheered extra loud! They were absolutely the cutest Flyer fans in attendance!
After flipping through my vacation pictures, I realized that Brooke really seemed to enjoy my favorite part of vacationing: the food. Like mother like daughter. We had some delicious dinners, including a very fancy meal at a steakhouse where she got to drink from a water glass and use fancy silverware "just like Fancy Nancy!" And there was certainly no absence of sweets on this trip! We made stops at ice cream & cupcake shops, as well as indulging in dessert after several dinners. She got to share her first piece of a double chocolate cake with Mommy - it was quite a hit! (And then she didn't go to sleep until after 11pm... That's what vacation is for, right?) We even managed to stop for a drink at some family friends' bar while we were in town, children in tow. Yep, we were those people that had their babies in a bar. (We happened to be the only people there; it was early on a Thursday night.) The bartenders LOVED Brooke, a sentence I imagine will be repeated in about 18 years.
The highlights of the trip for Joe were the essence of the phrase "it's the little things in life". Upon arriving, he instantly fell in love with a fish rug outside the elevators on our floor. He would sit down and point to the fish saying "Fishie!" each time we passed it. He found the suitcase full of the toys & books we had packed in the closet & managed to find a cozy little spot for himself as well. And he absolutely loved running up and down the dock, free to roam and dance as he pleased. I can only imagine how much more time we would have spent out there with our little explorer had the weather been more cooperative. (That's our gorgeous hotel in the background. Our balcony is the one on the top left!)
We really had a great time on this family vacation, in spite of the weather! The kids didn't know we were missing out on activities because of it; they just loved spending 7 straight days with Daddy & their grandparents. And that's what it's all about, after all.
We are so appreciative of my parents for everything they did for us to make this trip possible. It was soooo good for all of us to escape reality for a week & just unwind. Thanks again, Mom & Dad. Love you!
No comments:
Post a Comment