Our family recently visited my family in NC. Along the way, we learned many interesting things about our family and other topics.
1. Our boys are really good (really they're great, but good will suffice for this story).
The trip started a bit rough - with a 3+ hour delay at LaGuardia (LGA). If you've never been to LGA, you're not missing much. It's old (though refurbished sometime in the last decade), smelly, crammed with generally disgruntled employees, and has little to offer in terms of entertaining little ones. Regardless of these challenges, Jack and Spence did great. Justin and I took turns with each boy - walking Spence in the stroller (thank you Trenchers for letting us borrow yours!), guiding Jack through the book stores (yes, he left with a set of cars - NYPD to be exact), buying food and water, and keeping Spence from eating whatever he found on the ground and from licking the handrails (yuck, yuck, yuck - at least now we know that Spence's immune system is getting strong).
All things considered, there was little fussing even through the flight.
2. Spence can drink whole milk.
A quick addition to #1. In trying to pare down what I normally travel with, I only packed one bottle, which Spence drank shortly after we arrived at the airport. As our departure time became later and later, we realized that that one bottle wasn't going to cut it. Spence was introduced to whole milk (which I had to search for?!?!). Fortunately, there were no adverse reactions. With this fantastic knowledge, I think we'll be moving him to whole milk soon (yea, so ready to be done with formula!).
3. Trains are cool.
We visited the NC Transportation in -- you'll love this -- Spencer, NC! It was a neat museum. One of the features offered is riding on a real train. On the day that we were there, the train was pulled by a diesel engine from 1950 that looked very similar to "Brewster" from Chuggington. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Check the Disney or Disney Jr channels at 7:30 weekday mornings. Jack was quite excited and a bit overwhelmed to get on the train.
The museum also has one of the largest remaining roundhouses (again, check Chuggington if you don't know what this is) full of old engines and cars. There are also lots of different cars, trucks, and planes. While Jack enjoyed the museum, I think he'll be more impressed in a couple of years.
4. "Zoos" are fun.
After the transportation museum, we headed a bit further south to visit mom's good friend, Teresa. For almost as long as I can remember, Teresa has had a variety of animals (think barnyard, not slithering in an aquarium). We explained to Jack that we were visiting a zoo to keep him interested. Right now, Teresa's zoo has goats (30, maybe more, including several baby goats), dogs, cats, and emus (yes, plural - she has four). Jack loved feeding the goats corn - and the goats loved being fed. One curious emu kept a close eye on Jack - wow, these are scary looking birds. All of this was cool; however, the big hit of the day was also the smallest - six little little puppies that arrived in a basket. They were adorable. Jack was thrilled. The mommy and daddy dogs were also cute. The daddy took a liking to Spence - you'll see in a picture that Spence is clearly a cat person. The rest of the trip, Jack asked to go to the zoo and meant Teresa's.
5. Spence likes french fries.
We visited with my Dad and Wanda next (the kids' Grandpa and Nana). During the visit, we had lunch at a local deli where we kept Spence calm by handing him french fries - and then crossing our fingers that he didn't choke on them (ok, maybe just me). The visit was great - the boys had a special treat. No, not puppies or the sliding door that Jack must have opened and closed a thousand times - but Christmas stockings filled with all sorts of fun cars and trucks and car related things.
6. Baby boy legs are adorable.
The weather was beautiful and warm. So warm, that we all wore shorts. I loved seeing Jack's and Spencer's legs - so cute!
7. Chick-fil-a could be the best place ever.
Of course, we stopped at Chick-fil-a - surprisingly it wasn't on our first day in Greensboro. The boys had been up early and were quite tired, so we decided that lunch needed to be quick and easy. This Chick-fil-a had a playspace that caught Jack's attention before turned off the road. We ate right next to the play area so that I could watch Jack. He took an interest in another little boy there. It was as if they spoke through ESP because they fell into sync as soon as Jack went in to play. Jack wowed us in the play area. He figured out how to climb to the top even though the steps were good distance apart. And he went down the tunnel slide on his own without any hesitation. But what really wowed me was what happened when it was time to leave. I went in the playspace and found Jack (harder than you think). I told him it was time to go. He started to climb to the slide. I repeated it was time to go. He looked at me, calmly said "ok, it's time to go" and came down to put on his shoes. I was so impressed!
8. Rainbows really are cool.
My mom and I attended Greensboro Ballet's Spring Concert. On the way downtown, the rain cleared for a bit and two beautiful rainbows appeared. I haven't seen a rainbow in a while, so it was pretty cool. The ballet was cool too. Greensboro Ballet had brought in several guest dancers from three companies including the New York City Ballet. They were all fantastic. The Greensboro Ballet dancers - professional and not - also did a great job. It's so nice to see that organization do well. The leadership has worked hard to build a top notch school and develop interest in ballet within the community.
9. It's always great to see family.
In addition to grandparents and great-grandparents, the boys also visited with Linda and her husband Tom. They stopped by on their way home from Durham (you can ask them how Greensboro is on the way home to Apex from Durham - thankfully, it made sense to them). The boys were so pleasant during the visit. They really made me proud. It was nice catching up with Linda and Tom. They have several exciting things happening in the near future and we wish them great luck with each.
10. The South really is pretty in the Spring.
While we were in NC, everything turned green. The azaleas were blooming, daffodils were likely past their prime, and all of the tree buds were opening. So early for this season - but it was beautiful. We even had a couple of thunderstorms. The only not so beautiful thing was the pollen. Lots and lots of pollen.
11. Traveling with two alone is...crazy.
Justin left a few days before the boys and me. This meant that I had the privilege of flying by myself with a 2.5 year old and 10 month old. We got to the airport fine. My mom was able to get a guest pass to accompany us through security. Thank goodness she was there as Spence and I were randomly selected for extra screening. I kid you not. At least the TSA staff were reasonably nice. Boarding the plane was not quite as smooth. I talked the gate attendant into letting me board with all my stuff first and then coming back for the boys. This did work out even though it was stressful. The flight itself went ok. Spence fell asleep in the car seat and Jack more or less behaved. After we landed, it hit me that I would not be able to get off the plane in one trip. I had no idea how I was going to make this happen. Fortunately, two gentlemen on the plane helped me with the car seat and the stroller. Without them, I probably would have ended up strapping the car seat to Jack's back like a toddler Quasimoto and stuffing Spence in the bag with the stroller - two actions that would have likely resulted with child services meeting me at the luggage carousel.
11. There's no place like home.
Our visit was great. It was wonderful to have more space (and bedrooms when little boys wouldn't go to sleep together), a yard, a grill, and wonderful weather. It was great to be with family too. However, Jack could not have been more happy to be home. First, Christine met us at the airport. She received the running hug from Jack when he saw her. When we got home, Jack was essentially dancing around the apartment. He was so happy to see his room and his toys. He even made his weekly playgroup to see his best pals. It's nice to know that our little home has become such an important place in Jack's world - that he feels safe and comfortable and loved here. I hope we all feel that way and that the feeling lasts a very long time.
Hope you enjoyed this not-so-quick recap of our trip. More updates to come soon!
1. Our boys are really good (really they're great, but good will suffice for this story).
The trip started a bit rough - with a 3+ hour delay at LaGuardia (LGA). If you've never been to LGA, you're not missing much. It's old (though refurbished sometime in the last decade), smelly, crammed with generally disgruntled employees, and has little to offer in terms of entertaining little ones. Regardless of these challenges, Jack and Spence did great. Justin and I took turns with each boy - walking Spence in the stroller (thank you Trenchers for letting us borrow yours!), guiding Jack through the book stores (yes, he left with a set of cars - NYPD to be exact), buying food and water, and keeping Spence from eating whatever he found on the ground and from licking the handrails (yuck, yuck, yuck - at least now we know that Spence's immune system is getting strong).
All things considered, there was little fussing even through the flight.
Aren't we supposed to be on one of those things already?
2. Spence can drink whole milk.
A quick addition to #1. In trying to pare down what I normally travel with, I only packed one bottle, which Spence drank shortly after we arrived at the airport. As our departure time became later and later, we realized that that one bottle wasn't going to cut it. Spence was introduced to whole milk (which I had to search for?!?!). Fortunately, there were no adverse reactions. With this fantastic knowledge, I think we'll be moving him to whole milk soon (yea, so ready to be done with formula!).
3. Trains are cool.
We visited the NC Transportation in -- you'll love this -- Spencer, NC! It was a neat museum. One of the features offered is riding on a real train. On the day that we were there, the train was pulled by a diesel engine from 1950 that looked very similar to "Brewster" from Chuggington. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Check the Disney or Disney Jr channels at 7:30 weekday mornings. Jack was quite excited and a bit overwhelmed to get on the train.
The museum also has one of the largest remaining roundhouses (again, check Chuggington if you don't know what this is) full of old engines and cars. There are also lots of different cars, trucks, and planes. While Jack enjoyed the museum, I think he'll be more impressed in a couple of years.
Checking out the old cars and trucks
The diesel engine that pulled the train we rode is to the left in this picture.
Excited to be on the train.
Having fun on the train.
4. "Zoos" are fun.
After the transportation museum, we headed a bit further south to visit mom's good friend, Teresa. For almost as long as I can remember, Teresa has had a variety of animals (think barnyard, not slithering in an aquarium). We explained to Jack that we were visiting a zoo to keep him interested. Right now, Teresa's zoo has goats (30, maybe more, including several baby goats), dogs, cats, and emus (yes, plural - she has four). Jack loved feeding the goats corn - and the goats loved being fed. One curious emu kept a close eye on Jack - wow, these are scary looking birds. All of this was cool; however, the big hit of the day was also the smallest - six little little puppies that arrived in a basket. They were adorable. Jack was thrilled. The mommy and daddy dogs were also cute. The daddy took a liking to Spence - you'll see in a picture that Spence is clearly a cat person. The rest of the trip, Jack asked to go to the zoo and meant Teresa's.
The black one was the runt - the other was probably the cutest of the puppies.
Spence: "what the heck is this thing"
Spence making friends quick.
Animals at Teresa's "zoo"
Feeding the goats
Not the most attractive bird...
5. Spence likes french fries.
We visited with my Dad and Wanda next (the kids' Grandpa and Nana). During the visit, we had lunch at a local deli where we kept Spence calm by handing him french fries - and then crossing our fingers that he didn't choke on them (ok, maybe just me). The visit was great - the boys had a special treat. No, not puppies or the sliding door that Jack must have opened and closed a thousand times - but Christmas stockings filled with all sorts of fun cars and trucks and car related things.
Spence chewing on one of his gifts and Jack admiring a couple of his.
Trying to get a picture of Spence & Jack with Grandpa and Nana - Jack wasn't cooperating
So Nana coerced him into participating.
6. Baby boy legs are adorable.
The weather was beautiful and warm. So warm, that we all wore shorts. I loved seeing Jack's and Spencer's legs - so cute!
7. Chick-fil-a could be the best place ever.
Of course, we stopped at Chick-fil-a - surprisingly it wasn't on our first day in Greensboro. The boys had been up early and were quite tired, so we decided that lunch needed to be quick and easy. This Chick-fil-a had a playspace that caught Jack's attention before turned off the road. We ate right next to the play area so that I could watch Jack. He took an interest in another little boy there. It was as if they spoke through ESP because they fell into sync as soon as Jack went in to play. Jack wowed us in the play area. He figured out how to climb to the top even though the steps were good distance apart. And he went down the tunnel slide on his own without any hesitation. But what really wowed me was what happened when it was time to leave. I went in the playspace and found Jack (harder than you think). I told him it was time to go. He started to climb to the slide. I repeated it was time to go. He looked at me, calmly said "ok, it's time to go" and came down to put on his shoes. I was so impressed!
8. Rainbows really are cool.
My mom and I attended Greensboro Ballet's Spring Concert. On the way downtown, the rain cleared for a bit and two beautiful rainbows appeared. I haven't seen a rainbow in a while, so it was pretty cool. The ballet was cool too. Greensboro Ballet had brought in several guest dancers from three companies including the New York City Ballet. They were all fantastic. The Greensboro Ballet dancers - professional and not - also did a great job. It's so nice to see that organization do well. The leadership has worked hard to build a top notch school and develop interest in ballet within the community.
9. It's always great to see family.
In addition to grandparents and great-grandparents, the boys also visited with Linda and her husband Tom. They stopped by on their way home from Durham (you can ask them how Greensboro is on the way home to Apex from Durham - thankfully, it made sense to them). The boys were so pleasant during the visit. They really made me proud. It was nice catching up with Linda and Tom. They have several exciting things happening in the near future and we wish them great luck with each.
10. The South really is pretty in the Spring.
While we were in NC, everything turned green. The azaleas were blooming, daffodils were likely past their prime, and all of the tree buds were opening. So early for this season - but it was beautiful. We even had a couple of thunderstorms. The only not so beautiful thing was the pollen. Lots and lots of pollen.
11. Traveling with two alone is...crazy.
Justin left a few days before the boys and me. This meant that I had the privilege of flying by myself with a 2.5 year old and 10 month old. We got to the airport fine. My mom was able to get a guest pass to accompany us through security. Thank goodness she was there as Spence and I were randomly selected for extra screening. I kid you not. At least the TSA staff were reasonably nice. Boarding the plane was not quite as smooth. I talked the gate attendant into letting me board with all my stuff first and then coming back for the boys. This did work out even though it was stressful. The flight itself went ok. Spence fell asleep in the car seat and Jack more or less behaved. After we landed, it hit me that I would not be able to get off the plane in one trip. I had no idea how I was going to make this happen. Fortunately, two gentlemen on the plane helped me with the car seat and the stroller. Without them, I probably would have ended up strapping the car seat to Jack's back like a toddler Quasimoto and stuffing Spence in the bag with the stroller - two actions that would have likely resulted with child services meeting me at the luggage carousel.
11. There's no place like home.
Our visit was great. It was wonderful to have more space (and bedrooms when little boys wouldn't go to sleep together), a yard, a grill, and wonderful weather. It was great to be with family too. However, Jack could not have been more happy to be home. First, Christine met us at the airport. She received the running hug from Jack when he saw her. When we got home, Jack was essentially dancing around the apartment. He was so happy to see his room and his toys. He even made his weekly playgroup to see his best pals. It's nice to know that our little home has become such an important place in Jack's world - that he feels safe and comfortable and loved here. I hope we all feel that way and that the feeling lasts a very long time.
Hope you enjoyed this not-so-quick recap of our trip. More updates to come soon!
Comments
Post a Comment