We returned yesterday from a successful, albeit exhausting, trip to Wilmington for AUNT Adrianne (it's official!) and Uncle Billy's wedding. Here are a few highlights and things I learned.
First, for any of you who knew ahead of time that I planned to go down a day early to take the kids out on the beach by myself...those of you who knew better and didn't warn me...you're on my list. Why didn't someone hit me over the head or something?? No, really, it wasn't terrible, as long as I reminded myself every ten minutes to breathe and let go. And as long as I could be Elastic Girl, who could reach Annie in the sand and Jake in the water instantly at the same time. When Annie grabbed a bucket, said "Bye Mommy" and walked back toward the dunes, I had to do some fancy footwork to keep her on the beach without letting Jake drown.
From the kids' perspective (who by virtue of the fact that they are the kids do not ever worry that they will drown), it was a perfect day. We played in the water and Jake met new friends. Annie met seashells and sand and never even tried to eat any of it! Jake never tried to venture too far into the water because, as he described it, "Dad told me about this monster that grabs you if you get in past your waist and it pulls you into the water and you can't get back out."
I asked Jake if this monster was called, "the current," and he said yeah, that was it. I tried to explain that Dad didn't mean it was a monster, just that it was a strong pull. But Jake of course is (now four days from being) six, so he understands that anything that can grab you and suck you into the ocean must be a monster. Duh, mom.
Washing off the sand and changing clothes in the car after our beach day was absolutely the low point of the trip. Oh, no, wait. Maybe the low point was when we were changing into our suits before the beach, and Jake said (after pointing to my chest), "Wow, Mom, they look like they still have milk in them or something. I'm not trying to be rude."
Ouch. Yep, that was the worst of it.
So skipping over the drudgery of getting a baby out of a nasty sandy swim diaper and moving on...
We spent a wonderful evening Thursday with an old college roommate in her new home. It was so relaxing, I think we could have stayed a week (although I doubt we were quite as relaxing for her as she was for us). I'm amazed at this friend and how welcoming she is when people visit her home. She has a guest room and guest bathroom all prepared with fresh sheets, extra toiletries, reading material... Very impressive. She even has a guest book for people to sign. So if you're ever going to Wilmington, let me know and I'll send her your way (just kidding, Lynda C!).
Friday morning took us to the Wilmington Children's Museum, where we would've gotten in free had I realized I needed some stupid little sticker on my Greensboro Children's Museum membership card. Grr... Anyway, once you're there, you can't very well say, "Sorry, kids, Mommy doesn't want to pay for this," so we stayed and had a ($16) blast. Really, my kids are easygoing and fun to travel with. I think it's me that's whiny and hard to handle...
After lunch, we met up with Granny, Papa, Billy, Jane and George at the hotel. Beautiful, beautiful hotel with an awesome view of the Riverfront in downtown Wilmington. The hotel was actually having some odd issues with their power, something to do with a transformer blowing up, I think. That was Saturday, though. On Friday Jake and I stuck Annie in her playpen in the hotel room bathroom so she'd nap. Yes, I felt weird about sticking Annie in the bathroom to sleep, but really, she needed the nap and wouldn't go to sleep with Jake and me in the room. Jake and I vegged out on the hotel beds, playing Transformers (him) and reading (me).
Friday night we had a great meal at the Artisan restaurant for the rehearsal dinner,then went to Adrianne's parents' house for a yummy dessert. Annie and Jake were perfect (well, perfect-ish), especially considering how off-schedule we were. The minister (a very cool man named Arthur) commented on how well-behaved they were, and I had to admit my secret: God made them that way. Ike and I had nothing to do with it, we've just been lucky to have easy kids. (Okay, Jake's easy, Annie is easy-ish.)
We briefly saw another old college roommate Saturday morning. Oh! A note about something I learned Saturday: nice hotels don't do free continental breakfasts. If you go to one, don't invite your friend to eat with you there. It's not free.
When Ike arrived (YAY!) Saturday, the four of us went to lunch, then stayed in place through a huge thunderstorm (no swimming in the pool for us). We got back to our hotel, put Annie in the bathroom again for a nap, then all got ready for the wedding.
The wedding!! Are you still reading? Aunt Adrianne was a beautiful bride. Even Jake, who is more impressed by strength than beauty, was amazed and kept talking about her "big white dress." Adrianne wrote the vows, and as she'd promised, it was the shortest wedding ceremony ever. :) Just wonderful... with a great dinner afterward.
Oh, one thing. Julia Stiles was staying at The Wilmingtonian, where Adrianne and Billy got married and stayed for the night. Adrianne was so funny about it when she saw her on the front porch. Adrianne whispered to me, "Julia Stiles is staying here, but I have the best room in the house!" And she deserved the best room, it was a wonderful evening. Welcome to the family, Adrianne! :)
Two quick stories, then I'll stop so you can stop reading my saga. Jake is apparently picking up my lingo. At lunch on Saturday, we were all talking about something (maybe Ike remembers what?), and I said something that Jake obviously thought was a joke. He looked at me, deadpan, and said, "No, Mom. Seriously." Seriously?? Seriously?? Who is this teenage boy???
Also, it seems Annie might be ready to start potty training. No, don't worry, I'm not going to be pushing my eighteen-month-old to train. But Saturday in the hotel, she walked into the bathroom, lifted up her shirt facing the toilet (just like Jake does), looked at me and asked, "Potty?"
I asked if she wanted to use the potty and she nodded. So I stripped off her diaper and sat her on the toilet for a few minutes. Nothing happened, but still, there it is. She's interested, so I suppose I need to be. So much for not thinking about it until she's three...
First, for any of you who knew ahead of time that I planned to go down a day early to take the kids out on the beach by myself...those of you who knew better and didn't warn me...you're on my list. Why didn't someone hit me over the head or something?? No, really, it wasn't terrible, as long as I reminded myself every ten minutes to breathe and let go. And as long as I could be Elastic Girl, who could reach Annie in the sand and Jake in the water instantly at the same time. When Annie grabbed a bucket, said "Bye Mommy" and walked back toward the dunes, I had to do some fancy footwork to keep her on the beach without letting Jake drown.
From the kids' perspective (who by virtue of the fact that they are the kids do not ever worry that they will drown), it was a perfect day. We played in the water and Jake met new friends. Annie met seashells and sand and never even tried to eat any of it! Jake never tried to venture too far into the water because, as he described it, "Dad told me about this monster that grabs you if you get in past your waist and it pulls you into the water and you can't get back out."
I asked Jake if this monster was called, "the current," and he said yeah, that was it. I tried to explain that Dad didn't mean it was a monster, just that it was a strong pull. But Jake of course is (now four days from being) six, so he understands that anything that can grab you and suck you into the ocean must be a monster. Duh, mom.
Washing off the sand and changing clothes in the car after our beach day was absolutely the low point of the trip. Oh, no, wait. Maybe the low point was when we were changing into our suits before the beach, and Jake said (after pointing to my chest), "Wow, Mom, they look like they still have milk in them or something. I'm not trying to be rude."
Ouch. Yep, that was the worst of it.
So skipping over the drudgery of getting a baby out of a nasty sandy swim diaper and moving on...
We spent a wonderful evening Thursday with an old college roommate in her new home. It was so relaxing, I think we could have stayed a week (although I doubt we were quite as relaxing for her as she was for us). I'm amazed at this friend and how welcoming she is when people visit her home. She has a guest room and guest bathroom all prepared with fresh sheets, extra toiletries, reading material... Very impressive. She even has a guest book for people to sign. So if you're ever going to Wilmington, let me know and I'll send her your way (just kidding, Lynda C!).
Friday morning took us to the Wilmington Children's Museum, where we would've gotten in free had I realized I needed some stupid little sticker on my Greensboro Children's Museum membership card. Grr... Anyway, once you're there, you can't very well say, "Sorry, kids, Mommy doesn't want to pay for this," so we stayed and had a ($16) blast. Really, my kids are easygoing and fun to travel with. I think it's me that's whiny and hard to handle...
After lunch, we met up with Granny, Papa, Billy, Jane and George at the hotel. Beautiful, beautiful hotel with an awesome view of the Riverfront in downtown Wilmington. The hotel was actually having some odd issues with their power, something to do with a transformer blowing up, I think. That was Saturday, though. On Friday Jake and I stuck Annie in her playpen in the hotel room bathroom so she'd nap. Yes, I felt weird about sticking Annie in the bathroom to sleep, but really, she needed the nap and wouldn't go to sleep with Jake and me in the room. Jake and I vegged out on the hotel beds, playing Transformers (him) and reading (me).
Friday night we had a great meal at the Artisan restaurant for the rehearsal dinner,then went to Adrianne's parents' house for a yummy dessert. Annie and Jake were perfect (well, perfect-ish), especially considering how off-schedule we were. The minister (a very cool man named Arthur) commented on how well-behaved they were, and I had to admit my secret: God made them that way. Ike and I had nothing to do with it, we've just been lucky to have easy kids. (Okay, Jake's easy, Annie is easy-ish.)
We briefly saw another old college roommate Saturday morning. Oh! A note about something I learned Saturday: nice hotels don't do free continental breakfasts. If you go to one, don't invite your friend to eat with you there. It's not free.
When Ike arrived (YAY!) Saturday, the four of us went to lunch, then stayed in place through a huge thunderstorm (no swimming in the pool for us). We got back to our hotel, put Annie in the bathroom again for a nap, then all got ready for the wedding.
The wedding!! Are you still reading? Aunt Adrianne was a beautiful bride. Even Jake, who is more impressed by strength than beauty, was amazed and kept talking about her "big white dress." Adrianne wrote the vows, and as she'd promised, it was the shortest wedding ceremony ever. :) Just wonderful... with a great dinner afterward.
Oh, one thing. Julia Stiles was staying at The Wilmingtonian, where Adrianne and Billy got married and stayed for the night. Adrianne was so funny about it when she saw her on the front porch. Adrianne whispered to me, "Julia Stiles is staying here, but I have the best room in the house!" And she deserved the best room, it was a wonderful evening. Welcome to the family, Adrianne! :)
Two quick stories, then I'll stop so you can stop reading my saga. Jake is apparently picking up my lingo. At lunch on Saturday, we were all talking about something (maybe Ike remembers what?), and I said something that Jake obviously thought was a joke. He looked at me, deadpan, and said, "No, Mom. Seriously." Seriously?? Seriously?? Who is this teenage boy???
Also, it seems Annie might be ready to start potty training. No, don't worry, I'm not going to be pushing my eighteen-month-old to train. But Saturday in the hotel, she walked into the bathroom, lifted up her shirt facing the toilet (just like Jake does), looked at me and asked, "Potty?"
I asked if she wanted to use the potty and she nodded. So I stripped off her diaper and sat her on the toilet for a few minutes. Nothing happened, but still, there it is. She's interested, so I suppose I need to be. So much for not thinking about it until she's three...
1 Comments:
Ok, from all of this great story of a fun family trip, playing at the beach, and a beautiful wedding, I came here to comment that I'm relieved I'm not the only mother to put the playpen in the bathroom to get the baby to sleep, LOL. Yes, we've done it many times! :)
Seriously though, it does sound like a great trip. Didn't anyone tell you that ANY trip with kids that age would run you crazy though? You act surprised! ;) I'm glad it went well and you guys made it home safe.
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