Weekend at Meemaw's

Hi there! Remember me? I used to update my blogs at least fairly regularly. It seems life has gotten so busy and I have so much to blog about and absolutely no time to sit and do it! This is the first of probably a couple of what I'll call "catch-up" posts.

A few weeks ago, the middle of April, we made a weekend trip to my mom's. This was the first trip to Mama's that Ed was able to join us since last July. The weather was beautiful, warm but breezy on the coast. We played the part of "tourists" for most of the weekend but we all had so much fun.

I wish I could say the trip down was uneventful but it was anything but. Ed was able to get off work a little early. The goal was to get to Mama's in time for dinner. In an attempt to be the ever-prepared Mommy I packed car bags for each of the girls full of toys, book and activities to keep them happy. I kept them up from their typical naps also in hopes they would sleep for most of the trip. Unfortunately my big plan backfired completely!! The markers and notepad I had packed for Gabrielle were a disaster. Marker tops were all over the car and Gabrielle's legs, hands and arms were covered with marks. I made a note to pack crayons next time - markers and pens in the car, not a good idea! One of the other items I had packed for Gabrielle was her LeapPad. She has not had it long and did not know how to turn it on and get it set up by herself. From the front seat I was stretching and reaching trying to get it all hooked up and ready to go. She would use it for a few minutes and then be done with it and then a few minutes later she would want it again. I had just bought a pair of child earphones for her earlier that day to use with her LeapPad and of course the volume was always apparently too loud or too soft. Basically the LeapPad idea was just an added aggravation for myself. And of course to top it off Gabrielle drank her juice in the first five minutes of the trip so 30 minutes down the road, barely out of town, she had to go potty. As for Samantha, she fell asleep in the first five minutes of the trip after being kept up from her nap. Unfortunately stopping 30 minutes later for her sister to go potty woke her up and she was awake for the rest of the trip, most of which she spent crying and screaming. I think I have more success when I pack nothing for the car trip and go unprepared!

Although the one thing I packed that did work out as planned was Gabrielle's neck pillow. I asked Mama to make one for her because after switching Gabrielle to the new booster car seat I noticed when she fell asleep her poor little head flopped straight down! The pink bunny neck pillow is perfect for her!

Saturday was our "tourist" day. I call it our "tourist" day because we did things typically tourists do while in Carteret County, not necessarily things locals do on a regular basis and not things I did growing up there. We went to Pizza Inn for lunch. Yummy! I love Pizza Inn but we don't have one anywhere close to us so it is not unusual for us to eat there when we visit Mama (or in Tarboro when we visit Ed's dad). After lunch we headed to the Morehead waterfront and then Beaufort waterfront. As I said before the weather was so nice - the perfect day to stroll on the boardwalk. Gabrielle loved, loved, loved it! Her reaction to the big boats docked in Beaufort was hilarious. I guess she really doesn't have too much experience with boats which makes me a little sad considering I grew up on an island surrounded by boats! I hate that my kids have missed out on those experiences but they are still young so maybe there is still hope! But back to our day, we walked up and down the waterfront and sat for a little bit to look at the water. We of course stopped for some hand-dipped ice cream from the General Store and we even made a visit to the Beaufort Maritime Museum.

Gabrielle & Samantha in a Yellow Submarine at the Maritime Museum.

Saturday night after a delicious dinner of fried shrimp, hushpuppies, bbq and more Ed and I bathed the girls and then headed out for a little date ourselves. We went back to Beaufort, stopped for a couple of lattes and walked the boardwalk a few more times. Then we took a ride over to the beach and went in the only stores still open - Wings and Beach Mart!

Sunday morning Mama made homemade blueberry muffins for breakfast. It might have been a better choice to give Samantha a frozen waffle or something other than a muffin. I had to give her a bath before church!

I tried to get a good picture of Mama with the girls but I tell you it has become quite the challenge to get a good picture of Samantha and Gabrielle together!! This is the best shot I got even though Samantha is not looking up and is kicking her shoe off. At least Meemaw and Gabrielle look good.


During church Gabrielle went to Children's Church where she colored and cut paper - a big hit! After church we had another delicious meal of spaghetti, salad and garlic bread. We loaded the car and headed back home. The trip home was much better than the trip there. The girls and I all fell asleep. Ed got to listen to the race in peace and quiet while he drove and we woke up about 30 minutes away from home.

We are looking forward to more trips to Mama's this summer and hope we can make it to the aquarium and the beach a couple of times.

I just realized I forgot to post a couple of photos that I really wanted to share. On Friday morning I was determined to finish cleaning the house so we could come home to a nice clean, straight house. To keep the girls happy and occupied I turned the tv on, fixed a couple bowls of Cheerios and juice cups. About 5 minutes after giving them their snack I realized an open bowl of Cheerios probably not the greatest idea for Samantha. This should have been an obvious I know but what can I say - I just wasn't thinking!

Cheerios were everywhere - on the table, the floor, stuck to her legs, feet, arms, clothes and even face!
The other photo is Gabrielle on Saturday morning at Meemaw's. She was in awe at all the jewelry Mama had on her dresser and proceeded to put as much of it on as she could manage!

The girl is truly a sucker for accessories!!