Summer Break 2018: Week 6

Week 6 of summer break was my favorite week of the year: Bakewell Beach Week! Even though I do not have to go back to work yet, I am fighting off a case of the post-vacation blues as I write this post. We had such a great time and made lots of memories! 

On our journey to the coast, we made a few stops along the way. First, we stopped in Greensboro to meet our newest niece, Whitlee Marie Kennedy. Darby and Goosie added #5 to their crew last Friday, July 20th, and while they were still in the hospital, we were able to meet the newest Kennedy. Both mommy and baby are doing well!

 Next, we stopped through Wilmington to have lunch with Kyle. We went to the same BBQ place that we went to last year, and once again we took a picture of the brothers and Emmy. 

We made the final leg of the trip to Ocean Isle, only hitting traffic at the very end within a few miles of the main bridge. Emmy was a trooper during the drive and either slept, 'read', or sang throughout the trip. The Houstons and the Bakewells had already arrived at the house, so we quickly settled in and then ordered pizza for dinner. After dinner, Meg, Mom, and I set off to the grocery store armed with a fairly long list. Once again this year, we ate all of our breakfasts and lunches at the house, and we also cooked in three nights (tacos on Sunday, hamburgers and hot dogs on Tuesday, and grilled chicken on Friday). Once we were back at the house Saturday evening with a stocked fridge and pantry, it was an exciting feeling knowing we had a whole week of fun ahead. With Emmy in our room, Boomer and I woke up each morning to this sweet little face peeking over her pack-n-play. 

Emmy seemed to be just as excited to be at the beach as her mommy! We had pretty early mornings each day, usually getting up before 7AM. Because we were up early, Meg and I were able to fit in a run each morning, with our hubbies joining us once or twice. Then Mom, Megan, and I would also walk a couple of miles, getting a pretty good sweat going before putting on our bathing suits and making our way to the beach. Even with storms or the threat of them, we still managed to get in some beach time each day. The last day (Friday) was the most questionable, despite it having the best forecast earlier in the week - go figure! We generally spent about two hours at the beach, which was enough to wear all of us out! Zander and Maddox loved jumping the waves and playing baseball. All three kiddos enjoyed digging in the sand and playing in the tidal pools. Last year, Emmy stayed mostly contained in the baby pool, but this year she was brave enough to go out in the sand and to the water. I didn't get to sit much, as I trailed her around wherever she would go. Luckily between the six adults, we were able to keep all of the kiddos safe and entertained - no easy feat!

When we weren't at the beach or out to eat, we lounged at the house. Mema's Place, the house we've rented the last two years, has a great living room area and also a large porch that looks out over the street and inlet. Emmy loved playing with her cousins and watching Daddy work, but her favorite thing was being outside. She would stand at the door and cry to go outside until someone would go out with her. She loved looking at the cars, birds, and people passing by. 

As it should be when you are on vacation, we were either eating, getting ready to eat, or relaxing after already eating. We went out to eat three of the nights. We returned to Inlet View, a restaurant in Shallotte we went to last year, and of course we went to Dockside in Calabash, which has been a tradition since our first beach trip over seven years ago. The third restaurant we picked this year was actually on the island, called the Ocean Isle Fishing Company. While the food was great, our timing wasn't. Even though we arrived before 5PM, we got there just after a large party that filled the dining room, so rather than waiting, we ate in the upper deck bar area. The setting wasn't ideal for the three kiddos, but we tried to make the best of it. The food was delicious, but even so,we think we will keep the two other restaurants and find a third (new) restaurant for next year. My dad deemed Wednesday's dinner at Inlet View as "Hawaiian night", so all the kiddos matched Grandpa in their Hawaiian patterns. We got a lot of family photos each night. It was worth documenting us all dressed up :)

 

We had a few other fun outings throughout the week: ice cream at the Creamery and at the pier, a matinee double date while Grammy and Grandpa watched the kids, and sunset walks on the beach after Emmy's bedtime. 

On Saturday, after packing up and saying farewell to Mema's Place, we made our annual stop at Kalawi Farms. We each had different flavors, Boomer sticking to his usual peach and me to my Nanner Pudding. Needless to say, the week included a lot of ice cream! :)

We had such a wonderful week! I'll close with a few pictures from beach weeks past, and special pictures from this year!  

Summer Break 2018: Week 5

After being away from Emmy and Boomer last weekend, I have loved being back home with them this week. 

A few highlights from this week: 
1. We had a park picnic and play date with the Beuters. Stephanie and Mark work with Boomer at Forbush, and their daughter Lyla is just a few months older than Emmy. The girls had fun, while the adults were able to talk too. 
2. I had a meeting at school on Tuesday, so Emmy and I made a trip to Pilot Mountain. It has been over a month since I have been at ESHS! During my meeting, Emmy hung out with our friends Ashley, Harrison, and Griffin. Harrison is 3, and Griffin is 10 months, so Ashley was a champ to watch all three little ones. After my meeting, we played outside for a bit before it was time to head back to Kernersville for naptime.
3. Emmy and I went to the Science Center on Wednesday. Emmy got a close-up view of the lemurs and some of the marine animals. Afterwards, we went out to lunch at Freddy's. I was proud of myself for managing a solo field trip!
4. We moved up to new shoes! We finally packed away the old pink size-3 shoes, and now we are rotating between her size-4 Nikes and a new pair of size-5 pink tennis shoes. 
5. We visited Great Gma, and Emmy liked riding on the front of her walker.
6. On Thursday, Emmy and I walked with our friends Megan and her newborn Peyton. After our walk, we had a picnic on the grass. 
7. For the second Thursday evening in a row, we went with my parents to a summer concert in the park. This one was in downtown Kernersville at the Botanical Gardens. Emmy was quite a hit with the other concert-goers as she danced and showed off in front of crowd around us.
8. We closed out the week with a pool date with the Williamses and the Joneses. Emmy and Laurel were matching in their pink and blue bathing suits, with Laurel being a little more cooperative for a photo than Emmy. 

We have settled into a sweet routine, and I am so thankful for these summer days. We are really in a groove. Usually the morning starts with Emmy waking up around 7:30AM. Compared to the school year when I have to wake her up at 6AM, this time is much more reasonable. Sometimes I will workout before Emmy wakes up, either going to the gym, going for a run around the neighborhood, or popping in a DVD. Boomer has to leave for work around 7AM, so if I opt to sleep in instead, I will bring Emmy along to the gym after she wakes up and then use the childcare room there. After Mommy's workout, we will head to our next adventure. This week was a good sample of what those adventures might be: walks with friends, the Science Center, picnics or the pool. We usually are back home by 1PM so that Emmy can nap. While Emmy naps, I will fit in some chores, shower, or (most likely) sit out on the back patio and read. After a full and fun morning with Emmy, I enjoy the quiet time for a bit. Around 3PM or 4PM, Emmy will wake up, and we will wait for Daddy to get off work. Our evenings have been spent eating dinner, taking walks, and playing in the living room. Bedtime for Emmy is around 8:30PM. As we reach the midpoint of summer, I can't help but begin to think about August and the start of the school year. I am very optimistic about the school year ahead; I don't feel any 'dread' in that regard. But I am sad to think about how our days will look very different. Being away from Emmy for 10 hours a day will be hard. I hope that the second half of the summer passes slowly! 

Summer Break 2018: Week 4

Last week was another fun week! We kicked off the week by visiting UNCG. It was great to see some of my old coworkers and walk around campus on such a beautiful day. We strolled along Spring Garden Street and stopped in to see friends in the Honors College and the Admissions Office. Then we met my old coworker, Megan, for lunch. Later that evening, we had a picnic dinner with Daddy at Harmon Park. The week also included more pools days and play dates, sweaty stroller rides, and a trip to the library for Music & Movement. After our morning outings, it is tricky to get Emmy home for a nap without her falling asleep in the car. Usually I will pull out one of her puzzles that I keep in the trunk for just this purpose, but sometimes even the puzzle can't keep her awake. Right now, I have about a 50-50 success rate at transferring her to her crib to continue her nap. If she wakes up, sometimes she will babble and play for a while before falling asleep again. Last Thursday evening, we went with Grammy and Grandpa to a summer concert in Winston-Salem. It was at the Historic Bethabara Park, and Emmy loved dancing to the music and chasing around the bubbles. We did our best to get a group picture...Grandpa's selfie skills could use a little work :) Throughout the week, we have had some big improvements with meal time. We are continuing to work on using a fork and spoon, and we have also started to use a plate more consistently, as opposed to placing the food directly on the tray of her high chair. Emmy is still not a big fan of meat, and despite my best efforts, that section of her plate remains the least touched.

As I write this, I am watching the Bachelorette and settling in after being at the beach with all the girls. It was so fun relaxing, eating junk food, catching up, having our feet in the sand, walking along the beach, and just being together. It had been a few years since we had gone to the beach, and we were all so excited to resurrect the tradition once again. While Mommy was away, Boomer was solo with Emmy. He did baths, fixed meals, and even fit in a trip to the grocery store. He really is Super Dad! He had a little bit of help from the grandparents. Over the weekend, he took Emmy to Star. They splashed around in the pool, and Emmy was even brave enough to jump off the side! Emmy also loved pretending in the play kitchen set and visiting the chickens. Today, when Boomer had to go back to work, Emmy spent the day with Grammy, reading books and generally being spoiled, until I got home. It feels good to be home again, but only for a few days. The Bakewell Beach Week is very soon! 

 

 

While at the Thursday night concert, a photographer took several pictures of Emmy and then sent them to Boomer's email. You can see that Emmy had a lot of fun, and from her curls, you can tell it was a warm evening!