Connor's first beach trip

Wow, long time no write, huh?  I want to tell you guys about our lives, from goodies I bake to Connor’s latest achievements (counting to 10!) to the McHusband’s most recent new-to-him car. 

Another Magnum.  Anyone wanna buy an Acura?

But I find myself lacking the mental energy to be productive after 8:00 at night.  I just want to veg with a TV show and a little internet surfing before my 9:30 bedtime.  I wish I were more motivated to post something at least once a week, but I just can’t force myself to do that.

But let’s not focus on how much I’m NOT writing and instead be glad there’s this post to read.  With pictures and everything!

Connor and I went to the beach this past weekend.  We met up with my sisters, Bri and Shannon, and their kids (Lyla, Owen, Olivia, and Maxie).  Sorry, no hubbies/boyfriends allowed this time.  Bri’s husband’s family has a little house in Surfside Beach, near Myrtle, so we crammed ourselves and all our stuff in there and it worked out great.  Unless you were Owen and Olivia sleeping on the sunporch with only the fans cooling you off.  Then you might not agree that “great” is the right word to use…

I worked a half-day on Thursday, picked Connor up from school, loaded the last few things I needed into the car, and we hit the road.  Connor fell asleep pretty quickly, which I had counted on, and we had a very pleasant 3.5-hour drive.  He almost always does great on long car rides.  I give him snacks, talk to him, and also just let him look out the windows and take in the world around him and respond to his questions and comments.  At one point, he was telling me about Mickey Mouse driving a muddy car and how he, Connor, needed to clean it.  I love seeing him using his imagination.

We arrived before Shannon, and Lyla and Maxie were waiting for us.  They were more than happy to help unload Connor’s toys.

Oh, you thought I meant carry them in from the car?

That evening we had a pasta dinner and then went on a walk.  We had seen turtles in the pond behind the house earlier, then on the way back to the house we saw swans.

We were all up bright and early Friday morning so once everyone was fed, it was time to slap on the sunscreen and head to the beach.  The house is about a five-minute drive from the beach and with it being both early and a weekday, we didn’t have any problems finding parking.  We played in the surf and sand for about 3 hours before wrapping it up, mostly at my request so that Connor could go back for a nap.  But we crammed a lot of fun (and a few snacks, of course) into that timeframe.  Connor is a big fan of the beach!

 

Sister Selfie

Snacks on the Beach

After Connor’s nap, the kids played with Connor's school bus, the souvenir that the McHusband brought back after HIS beach trip the weekend before.  I love how well all the kids (usually) play together and how they include Connor.

Once the novelty of the bus wore out, it was time for a rousing game of Hide & Go Seek.  Bri, Shannon, and I had fun finding good hiding places for the kids so it was a game for all ages.  We had pizza for dinner and then the kids watched a movie.  Well, the kids and Bri and Shannon.  I may have dozed off for a few minutes…  Hey, it’s hard work playing in the surf with a toddler! #pluswine

Sleeping Beauty

Saturday was our long beach day.  We met up with my cousin Cody, who moved to Myrtle from PA in February, for an early lunch to beat the crowds and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach.  Connor did amazing out there considering the early start to the day (seriously, these kids don’t understand that vacations are for sleeping in) and the lack of a nap.  He only fussed at the very end when it was time to go and he didn’t want to leave, but I think he was tired enough that he didn’t really have the energy to fight me too hard about leaving.  I strapped him in his carseat and I think he was asleep before I’d even backed the car all the way out. 

Sleeping Cutie

He slept hard for about 30 minutes while we made pit stops at the grocery store and gas station, and then I drove around for another 10 minutes or so to allow him to get enough zzz’s to get him through, happily, til bedtime.  He woke up a tad grumpy but once he was bathed and with the other kids – or his friends, as he called them – he was good to go.  The kids chilled a little with electronics and TV, and then more Hide & Go Seek with Cody’s help was on the docket.  We ate Crockpot Salsa Chicken tacos and rice for dinner and just hung out at the house.

Once the kids were down, the big kids had more fun visiting and we stayed up much too late. 

I think I finally got into bed at 1:30 and Connor, who had slept just fine the past two nights, woke up at 4:00.  I did something I’ve never done before and do NOT plan to make a habit of: I pulled him onto the bed with me.  My reasoning was this: I was driving us home the next day and wanted to get as much sleep as I could to ensure safe travels. #momlogic

Speaking of the drive home…  Once again, Connor was a perfect passenger.  It helped that he actually slept for an hour and a half.  See?  I wasn’t the only one tired from vacation.  We left around 10:30 and he was asleep just before 11:00.  He normally won’t go down for his nap until between 12:30 and 1:30 so he was definitely needing to catch up a little.  Wish I could’ve joined him…

All in all, we had a fabulous time, and I’m so glad it worked out for us to spend that quality time together.  I’m especially happy that Connor got to be with his “friends,” a.k.a. cousins. He’s old enough now to really remember them so every visit matters for more than just the obvious reasons.

Beach trip

The McHusband and I spent a couple days at Myrtle Beach last week.  We went down on Thursday and stayed through Saturday.  Odd timing, I know.  We had a special deal and had a limited window of opportunity.  It actually worked out really well so that I had a wonderful long weekend that extended through Monday because the sitter took some time off for her birthday.

But back to our little getaway.  The McHusband and I had so much fun.  Immediately upon arriving, we walked on the beach then he made some travel arrangements for a work trip while I took a nap.  Yep, we started this vacation off on the right foot.

That night, we had some of the best pizza we’ve ever had (Ultimate California Pizza) before two rounds of Putt Putt.  We had to play the second game after I beat the McHusband during the first.  He did win the follow-up game…barely.

On Friday, we slept in, ran on the beach and nearby boardwalk before walking around Barefoot Landing, checking out an RV park for the McInlaws, and finally going to the timeshare presentation we were committed to.  We didn’t buy into the program, but I will tell you this: they have some REALLY good salespeople.

That night, we had a blast at Broadway at the Beach.  Dinner at Margaritaville, drinks at Wet Willie’s, more drinks at a karaoke bar plus some skee ball, then a slice of pizza from a cart.  Hit.the.spot.

To my McHusband: Thank you for a wonderful trip.  I had the best time with you, and I’m so thankful that we were able to get away and spend a couple days  together without work or chores or kids (of the two- and four-legged varieties) stealing our time.  When can we do this again?

We got home Saturday around 4:00 and I was so happy to see Connor.  I needed the break from the real world, including my life as a mom, but I did miss the little guy and I was counting down the minutes that last hour of the drive home.

My mom stayed with Connor while we were gone, which is partly why we were able to have such a good time.  I knew Connor was in great hands, and I knew my mom was happy to get the quality time with her youngest grandson.

My mom was kind enough to stay another day and work on a little project for Vanessa’s baby shower.  I can’t wait to show you guys, but you’ll have to wait until mid-November.

To my mom: Thank you for making the trip here to stay with Connor and Morgan* so that we could get away.  I am grateful that you are able to spend the time here and it makes me so happy that you and Connor enjoy each other’s company.  Thank you for spending your Sunday in the dining room working on my project.  Hope your back isn’t still sore!

Connor and I had a great day on Monday.  I got a few things done around the house, but we mostly just hung out and he took two good naps.  I think his vacation from daycare was good for him as it let him catch up on his rest with some quality naps.  I hope the trend continues at the sitter’s this week, but we will see.

And today, it’s back to the real world for me.  But it’s a short week because in addition to it starting on Tuesday, I’m leaving early on Friday because I’m hosting Women’s Night that evening.

I could get used to this schedule.

*Monte also went on vacation.  We dropped him off at the breeder’s house on our way out of town and picked him up on our way home.  I think he’s still recovering from his time on the farm.

Our New York Trip: Day 3

Our third day in NY was Sunday.  We had a number of places to see: Grand Central Station, the Empire State Building, and Central Park.  We also had plans to eat dinner with one of the McHusband’s oldest friends.

After a breakfast that cost more than a dinner and drinks would here at home, we headed toward Grand Central Station.  On our way, we remembered, as we passed the area, that oh yeah, we also wanted to see Rockefeller Plaza.

It was neat to see in person where The Today Show takes place.

After that lucky detour, we made it to our first planned destination.

Grand Central wasn’t what I was expecting.  I think maybe I imagined it would be darker and dirtier and maybe the cops would be chasing someone through the crowds.  No such luck.

I didn’t imagine that Apple would have a store on the opposite balcony.

Or that there was a cute grocery store with a crazy light fixture in there.

There were, however, trains.  Phew!  I was beginning to think Grand Central Station was just for us tourists.

Next stop: The Empire State Building!

Forgive me while I inundate you with views from the top.

As you’ve probably guessed, the big green area below is Central Park.

Do you see the Statue of Liberty?  She’s almost all the way over to the right halfway down the picture.

Okay, how about some people you know?

We were surprised the Empire State Building wasn’t more crowded.  I mean, there were a lot of people in a small area, but it wasn’t nearly as busy as we thought it would be, especially considering how beautiful the day was.

After we got our fill of the breathtaking views, we headed back to our hotel, stopping at the main branch of the New York Pubic Library on the way.  We just saw the outside, but that was enough for me.  See, this building features prominently in The Day After Tomorrow (and, apparently, also in some silly 80’s movie) so it was cool to see it in person.

After a pit stop in the hotel, we got some lunch then rented bikes so we could see all of Central Park.  We actually rode halfway back around it accidentally so we ended up walking our bikes through the middle, which was a happy mistake because we got to see some of the more interior parts.  If you visit up there and want to see the whole park, I highly recommend doing it by bicycle.

The McHusband and I agreed that Central Park was our favorite NYC thing to see/do.  I think we could’ve spent a whole day there, just wandering through it and taking it all in.

I finally got a shower that day and then we met the McHusband’s friend, Eric, for dinner and drinks at an Irish pub not far from our hotel.  We met at 7:45 and didn’t leave for almost four hours.  What can I say, we had a lot of catching up to do.

So there you go, that’s our NY trip in a nutshell – or three.  I’m so glad we decided to make a whole weekend out of it.  I had a wonderful time, and I really appreciate the McHusband and his travel-planning efforts.  It was definitely a vacation that I will always remember.  I hope I get back to NYC at some point but if I don’t, I’m really happy that I at least saw it once.

PS  Happy birthday to my brother-in-law Nate today!

Our New York Trip: Day 2

We hit NYC running on Saturday.  After checking into our hotel, we headed out into the concrete jungle.  We planned to walk through Times Square to the High Line, which would take us to the West Village, which is where I’d heard I was most likely to see a celebrity.  Unfortunately, none were spotted.  But we had fun exploring and looking anyway.

I may not have seen any famous people, but I saw where a lot of them have been.  Our hotel was right around the corner from The Late Show.

Times Square looks a little different when it’s not December 31st.

My coworker who used to live in New York City suggested we give the High Line a try as a way to see some of the city.

From the web site:

The High Line is a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues.

There is this seating area up over a street where people can sit and rest or have a snack or just watch the cars go by underneath.

Toward the end, they have some food vendors so we got some Mexican food.

Just after that little pavilion, there was a wet area for people to dip their toes in or kids to stomp their feet in.

We took the subway back from the West Village and popped into our hotel for a bit.  The McHusband had a refreshment while spying on the city below.

Then he invited me to join him (in the spying, not the refreshment).

Our plan at this point was to see the World Trade Center Memorial and get some dinner so we headed to the subway to take a train.

The McHusband took some pictures as we approached the site and saw the new building.

And from the memorial side:

We saw the pools that were built where the original towers stood.

THE MEMORIAL will remember and honor the nearly three thousand people who died in the horrific attacks of February 26, 1993, and September 11, 2001. The Memorial will consist of two massive pools set within the footprints of the Twin Towers with the largest manmade waterfalls in the country cascading down their sides. They will be a powerful reminder of the Twin Towers and of the unprecedented loss of life from an attack on our soil.

The names of the nearly 3,000 individuals who were killed in the September 11 attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, and the February 1993 World Trade Center bombing will be inscribed around the edges of the Memorial pools.

From the Memorial, we headed to where you can catch a ferry to the Statue of Liberty.  The McHusband made a friend on the way.

Dinner that night was at Mad Dog & Beans.  We figured we couldn’t go wrong with (more) Mexican.

We sat outside in sort of an alley between buildings.  There were lots of other people doing the same.

It cooled off quite a bit that night so the McHusband and I were chilly and in a rush to get back to the hotel.  In fact, we were in such a rush that he jumped on the subway before I could scoot in behind him and the train took off without me.  I took the next train but what I didn’t know is we were going the wrong way.  Luckily the McHusband figured that out, got off at the next stop, and pulled me out of the train so we could get on the one going the right direction.  Phew, crisis averted!

So happy to see our hotel.

Good night!

Day 3’s next!