Our Outerbanks Vacation - Part I

We left for Outerbanks, NC on Saturday, September 15th for a week long stay in the town of Duck.  Rick, Addie, and I joined up with my immediate family to travel down to the Outerbanks.  Luckily, Southwest was having an amazing sale on flights and we were able to snag roundtrip airfare for the two of us for $280 total.  The drive from Ohio to Outerbanks is about 11 hours so add in a toddler who hates her car seat, we were sold.

The few weeks leading up to our trip I was getting really nervous about the flight.  I really hate flying, but my anxiety wasn't due to my fear of flying.  It was my fear of Addie having a meltdown on the plane and being those people you don't want to get stuck sitting next to on the plane.  I read lots of blogs and thought of things I thought would keep her entertained longest and made sure she had a bag full of distractions (more to come on that in a later post). 

So, we boarded the plane Saturday afternoon for Addie first plane ride from Columbus to Baltimore.  The flight was 50 minutes from gate to gate so it was quick intro flight for us both.  She did really great.  The flight was right around naptime so I was expecting her to pass out pretty early into the flight.  She did surprise me by staying awake for nearly the entire flight.  About 15 minutes prior to landing, she crawled onto my lap and passed out.  She remained that way during our entire hour and 15 minute layover and woke just as we were boarding the next leg to Norfolk, VA.  And wake she did.  She woke up screaming, bloody murder type scream.  Thrashing back and forth, didn't want to be held, didn't want milk, cookies, play-doh, nothing.  She screamed this way for 20 minutes while we all boarded and several minutes into the flight.

I started to panic because we were suddenly those people.  I've never felt so helpless in my entire life but nothing was making her happy.  Finally after 20 minutes, she passed out again and slept for another 50 minutes until we landed in Norfolk.  Success!  I've never been so happy to begin a 90 minute car ride to end at our final destination.

We stayed at a private home in a small community within the cute town of Duck.  The houses along the way were amazing and did I ever dream that one day I could own a house like those on a beach.

We loved the house.  Plenty of space for us all to get around and feel comfortable and was somewhat child proof for Addie.  We quickly unpacked and settled in for the night since we got in around 8 Saturday evening. 

Sunday we were up early and headed to the beach to put our "toes in water, toes in sand". 

The beach was gorgeous but the waves were killer and the water was cold.  The only place I've ever seen bigger waves was in Cancun several years ago. 

Even though the water was cold, Addie enjoyed playing in it for a while.

 For the rest of the afternoon we did some grocery shopping and just relaxed at the pool and house.

We ate dinner at the Sunset Grille and we weren't impressed so I would not suggest it. Service wasn't great, food was overpriced and they were small portions and really didn't taste good.

Tuesday, Rick, Addie and me loaded up our suits, buckets, and shovels and headed south to Ocracoke Island.  Rick did a lot of research leading up to our trip and found out that Ocracoke was ranked as one of the best places to find seashells.

 

The entire 2 hour drive is so scenic and weird at times.  This was our view for a majority of the drive.

Then you board a free ferry for another 40 minute ride.

I'll be honest, the ride was boring.

Especially when we we were beached on a sandbar for 10 minutes.

We finally arrived and the beaches were very nice.  Not so much luck on the shells though.

The rest of the week was spent at the house, at the pool, at the beach, at the clubhouse in the indoor pool (it was chilly some days), or shopping at the cute shops down Duck Rd.  We really loved Sooey's BBQ, great food, great prices, and a really cute waiter!

Check back next week for Part 2.

-stephanie

FLASH Giveaway: Shutterfly Photobook

A lot of my readers are parents and know how important it is to capture your children's memories in photos. What better way than a fun yearbook type design that you can keep for years to come in a gorgeous looking yearbook?  Earlier this year I shared a rather nerdy photo of myself in my high school yearbook talking about the cool yearbooks you can make on Shutterfly.



I love these and can't wait to make a fun family yearbook each year to save our memories.  Please check out  Shutterfly on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blog, Google +, and Pinterest sites.

Love to win?  Here's your chance to win a 8x8 hard cover 20-page Photo Book plus shipping (including Canada) which is a $38 value!  This is a sponsored post.

Good Luck!

-stephanie




a Rafflecopter giveaway

30 Day Shred Update

A couple weeks ago I, very nervously, posted pictures of myself for all the world to see.  I decided to start 30 day shred after several mommy friends suggested it to tone up in a short amount of time without having to spend "hours of phoning it in at the gym".  I'll be honest, as soon as I posted that I thought what did you just do.  Now anyone can see what I look like.  It's a really scary feeling knowing it's out there.  Coworkers, former boyfriends, former classmates, strangers, etc.  It's such a scary feeling but you all came out and offered a lot of support and encouragement.  I want to make sure I provide you with an update so you can see my progress as well as use this as a tool to keep me motivated.  

So first let me tell you where I am in the program.  Remember I told you that 30 day shred is a 3 level program, each level lasting 10 days.  I began level 1 weeks ago, then, our entire family was in a wedding and the following day we headed off to Outerbanks for a vacation.  So I made it all the way through level 1 and then unfortunately stopped because of everything else going on at the time.  

After returning from vacation, I gave myself one day off and then immediately started right back up on Monday.  I'm now 3 days in and Jillian is still kicking my butt but I'm feeling amazing.  Each level is about 20 minutes of intense working out and you feel like quitting several times in those short 20 minutes but I push through it thinking it's only 20 minutes and Jillian looks like a beast.

So here's my initial reaction to completing level one (and restarting again).  Day 1 and 2 are brutal.  My legs hurt so bad that I could hardly walk.  I could barely lift my arms to answer my phone.  But then you start feeling really good after those initial few days.  Honestly, I started seeing my stomach tighten up after around day 5.  The hardest part for me is the push-ups.  I have zero upper body strength, which is really shocking considering I carry a 25 baby around daily.

My plan at this point is to run through level 1 again, take some progression photos once completed and provide you with my update at that point.  Then, I'll start level 2, photos & update, level 3, photos & update until it's complete.  And figures crossed I'll have some fabulous results for you.  I ask that you continue to provide me with support and encouraging words because I know I'll need them.  Also, if any of you have done 30 day shred and want to provide me with your story/photos, I'll post about it.  I'd love to hear about you progress/results.

-stephanie

Adalyn Month Twenty

How unbelievable is that title?  My little girl is nearly 2 years old.  It's so crazy to see how much she grows.  I know I say that every update but she looks like such a little girl this month instead of a baby.  In fact, I'm at this point where I don't feel like I should be calling her a baby anymore.  Wahhh!  That just means it's time to having another baby to squish on!

Stats:  Again, nothing official as your next appointment will be your 2 year check up.  There are moments when I think you're getting taller and then other moments when I look at your short legs and think, nope it was just the outfit.  I suspect you're probably right around 26 pounds at this point.  You're wearing 18 month clothes still and were just fitted for size 5w shoes.  You have the tiniest fattest feet!

Sleep Schedule:  This past month your sleep has been terrible.  For several weeks you were waking at 5:30 and wanted to be up for the day.  No matter what we did, you just didn't seem to want to sleep any later.  You've been sleeping about 9 hours plus your 2 hour nap which usually runs just after lunch.

Foods:  The rotisserie chicken has become one of your favorite meals and our best friend.  It's about the only way we can get any protein into you.  You did try lobster while on vacation, and shocker, you loved it.  Of course you do, the things you wouldn't suspect a toddler to like and you do.

Firsts:  Your first airplane ride.  Crazy, I need to provide the complete experience because it's a post in its own right.  You first vacation to Outerbanks with my side of the family.

Favorite Things:  Rocks.  Seriously, the things a kid will play with when you spend all your money on a normal toy.  You also love your play-doh still.  Your great grandma bought you your first My Little Ponies and you love those too.  You're starting to like bracelets and necklaces so it may be time to start purchasing some inexpensive jewelry.

I say this every month but I truly cannot believe how much you've changed in such a short amount of time.  Every day you're looking more and more like a little girl which melts my heart but also makes me sad because it means you're growing older.  We still have 16 years before you go off to college but I still get sad every time I think of that day so far down the road.

love,

your mama

-stephanie

The Things a Parent Says

You know you go through a phase while pregnant thinking, "I won't be that kind of mom, I won't say/do that, etc."

And then it happens.

You become a mom.

Your entire world changes.

 
A lot of great things happen, but a lot of not so fun things happen.  For example, we've been caught saying any of the following:

"No Addie, don't put Chloe's food in her water bowl".

"Addie, what do you have in your hand?  Is that a rock?  Oh no!  Put that down, that's not a rock" (when she picked up poop from our backyard).

"Get out of the trash"

"Keep your hands out of your diaper"

"Get off the kitchen table"

"Stop gagging yourself"

You can expect to hear any one of those phrases at least once a week. You're constantly chasing them around trying to stay one step ahead but often times you're just a few moments too late.  Though it can oftentimes be frustrating to come into the living room and find that entire bowl of dog food has been soaking in the dogs water bowl just before it was all dumped out, you can't become frustrated.  They're learning, exploring, finding their boundaries.  It's important to develop discipline but also realize it's not the end of the world if they grab a handful of dog poop and try to pass it off to you.  It's just another day in the life of a parent of a toddler.

What have you caught yourself saying and thought, I never thought I'd hear that?

-stephanie

Rock the Vote!

Can you vote for us?  Top Baby Blogs had a reset this morning.  This is a list of top baby blogs voted by you.  The more you vote for the blogs you love, the more likely they can offer great giveaways and reviews of products you love.  You can vote once every 24 hours.  You click this flashing icon and then click that cute owl on the left.  Much love for your votes!

Our Annual Apple Picking Trip

We're back from a fabulous vacation and have lots to post about this week so make sure to check back this week for updates on our trip, flying with a toddler, Addie's 20 month update, etc.  Yesterday was a gorgeous fall day in Ohio so we decided to go on our annual apple picking trip.  Last year Addie was only 8 months old so a lot has changed this time around and she enjoyed it for a whole different reason as you'll see in the following pictures.

Cranky pants didn't have much of a nap earlier in the day so she was fussing by the time we finally arrived.  As soon as we got out of the car I found the nearest apple tree and shoved an apple in her mouth (not literally but you get it).  She was in heaven.

Excuse the crazy eyes.  Clearly the apple was affecting her much like drugs do.

She loved pulling the apples, mostly she loved picking up the bad ones on the ground.

Gor.geous.

My friend Katie and I made it a girls day and left our husbands at home.  It was really nice.  

The girl was in heaven with all of those apples. She got to run around like a crazy person putting apples in our bag.

What fun fall traditions do you like doing?  We're only a couple days in and I'm getting more and more excited for all of the possibilities.

-stephanie