North Carolina Vacation Recap

Dear Diary,

Well, I am elbows deep in laundry but I thought I'd take a second to write about our first big family vacation - full of packing, plane rides, family, fun and food! Want the play-by-play? You got it! =)


The Packing

Thanks to my famous checklists, I now consider myself a packing genius. Everything packed just as I hoped it would, one bag weighing in just 1 pound under that 50 pound limit. My fear of losing our luggage didn't happen and believe me, I got to hear all about my negative attitude from my husband. I was just sure SOMETHING would get lost or damaged, but to my surprise, all made it there and back safely.


The Flight Out

I am definitely a "glass half empty" kind of girl considering I also expected the worst with our first plane ride with two kids under two. Actually four kids under two if you count our traveling buddies, the Hagues. We were the families that everyone tries to avoid when it comes to flying. We each had our lap babies and, due to the number of oxygen masks per aisle, we were unable to sit by each other. All for one and one for all as we each grabbed window seats, one behind the other.

The kids did VERY well. Surprisingly well. I couldn't believe we touched down in North Carolina without a diaper explosion, cry-fest, hysterical fit or death glares from all those traveling with us. I can't speak for the Hagues but our 3 hour drive to Emerald Isle from the airport was a breeze as well as we pulled into the beach house driveway just in time for dinner!


The Beach

Okay, so I had high hopes for this vacation in terms of Addalyn loving the ocean, enjoying a dip in the pool and running wild on the beach. This could not have been farther from the truth. The poor girl took her first step in sand and instantly wanted Daddy to pick her up. She clung to him like no tomorrow and there was NOTHING convincing her to dip even a toe in the ocean water. We hoped she'd get used to it but digging in the sand and searching for sea shells was as good as it was going to get for her. Understandably so I suppose considering the ocean is pretty intimidating, especially for a little girl.

The pool wasn't her cup of tea either, which may have been due to the water being a little chilly OR because she almost killed herself after she fell in. YES, she took a little dive, fully dressed, after reaching for a toy along the edge. Lifeguard Garrett jumped in from across the pool and got her out. Needless to say, we weren't surprised the pool wasn't her favorite place to be the rest of the vacation.

This would be Addy screaming when Daddy put her down

Addy enjoying the sand, FAR from the water

Our little shell finder, working hard for her shell collection

 Olivia, has no idea where she was but at least she's sporting her suit

The House

The house was great! We fit 20+ people in for a week of fun and relaxation. Okay, let me clarify, when you have two kids to keep up with, nowhere is relaxing, but it was nice nonetheless. We got to fall asleep and wake up to the sounds and sights of the ocean out our sliding glass door in our bedroom.

Everyone chipped in to make dinners for the week, Megan and I taking on Mexican night. I was a little nervous cooking for that big of a group but unless they were lying, they seemed to enjoy everything. As far as the rest of the dinners for the week - DELICIOUS! If nothing else, we ate well while we were there, that's for sure!


The Family Time

Garrett's family has been taking this vacation for years, this being my third time to join in on the fun. North Carolina replaced our usual destination of South Carolina and I have to say, it was just as good! But anywhere is fun when you are with a group like the Ciardullo clan. I can't speak for everyone but I know The Forsythe's enjoyed themselves. I won't bore you non-family members with stories you won't care about or jokes you wont understand, but just know that you should be jealous that you aren't a member of this crazy, fun and interesting group! =)



The Vacationing

It is a little embarrassing that I left with no tan and I have returned with hardly even a glow to my skin. We went to the beach for a week and spent little time out in the sun. Why, you ask? Well when you have two kids at such a young age, it's difficult for a number of reasons. Between feeding a baby every 3 hours, shelling out 3 meals to a toddler, cleaning up that toddler, nap times, bath time and bedtime - there leaves little time for laying out and catching some sun. One child was afraid of the water, the other child couldn't be in the sun for too long, and both kids needed their naps during the day.

I wasn't that bummed about not getting the great tan I normally get on a beach vacation. To be honest, I looked forward to that 7:00PM mark every evening when I could add alcohol to my drink and enjoy a cocktail, or two. Something else you have to plan while nursing is your alcohol intake. I kept a couple extra bottles handy and once I got that 6:00 feeding out of the way, I was golden for the rest of the night, pumping and tossing before bed! I didn't have a sea turtle night like I did the last family vacation we attended (Carrie and Megan know what I am talking about) but I enjoyed my drinks here and there just as much.

The week went quickly, as I imagined it would. But, as with all getaways, we were ready to be home and in our own beds.


The Flight Home

I was actually thinking positive as we headed home yesterday, considering our trip to NC went so well. Our bags weren't the perfect weight of course so we had to do a little redistribution, but with one 47 pound bag and one 49 pound bag, we were on our way.

I didn't plan out Olivia's feeding schedule like I did on our trip there. I was just hoping she would eat before or after we boarded the plane, or during our 2 hour layover in Nashville. The first leg of the flight went well for everyone, however the last leg into KC wasn't the perfect ending I was hoping for. Olivia was due to eat about 30 minutes before we landed but I was HOPEFUL that she would hold out until we got off the plane. She had different thoughts. She got restless and started to cry. I got nervous as I searched for my nursing cover and tried to get her to eat as quickly as possible. With the combination of her hunger growing and my anxiety of trying to get her to calm down to eat, we had a bit of a meltdown. She finally ate a bit and fell back asleep but it made me feel like I was the person on the flight that everyone was looking at.

The nicest mother behind me reached her hand forward and patted my arm and Olivia's during the episode and told me it was okay, that she had four girls of her own, and not to worry about it. It's funny how a complete stranger can say the exact thing you need to hear at the exact time you need to hear it. I instantly felt better and realized that a 10 minute cry session out of the entire trip is nothing to hang my head about!


The Conclusion

Besides Addy hating the ocean, our final flight to KC not being perfect, having to work around two kids and Garrett chipping a tooth at dinner (that's an entirely different story, but needed to be mentioned at least once in my recap, haha), our family vacation was a success! I am looking forward to going back in another 2 years when the girls are older and a little easier to travel and vacation with. Addy will hopefully overcome her fear and Olivia will actually know where she is.

Thanks everyone for another memorable "Fripp" trip!

Sincerely Yours,