North Carolina - Drive Home

Oh this is a long drive! It went pretty well though. We had an early start on Saturday and were well out of town before the sun came up. I do hate getting up early but it does make a difference on these long drives. We made pretty good time and after an early lunch we stopped by Shenandoah National Park.

James has wonderful memories of staying at Shenandoah when he was young and I can see why. Even though the leaves were gone and everything was brown it is a beautiful place. It must be amazing in the spring and summer. The park is over a hundred miles long though and we just didn't have the time to drive all the way through it. So we drove up and found a trail so that we could take little hike. 

We found a trail!

Starting into the woods

James and his boys in Shenandoah

It was great to be out of the car and hiking in the mountains. We couldn't go too far because we still had a lot of driving to do but we really enjoyed ourselves. The boys were worried about bears and witches so Jon and Christian each picked up good walking sticks. Christian ran ahead yelling "Bear! Hey, bear! Where are you?" at the top of his voice and telling us that if a bear attacked he would punch it. He probably would too! But the smart bears stayed far away. 

Christian watches for bears

Will and Christian consult a moss map

Strange but beautiful ice

Jon twirled his stick and practiced his kung fu moves. He was mostly concerned with witches but he had a lot of ideas for how to deal with them. He wanted to mix animal DNA with human DNA to create animal/human hybrids that would easily take down a witch. Is it too early for him to read The Island of Doctor Moreau?

Mommy and Jon with our walking sticks

Will and Christian

Christian in his "little kid woods"

Running in the field

After our hike we went back to the car for another long stretch of driving. Except for a short break for dinner, James and I spent the next seven hours talking. We were having such a good conversation that we didn't want to stop driving! But by eight everyone was exhausted and ready to find our hotel. 

We stopped at a hotel with a pool so the boys were able to burn off some of their energy before bed. Christian and Will spent a lot of time chasing each other around and Jon dove all the way down to the bottom of the pool! We all had so much fun. And Christian is learning how to swim! I don't know what it was about today but he was pushing himself off the edge and swimming to me or James, then launching himself back toward the edge. He was so proud of himself. And I was so proud of him! But the chlorine in this pool was really strong and he had to stop once it started to bother his eyes.

Christian under water

Christian swims

The pool was great and the hot tub was even better. Maybe not for the boys but it is so wonderful to relax in a pool of steaming and bubbling water. If only I'd had a good book it would have been perfect. Jon is just like me and loves his water as hot as it can be. Will just wanted the adults to hurry up so he could get back into the big pool. And Christian was perfectly content to sit on the edge, dipping his feet into the water. By the time we got back upstairs that night the boys were all worn out and bedtime was a breeze.

Jon dives down

Jon under water

Will jumps in

We started a little later than we had planned the next morning but we were so tired. Still, we got out and made it into Brooklyn by 10am. James really wanted to walk on the bridge and there was a playground there too that he thought the boys would enjoy. We've been to New York City many times before but this was our first time in Brooklyn.

Our family in Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Bridge

James and the Statue of Liberty in the distance

The view from Brooklyn Bridge Park

We found a parking space by the old piers which had been turned into public spaces and playgrounds. One was a fitness center, set up with basketball, handball, a roller rink, and exercise equipment. The exercise equipment didn't give much of a workout but it was a lot of fun! Will didn't want to leave, "Keep exercising with me Mommy! Just one more!" A lot of the equipment involved swinging or gliding so of course the kids loved it. 

Jon on the fitness equipment

Will exercises

Will and Jon loved this thing

James and Jon race across the field

After we tore the boys away we headed up to the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge is beautiful and it was really cool to be able to walk across such an iconic piece of the city. The pedestrian walkway is above the roadway so we had a good view. Since we were pressed for time we only walked about halfway across before turning back. 

Jon gets a ride on the Brooklyn Bridge

Christian on the Brooklyn Bridge

James and the boys admire the view

A helicopter flies over. I love the lines.

The Statue of Liberty from the Brooklyn Bridge

We grabbed an early lunch at a burger place called Shake Shack overlooking the river. The food was good and we even indulged in some milkshakes. The boys choose poorly though and didn't like their shakes so an employee brought us a new chocolate shake on the house!

James, Jon., and Will on the Bridge

Will on the bridge

James photographs the city

Barge coming in

We had a great time in Brooklyn and I'd love to come back and explore this part of the city again. We were able to get back on the road by one and made wonderful time the rest of the day. It is so good to finally be home!! 

The boys pretending to be the Statue of Liberty

James and his boys on the bridge

Heading onto the bridge

Goodnight!

North Carolina - Day Five

Today was a perfect ending to our trip. The kids and I slept in and they were all perfect at breakfast. Everyone was in a much better mood today! We had good weather again and the sky was beautifully blue and clear. So after a little bit of school we went out to pick up lunch and explore a new little playground. James didn't join us today because he was taking his test.

James passed his test! This class is for a whole new level of certification for his job (don't worry, I'm not going to get into explaining it!) and is a pretty big deal. I am so proud of him! Because he did well he was able to finish up a little early and having him back gave us all a really pleasant afternoon. 

Christian chases after Daddy.

Jon needs some help with his snorkel. 

James took the boys to see Inside Out at a second run theater which gave me a couple hours of glorious alone time. I treasure the time we are together on trips and I really like sharing a room and getting extra cuddles with my boys. But I am an introvert and having time alone is soothing to my soul. 

James came home from the movie with pizza and a surprise, he had bought snorkel sets for the boys! They were cheap but really good quality. After dinner we all went down to the pool and the boys were able to try them out. It was so much fun! They picked up on using the fins quickly and were zipping around the pool. Christian is so fast with them on that we can't get away when he is a shark!

Christian in his flns!

Will loves having a mask!

Will and Jon did really well with the snorkels too although it was hard for them to always stay on the surface of the water. I had that problem when I started snorkeling, I prefer to be fully under the water. I'm excited that they are learning, I really cannot wait until we can introduce them to Hawaii. 

Will and Jon practice snorkeling

We had such a fun and relaxed night. For all the stresses and emotional exhaustion I think it was a good trip. And I got to cuddle with Christian tonight until he fell asleep. He doesn't always like to cuddle, he tends to be pretty wiggly at bedtime, so tonight was really wonderful. 

But we are getting an early start tomorrow so I am off to bed. Goodnight!

North Carolina - Day Four

What a day. I don't even know that I want to write about it. It started out well enough, the boys slept in (hooray!) and were well behaved at breakfast. We did have a bit of a syrup problem though. Jon went to get me some and was very kindly trying to open the cup of syrup for me when the whole thing tipped over onto my leg. There is a surprising amount of syrup in those little cups! Syrup is very sticky and rather difficult to wipe off your pants with napkins. Eventually I gave up on the napkins and rushed to the bathroom trying to stop the drips from hitting the floor. Wet paper towels weren't too much help either and I returned to finish breakfast with wet and sticky pants. 

After breakfast we went upstairs to do school. History went well, I taught the boys to correctly use the words "draconian" and "ostracize" which could serve them well in the future. If the boys ever accuse me of being draconian next time I enforce our electronic limits I am sure they will get extra time!

But that was all fine. The difficult part started later while the boys were doing math. Jon was thirsty and when he discovered that we didn't have juice he completely lost it. Full blown tantrum. Hysterical crying, stomping, the works. Eventually, an hour later, he calmed down just in time for us to pick up James for lunch. 

Jon was still fragile at lunch so he and I sat in the car and ate together while James, Will and Christian ate inside and played at Chick-Fil-A play place. Jon and I had a nice lunch and he seemed happy to spend some time alone with me. I think that the endless days away from home, from our regular routine, are getting to all of us. And while we do spend a lot of time together on our trips the boys get less one on one time with us and no one gets time alone. Will had a meltdown too in San Diego where he said that he thought Christian was getting all our attention. We try, but it is a lot harder to give individual attention when we are away from home.

After lunch we dropped James off and went to the playground. The boys ran around for bit and played with some children there but none of them were as excited as last time. Jon was tired and a little weepy so he spent some of the time sitting on a bench with me waiting to go home. 

We returned home for a quiet rest time. Will wrote in his notebook, Christian played Legos, and Jon had a bubble bath. It was a peaceful hour. But then it began again. I made the mistake of asking Jon to copy a few words as part of his writing practice. Full meltdown mode once again. It took another hour but he finally calmed down. Will and Christian watched a movie in the living room while I sat next to Jon on the bed and scratched his back as he did his writing. 

James took Jon out to pick up dinner and I that seemed to really cheer him up. We had some fantastic Lebanese food for dinner. It was so good! And just what we needed after eating so much fast food. I think we have another favorite place to eat! This has been an adventurous month for me, who would have thought that I'd try and love both Japanese and Lebanese food?

The boys are sleeping now and I hope that tomorrow will be a better day. I do love coming on business trips with James (there is no alternative for us!) but I don't think I want to do two big trips so close together again. I can't wait to be home!

Goodnight!

North Carolina - Day Three

Christian is the lone morning person in our family. Every morning he wakes up early, full of energy and ready to go. But this morning he woke up at 7 and began to cry, "why is it morning? I want it to still be night. I'm tired." Oh my sweet boy. That is how I feel every morning. I told him that even though it was morning he could still go back to sleep for a little bit. He slept for another hour and a half! 

I wish I could have enjoyed our lazy morning but today we were off to Edventure! We discovered it earlier this year when we were here with Colin. As soon as the boys heard we were coming back to North Carolina they wanted to return to see Eddie, the giant boy. But since he was a hundred miles away in Columbia, South Carolina, we had to get an early start. 

Three boys in front of Eddie

Christian is crushed by Eddie

Will in front of Eddie

Edventure is the best children's museum. Each area is so well done and very entertaining and educational. Eddie is probably the boys' favorite, and they kept coming back to him. Being able to climb inside is such a great way to reinforce learning about the body! The real fire truck is another favorite and Christian and Jon wasted no time in trying on the coats and sliding down the pole. 

Christian down the fire pole

Jon slides down the pole

Jon drives a fire truck

There were a lot of details that I hadn't noticed the first time we were here. The scanners in the marketplace actually scan items and list their price and the total which might not mean anything to the younger children but is really cool for the older ones. The firetruck has a projection on the windshield so that children can really drive it down the street. But the coolest thing we discovered was the working crane in the building section. Jon loved it! He kept going back for a turn to control the crane. 

Christian goes shopping

Jon and Christian use the crane

Christian takes care of his doggie

In place of the Mr. Potato head exhibit upstairs there was now a world of snow. Kids could climb an icy mountain, play hockey, shoot "snow"balls at each other, build a tower of ice, and go tubing down a slide. I was amused at how much my New England boys enjoyed this section! Christian shrieked with joy as he slid down the hill in his tube. It occurred to me that it has been years since we went tubing and we should take them all again this year. I also think this should be the year to introduce the boys to their first hockey game. 

Christian climbs the mountain

Will slides down the hill

Christian playing hockey

Across the hall from all the "snow" we found a robot exhibit. All three of the boys were able to build little robots out of interlocking cubes. Jon took his really seriously and built really cool robots with different sensors. Christian enjoyed the robots and wanted to pile on as many blocks as possible. Then he'd get all worried because the wheels weren't strong enough to push so many cubes. But he was very focused and wanted to do it all himself.

Christian learns about the mouth

Will operates

Christian wants to be in the dentist's chair

We spent four and a half hours at Edventure and the boys would have been happy to stay longer. But we had a long drive home and I wanted to get out of Columbia before rush hour. We still didn't get home until 6:30 but that did give James some quiet time to study. I was so exhausted when we got home but the kids still had energy to burn (how??) so James took them down to the pool while I took a nap. They had the pool all to themselves so they were able to do tons of cannon balls into the water.

Jon shows off the pizza he made

Will builds a town

The boys are back and in bed and it is time for me to turn in too. It was a long but fun day. Goodnight!