Greenville

I'm a week behind on documenting my trips, but what better time than a kid-free trip (currently relaxing at a coffee shop in Memphis) to talk about a trip that was basically the opposite.

The kids flew out to Greenville on a private plane, a luxury for sure.  Despite cold temperatures, Jackson continues his streak of not wearing pants in the year 2017.

 

It took Avery a moment to warm up to the idea of a small plane. 

 

We had lots of time to kill, so Friday morning I took the kids to a wonderful children's museum. It was nothing short of a miracle that I came back to the hotel with all three kids. You can tell Jackson to stay close to you 100 times and he will wander away 99. Sometimes me lives with his head in the clouds.

 

It was almost time to go and Avery was extra clingy. Until she saw that microphone and she found her independence:

Greenville was such a great town and we loved spending time outside. 

 

 

 

And the Embassy Suites was built for our family. Two rooms kept my sanity in place. Avery had a rough time sleeping in the hotel, no shock there, and woke up every morning before 6. We hit up the full complimentary breakfast early and often. And the pool was a big hit too. Avery is still terrified of the bathtub since our puking incident a few months back. The middle-of-the night bath has translated into a severe fear of the tub. I guess we need to jump in the pool when she gets to dirty, because she has no fear of that!!

 

 

Some pre-game napping from my girl.

 

And from the boys.

 

And we somehow managed to pull out a win!

 

We flew back late that night and my kids were rockstar travelers. Of course, I paid the price the next day with some major meltdowns, but a price well worth it!

Here's them in the airport at 10pm!

Avery's many hats

Scrolling through my camera roll and I felt like there were some too cute not to share. Avery tends to dominate the camera roll lately because 1) she's cute and 2) she dominates our life.

Avery loves books, and her big brother.

 

Loves her mama too.

 

And things that don't belong to her.

 

And accessorizing.

 

And acting like a super villain.

 

And a boss.

 

And a boy.

 

And a model.

 

And a cousin.

 

She's my girl!

 

Oh, and this video? Pretty good summary of who she is.  Not a whole lot of talking, but a whole lot of communicating.

Despite appearances, Jackson is a very sweet brother 

The Big Apple

It's Saturday and afternoon and I'm flying home to see my children. That's the good news, and the bad news. I flew up Thursday morning to watch the Heels play in the ACC tournament. A premature loss (to Duke no less), cut my vacation short. But I shouldn't complain: NYC, swanky hotel, no kids.  And, if you're going to stay in the Big Apple, the Four Seasons is the way to go. Especially if you're not paying the $800 per night pricetag. Here's is me, standing on our heated tiled bathroom floor, checking out our TV mirror.

Missed my opportunity to swim laps, but the pool was cool.

 

 

Thursday was beautiful and I was able to do some walking around.

 

We stayed near the World Trade Center and I visited the Oculus, the newly opened transportation hub and mall, which was super impressive. With a $4 billion price tag, it should be.

 

Yesterday's terrible weather gave me a good excuse to hibernate, which I did...and loved. Lots of reading. I met up with a friend and had a good meal in Brooklyn before the game and it was a wonderful day, until about 9pm.

The kids, as far as we know, have survived our absence. One particular stubborn girl has obviously taken things hardest. We had a bit of a mashup of childcare and Eric's family came through in he clutch, allowing me to take this trip. Grandma and Pop came the first day, passed the baton to our trusted babysitter for a few hours, and Eric's cousin and girlfriend who live in Raleigh, are finishing the race. Though, lucky for them, the race is a little shorter than they thought it might be. 

It sounds like Avery has been, well, Avery. Eric's mom got the worst night and last night Avery woke up just a few times but perhaps was tired from the previous night. Half the reason for me going on this trip was to wean my willful child. This trip may have helped but I'm not sure that we will be going cold turkey as I hoped. Especially with the prospect of 2-3 potential weekends in hotels during March Madness. Dear Lord help me. I may need all the weapons that I can get.