Mini Vacation

The wonderful thing about having a one year old, is the flexibility.  This week, Josh had to be in Raleigh for work, and Charlotte and I joined him!  It was a lot of fun.  We drove up late afternoon Monday, checked into the hotel, and walked around the shopping center it is apart of.   

Charlotte stretching her legs after a long car ride. 

Josh got off not long after and we went to Yard House for dinner.  The best part of being on vacation is all the fun places we get to eat at!  We were all exhausted from the drive that day that we all conked out early that night.  Of course, Charlotte was up all night (adjusting to the porta-crib) that she ended up being in our bed.  Luckily, that was the only night like that!     Since we were here on business, we were able to access the Concierge Lounge for a buffet breakfast each morning.  It was the best hotel breakfast and we became friends with the conceirge.  She thought Charlotte was adorable and loved seeing us each day.  Her kids are older and has no grandchildren yet, so it was a treat for her.  I am pretty sure we were the ONLY family staying in the hotel.  I didn't see one other child our whole stay!    Tuesday, I drove around Raleigh to check out the city.  It is really nice.  I could definitely move here.  It's much more suburbia than Charlotte is.  Everywhere is a lot newer and just what I'm used too in Orange County.    

The day started out with a great breakfast!

We swam once, but I'm not a big fan of indoor pools.

Wednesday, was our zoo day.  I decided to go because it was a half hour closer being in Raleigh than when I'm in Charlotte.  It's a long drive...I don't know how often I'll be going.  But it is a really nice zoo!  If I had guests with little kids, it's something to check out.  That night, we met up with our friend Taylor and his wife, Zoey, and their daughter, Lillie.  What a sweet family Taylor has!  We went out to Good Berry's for ice cream.  It was so fun for us all to meet each other and get to know one another.  

Yesterday, I did a little shopping in the morning, took Charlotte out to lunch and then we went over to the Green's house to let Lillie and Charlotte play.  Around 3, we headed downtown to the Marble's Children Museum.  If I lived in Raleigh, I'd be here every week ($2 Thursdays)!  It was the neatest thing I'd been too.  I so wish there was one in Charlotte.  It was really geared towards little kids.  There were several toddler areas and even the areas for all ages, Charlotte fit right in.  There were different themes throughout the museum.  

  Toddler Hollow: specifically for toddlers where they can crawl/walk around, go inside logs and doors, up little stairs, there were forest stuffed animals everywhere (then bigger kids came in that weren't supposed to be there, so we left that room)

  Around Town: teaching the children all the different service occupations

 

  SPLASH: making it seem like you were underwater with a submarine and shipwreck  

Typical picture...she still hates taking them!

 

Moneypalozza: kids play with smart ways to spend and save while having a wealth of fun learning to earn. Moneypalooza brings to life the importance of establishing healthy money habits through innovative and high-energy activities.

This was the coolest place! Charlotte was in heaven running around and exploring everything.

Today was our day of departure.  It's always sad to leave vacation but nice to go back home to your routine and your own bed!!  We didn't waste much time this morning.  Went to breakfast in our pajamas, packed up the room, and left!  With a little stop at the outlets on our way home (Carter's was having a great sale)!    I am so grateful for all the hard work that Josh does that allows Charlotte and I to have a wonderful life.  I really appreciate the chance I have to be a stay-at-home mom and realize how fortunate we are. We have never been able to accompany him on a work trip, so that was fun being able to see him at night and occasionally have breakfast in the mornings, instead of him coming to an empty hotel room, like usual, and being bored all night.  I'm sure this won't be able to happen many more times, but when it's possible, I hope we can join him again!