playing catch-up - NC trip.

We traveled as a family to North Carolina last month.  One of Andy's good friends from high school was getting married, so it was a perfect opportunity to go and see Grandma and Grandpa!

Olivia was SO excited to fly on an airplane.  As parents, we weren't nearly as excited to take her on that plane ride, but luckily her excitement  made her a great traveler!  I'm sure every parent has the fear that they will be "those parents" on the plane.  We had a five minute tantrum on the way home (just prior to landing because she didn't want to keep her seat belt on), but otherwise we were pleasantly surprised with how well both children did.  Multiple things saved us.  First, we borrowed a cart that converted Olivia's car seat into a stroller of sorts.  We've used it in the past and it is a lifesaver!  Its called GoGo Babyz or GoGo Kidz, and we highly recommend it!  It completely eliminates chasing your toddler through the airport or holding onto their hand for dear life in fear that they may escape from your view in the terminal.  Carter also traveled to the gate in his car seat /snap and go stroller and we gate checked all three items.  Airlines are totally flexible when it comes to kid gear!  Our other saving grace was Andy's laptop computer.  Olivia's love for princesses and the movie Tangled got us nearly 3/4 of the way through the flights, both coming and going!  She contently watched her movie, Andy listened to his iPod, and I held a sleeping Carter while enjoying some peace!  The third thing that made our airline travel simple was the fact that Carter is pretty much the easiest baby on the planet! ha.  He seriously just went with the flow, ate when I got a chance to nurse him, and slept when he was tired (no matter where we were)! 

So, all in all, getting to NC and back was rather painless, and that includes our trip through security.  Olivia waited patiently and did everything I asked of her, which made me so relieved!  Toddler hood is SO unpredictable, especially when our travel/check-in times were right during nap (poor planning on our part!), but she did just great.  I even did security alone in Dallas - me, a broken ankle and boot for it, two kids, two car seats, one stroller, one diaper bag, one princess backpack, a few prayers, and we made it through no problem!  :)  I think I got a star on my mommy badge of honor for that one ;)

Nap time is quickly ticking away, so I can't share as much as I'd like about our trip, but it was fabulous!  The wedding was at Lake Lure Inn, which is where Dirty Dancing was filmed!  Apparently, there had been some "ghost activity" there the week before we arrived and ghost busters (or whatever they are called) were there!   We laughed that we hoped to see Patrick Swayze!  However, the only thing that could be heard in the wee hours of the morning were the cries of our children!  While quaint and full of character, the hotel room was very small!  Needless to say, my children just went back and forth waking each other up through the night. Carter would cry and I'd get him settled and then Olivia would wake up crying; Andy would try and calm her and she would tantrum and scream that she wanted mommy; in getting to her, I would have to move Carter and her loud screams would wake him up, and then the cycle would repeat.  It was pretty miserable.  I never felt like I slept during the two nights we were there.  I found myself praying for daylight to come so that the debacle of trying to get the kids to sleep would quickly be over!   Good thing the scenery was beautiful!  It served as inspiration to get up and moving each morning!

The wedding was lots of fun and Olivia followed the bride around like a lost puppy!  She is very much into princesses, and to her Rebekah was a real-life princess!  She still talks about her white dress and "crown"!  Olivia was the dancing star of the night!  She seriously danced the entire evening, even right through dinner because the DJ played music while we were eating.  We let her stay up until it was over because she was having such a great time! (10ish). That's a big deal for this mama!  Unfortunately her extreme tiredness only made her sleep worse than she had the night before, but she had a good time.....

dancing with the bride!

why are our family pictures always so blah?....

the reception was on the patio, so I was thankful I had
Carter's owl hat (thanks, Musa family!!)

Carter keeping an eye on the dance floor...and that crazy big
sister of his!

We spent the wedding ceremony in the back of the church because our children were so unruly!  Olivia loudly announced "I have to potty" just as the bride made it to the front so Andy quickly ushered her out.  Then, Carter decided that he wanted in on the action and started jabbering nice and loud, so I made an escape with him!  We all met up at the back and watched the ceremony standing up and trying to keep our brood quiet! ha.  Attending a wedding with your kids is definitely a different experience! 

Stay tuned for pictures with Grandma and Grandpa.  There was plenty of fun had at their house!