This summer, we've taken a few trips with Baby N in tow. She is an excellent traveler -- sleeps/plays in her car seat, babbles along to the baby song CDs we bring (and sometimes find ourselves still listening to long after she's fallen asleep...) -- but not such an excellent sleeper when she's in a new place. It's a small price to pay for the fun of vacation, though. Here's a few of our trips in a nutshell:
June: Houston Wedding
When Jacob was playing football for A&M back in our college days, he made some really good friends on the team. One of those guys was Layne, who was a groomsman in our wedding. Fast forward 7 years, and Jacob was asked to be an usher in Layne's wedding. Blissfully ignorant, we assumed it would be a smooth and seamless trip for 5-month-old Norah. Instead, we ended up taking turns eating at the rehearsal dinner (Jacob would eat his salad while I rocked a sobbing Norah outside the restaurant; then he'd relieve me so I could eat mine... This continued for 3 courses). Now we're (a tiny bit) older and wiser and know better than to stay out past Norah's bedtime! In any event, we caught up with some of Jacob's old teammates, witnessed a lovely wedding, and had a really good time.
July: Trip to Port Aransas
My friend, Melanie, also known as The Most Organized Person Ever, arranged a fun group trip to Port Aransas. We rented a great condo within walking distance to the beach, grilled out, and relaxed. The Texas coast is actually very pretty, and Norah loved feeling the coast breeze in her hair, dipping her toes into the water, and riding up and down the coastline in her Bob stroller.
Hanging out at the beach!
Good times in the Bob. That girl loves to be on the go!
Sporting her swim cap like a boss.
Loves riding on Dad's shoulders.
We also visited the Bluebell store in Rockport, one of Jacob's most favorite childhood destinations. Norah tried valiantly to get a bite of the hot fudge brownie sundae -- someday she'll get to taste that magical dessert, too.
Thanks, Melanie, for organizing such a fun trip! We had a blast and can't wait to make it one of our regular family summer vacations.
July, Part 2: Tennessee
My grandmother, Re Re, had only seen Norah once, when we traveled to Tennessee in February for my other grandmother's (Nana's) funeral. When my mom suggested we visit for a week, I was totally on board. I'd never flown with Norah before, since we drove to Tennessee last time, so I was a little nervous. Luckily, I was given lots of great advice (which I'll definitely cover in a future post!) so everything went very smoothly. Here are a few snapshots from the trip:
My grandmother's back yard. Deer and birds are almost always around, and it's probably the most peaceful place I can imagine. We spent a lot of time on the porch swing looking onto her yard, just talking, drinking Dr. Peppers (because calories don't count when you're at your grandmother's!) and relaxing.
We have all kinds of toys for Norah, but Re Re is probably the best at picking out what she'll like! She got her several things I used to enjoy 30 years ago, including a simple rubber ball. Norah thought those were the greatest toys ever!
My grandmother's neighbor bought Norah this awesome University of Tennessee dress. My parents (especially my dad!) are so proud :)
Norah has been known to have little "accidents" at inopportune times -- and she clearly doesn't mind! This particular incident happened right before our outing in Sweetwater, Tennessee. I'll spare you the gory details, but it involved a beach towel, about 5 pounds of wipes, and a new diaper. She looks quite pleased with herself, don't you think?
After a day of antique shopping and eating at the cutest cafe/boutique, The Paris Apartment, Norah was ready for a snooze. She scored a Halloween costume and a pair of leather poodle booties (which she insisted on wearing right away), so it had been a full day for Little Miss! Thanks to my cousin, Jenna, for pushing Norah in her stroller while I man-handled the world's largest and heaviest diaper bag!
