Beach Fun

Fun at the Beach with Friends (East Coast)

We recently spent a couple of days at the beach with friends and stayed in a beach house just down the block from this secluded public beach (the house belongs to a friend of a friend, so it was FREE FUN!). We had such a great time! I wish we could go back, but we're leaving soon for a very different kind of beach. We'll miss our LW friends!

Here are some pics of our beach adventure:

First View of the Ocean

Seashell Treasures

Spiky Seed Pods...Open Wide!
On the Path Through the Mangroves

Blazing a Trail into the Sunset

Seattle on a Shoestring: Our First Kid-Free Vacation!

My husband and I just took a vacation without the kids for the first time ever. Before this, they've never even slept over at anyone's house without us, so we really weren't sure how they would do over a long weekend away from us. Our oldest is 5 1/2, so we figured it was time to break away and enjoy some alone time. Something we NEVER fully appreciated before we had kids!

We lucked into a pair of round-trip tickets to anywhere AirTran flies in the continental US. I wanted to go as far as possible, so we flew to Seattle on Thursday last week, determined to see the city without renting a car (Seattle on a shoestring). This meant we had to catch a city bus at the airport into downtown Seattle, get off in the underground bus tunnel, then find our bus to the Inn at Queen Anne, where we stayed. We got explicit instructions from the inn, including bus numbers, so we felt pretty confident when we stepped onto the 194 at the airport.

Why does that sign say North to Seattle...aren't we IN Seattle?!

Apparently there are two 194 buses. The one we boarded went SOUTH to Tacoma instead of NORTH to downtown Seattle. This sign was part of our unplanned walking tour of the interstate system of Tacoma, south of Seattle. At this point, I was thanking God we did not have the kids with us. We finally found the bus stop we needed and only had to wait about 30 minutes for the right bus. We rolled into downtown Seattle about an hour and a half later than planned, but hey! We were on an adventure! These kinds of mistakes have much less impact when you're not hauling car seats, luggage for four, a diaper bag, and a stroller!

Our trip was really great, but totally exhausting! Pike's Place was very cool, and we took a 2 1/2 hour cruise of the locks, where we saw the Sleepless in Seattle floating home. Don't say houseboat unless you want to catch the evil eye of a floating home owner. The Sleepless home is on the market for a mere $3 million, by the way. It's the green one with red trim on the left:

Here are some more pics of our trip:

This is where the fish fly at Pike Place Market

That's the famous mascot of Pike Place, Rachel (cast in bronze)

We drank LOTS of coffee in Seattle. There's a coffee shop on every block!

This one's for you, Miss Rachel! Check out the steep tilt...our calves were killing us by day 2!

The Famous Space Needle

City Scape: View from the Water

I don't know why we waited so long to take a vacation away from the kids, but now that we have, I already have a plan for the next one! And KID 1 asked me several times this week "Mommy, when can we go on vacation again?" I told him next month we would all go on vacation and he said, "No! I mean when can we go on vacation without you and Daddy?" They stayed at the ranch with my mom and helped feed the cows. They rode the 4-wheeler down the fence line to check the fences, and even had to round up a stray cow and mend the fence where she broke out. They got to be real ranch hands and they LOVED it! They barely missed us!

Vintage Valentines, Dating Again, and Some Fun Valentine Ideas

At MOPS this week, we enjoyed hearing from a panel of experienced wives and mothers who shared their wisdom with us, along with some ideas to keep your marriage warm and toasty while raising very needy preschoolers.

One of the major things that everyone felt is important is to take vacations, with and without the children. Well, in this economy, going off for weekend excursions with my hubby for some much needed rest and relaxation just ain't gonna happen for us. But now, with the help of a friend, we have found a way to take "mini vacations." Before we got married, we just called them "dates." Now, as soon as we walk out the back door and get in the car, we feel like we've escaped on a mini vacation!

My friend and I are doing a babysitting exchange. Last night, Paul and I ate dinner with the kids, bathed them and got our youngest into bed. Then I rushed to get some fresh clothes on, spruce myself up a bit and grab my purse, while my friend settled in for storytime on the couch with our five-year-old. Hugs and kisses, exhortations to "be good for Miss Teresa and get right in bed after stories," and we were out the door. Free!

Dating my husband takes a lot more effort than it did before we had kids (I will be babysitting my friend's children one night next week in exchange for our lovely night out), but it's totally worth it! I'm happy to report that we did not talk about the kids at all while on our date!

Some cute Valentine Ideas, some from makeandtakes.com:

We'll be making heart pancakes for breakfast and Valentine decorations for the table (I have a pink tablecloth and white lace overlay that looks romantic and sweet with handmade Valentines scattered across it!).

For lunch, I'll make a heart-shaped pizza for my family with a message on the table that reads, "You've Stolen a Pizza My Heart!"

For dinner, I'm getting Chinese take-out. I could make a big special meal, but my gift to my family is my presence in our celebration. I want to be able to enjoy it, too!

Do you have any sweet Valentine traditions or ideas for your family?

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Road Trip

Back in the day, I loved taking off on road trips with some of my good college friends. We would pile in a car, look for a good radio station, and car-dance our way down the road. Keep in mind this was before CD players were installed in cars; most people were just starting to buy CDs instead of cassette tapes. This was also before a Starbucks could be found every 30 miles or so down the road. Some of our favorite songs were by Cheap Trick, Prince, Madonna, and Paula Abdul. Since we were in college, we would start out bright and early - around noon or so. Even though we thought we were broke, we would stop at Taco Bell if we were hungry for a snack along the way. Our road trips would often take unplanned jaunts to somewhere interesting like Lake Wappapelo or the General Baptist Headquarters.

Now that I am a grown up, road trips have taken a turn for the worse. First, if I am not crammed in a car with friends who will talk to me, I apparently do not like to travel. I am also now chief guardian to a child who doesn't like to travel either. Nevertheless, all three Carvers set out on our road trip home for Christmas a few weeks ago. Just like in my college days, we brought along some good music to listen to - the soundtrack from the movie "Hoot". I can safely say we loved it the first 100 times we listened to it, now it is a little old. But Alex loves it, and it makes him happy. We thought Alex might sleep in the car, so we planned on leaving at 4:00 am. Important note: this would be the time we would normally get back from a college road trip. To save money, we packed a cooler and lots of snacks. Since some things never change, our road trip was also filled with unexpected detours. Picture yourself in the back seat of a Hundai Santa Fe. The back is filled with suitcases and Christmas gifts. Here is what your trip would have looked like:

Day One - leave Florida at 4:00 am
4:41 - Drag Alex out of bed and take him to car in pj's. Alex squeals with delight, "are we going to Grandma's?"

4:42 - (Me to DH) "Did you put the lunch meat in the cooler?" - Turning around and returning to house.

4:46 - Leaving our town only 46 minutes behind schedule.

5:02 - Alex is not sleeping. He grabs my face with his hands. "Look hun, it says five, zero, two," pointing to the clock.

5:03 - Alex again grabbing my face, even more excited, "Look honey, it says five, zero, three!."

5:28 - Alex says, "Mom, look is says five, two, eight. I miss Grandma. I want to go see her."

That day of travel only took us 16 hours.

Day Six - leave Indiana at 10:00 am
Our trip to Illinois was much shorter, only four hours, and we actually left on time. Alex spent most of his time taking pictures. Here is my favorite.

Day 12 - leave Illinois at 7:00 am
7:42 - DH to me in backseat, "Are we ready to go?" Me, "No," as DH backs out anyway. Me, crying as my coffee spilt - OK, not really crying, but sad for sure.

7:44 - backing out again.

10:17 - finally found a Starbucks inside a Kroger!!

12:18 - Metropolis, Illinois - we must visit large superman statue. It is, after all, only three miles from the rest area.

1:17 - Somewhere in western Kentucky, we catch a girl named Shishi on 100.3 - the Beaver.

1:20 - Hoot CD - again!

All in all, we were really pleased with how well Alex did in the car. It was a long trip, but a great trip.