Weekend Getaways

After our week full of germs, Ned and I were lucky to still be able to have our weekend in Williamsburg. Because we were unsure if we were going, we didn't do anything to get ready until Friday. Fridays are busy for Ned, so he wasn't able to get off, get packed, and leave as early as we had hoped. It was almost 5:30 before we got Avery dropped off at Lolli and Poppa's. I couldn't talk much at all Friday, and my throat really starts to hurt again at night, so I was feeling kind of bad on the ride. And, around the time it got dark, I started to miss Avery. We enjoyed our ride across the James River on the ferry at dusk and hit up the Olive Garden for dinner. We make the most of our dinners without Avery and try to have as many courses as possible. I was very happy to see pumpkin cheesecake on the menu. Neither of us knew our way around Williamsburg, so we had to use Onstar for the 2nd time to find our hotel. Thank goodness for the blue button! We met several friendly Onstar advisors this weekend.

Saturday morning dawned beautiful and COOL! We made our way to Merchant's Square in Colonial Williamsburg. They have a farmer's market every Saturday, and there were lots of booths, people, and dogs. There were also lots of babies. It looked like so much fun for parents to push their children around in double joggers. Leave it to me to get baby fever from a double jogger. I really wanted to buy some of the shiny, organic produce, but I settled for letting Ned buy me a gourd carved to look like a jack-o-lantern. We browsed the shops, and Ned found a coat while I found one of Avery's Christmas dresses. I'm glad to be able to scratch that off my list. We didn't actually do much historical sight-seeing, so we'll have to squeeze that in next time. After an early lunch at The Trelis we were off to the outlets.

The outlets were full of fun and fabulous deals, and I admit I got carried away. We did the necessities first like Stride Rite and Carter's. I made a few unexpected purchases at Hanna Anderson, but who can resist their pajamas for $15? Avery is still fitting into the 70s that she's had since May, and they have held up beautifully. I bought the next size up for when she does some growing. We also got her a playdress/leggings set and a winter coat, all on sale. It was in Gymboree that I lost my mind and forgot that I actually had to pay for the large pile accumulating in my arms. I told Ned adamently that I was done for Avery, walked outside, and spotted the new Janie and Jack. In Williamsburg it's an actual store with all their current items 25% off. That's worth many fun rides across the ferry! Ned and I did find a few things for ourselves and had to make a few trips to the car. We finished our shopping experience with an Auntie Anne's pretzel since dinner would be late. We went back to our room for awhile and then had a good dinner at a seafood restaurant back in Merchant's Square.

Sunday morning we were ready to get home to our girl. We had a quick breakfast at Cracker Barrel and made our way to the ferry without the use of the blue button. It was another beautiful day and the ride across the river was great. We were exited to hear all about Avery's weekend. It included...

Lily waiting patiently for someone to come and get the baby.



Clapping for sleepovers and being spoiled!



A visit from my aunt and uncle, who will undoubtedly ruin her as they ruined me.



Showing Lolli and Poppa how she can eat like a big girl.



Peering under the door looking for Odie the cat.



Avery got great report from Lolli and Poppa (shocking, right?). She slept well, napped well, and seemed to be feeling much better. The picky eating remained, which we are hoping is due to her antibiotic and not a worsening stage. I won't even ask all they did over the weekend. I do know that Avery has been pulling on my pants A LOT to be picked up. Lolli says that could possibly be their fault. Oh well, vacations are good for everyone's soul and we were all the more happy to be reunited. We missed our Avery terribly, but we're not sure if she felt the same. It felt so strange to be out without her. I kept telling Ned that no one knew that I was a mom (unless they looked at my bags!), and it was odd to not be in that role for a whole weekend. I think I enjoyed not preparing, serving, and cleaning up from meals the most. My mom always says that husbands came before children and they should be a priority. Time away definately makes us better spouses and parents, so another trip may be in order soon!