Last week, Kate and I endeavored on a 12+ hour car trip to New Jersey with my parents. Why would I take such a ridiculously long road trip with a 1 year old?
LOVE.
Family love.
My brother, Andy, and his wife, Samantha, moved there at the end of October and we've been missing them. Also, Andy's installation service at his new church was on Sunday and I really wanted to be there to support them on such an important day.
My parents were already planning to go and I decided on Wednesday that we would tag along:) So, we drove all day Thursday, and even though she only took two 30 minute naps, Kate surprisingly only had one major meltdown on the way there. We did stop every 2-3 hours to get out and stretch, change her diaper, and keep everyone happy.
Kate enjoyed playing with her new chalkboard and the alphabet magnets I made her, her teddy bear, and only once (after her meltdown), Matt's iPad.
Friday morning, Sam made us really, really yummy lemon ricotta pancakes for breakfast and then went for a winter hike to Ramapo Lake and even though it was a little cold, it was still a lot of fun. Kate only wanted to walk herself or be on shoulders...until the end when it was nap time and she was tired. Then she got snuggly and I got happy:)
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| i LOVE to be outside! |
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| hurricane Sandy damage |
Friday night we took a trip over to Paramus and went to West Elm. It was so fun. I love that store. I can't afford anything there, but it was fun none the less. Kate modeled with some of the fun merchandise...
We walked down to the Sugar Flake Bakery Saturday morning for lots of yummy breakfast goodness (note Kate is still in her PJs:))
Kate was a bit of a monster Saturday and didn't really want to sleep...ever...at all. My mom held her for a nap that morning and I laid down with her in the afternoon. Saturday was not the highlight of the trip for me.
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| Kate's first taste of apple |
We went to Ridgewood on Saturday night and had dinner at a Japanese Hibachi and Sushi place. Kate loved the edamame and the fish. Uncle Andy did a wonderful job of keeping her entertained and happy - thank you!
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We got to go to Andy's church Sunday morning, which I really enjoyed. I love seeing Andy in action and it was great to meet the people who are now such a big part of his life. Everyone was really, really nice and several of the older ladies promised me that they would 'take good care of Andy and Sam'. They may not know it, but that meant a lot to me. Moving to a new place and taking on a new job are not easy, so one of my biggest hopes and prayers is that their new church family really do love and support them.
After church, we ran over to the Allendale Bar and Grill for lunch. Yum. It was really tasty. In the few hours between lunch and Andy's installation, Kate took a nap and we turned on the Lions. You know what happens when the Lions are on...
I don't have any pictures of the actual installation service because I was busy trying to keep Kate entertained and quiet, but she did a great job. There was a small reception for Andy afterwards, and then we headed home to play for a little while before bed. Once Kate was in bed, we got to sit down and watch a Christmas movie together.
We let Kate sleep in Monday morning and then took off once she was up and around. The weather was beautiful Monday morning and all Kate wanted to do was be outside. Luckily, Uncle Andy and Aunt Sam were more than willing to oblige:)
We couldn't leave without a stop at the bakery.
On the way home, Kate let me read her lots of books. And she read her own books too:)
She took an hour and a half nap before lunch - hallelujah! After lunch, she was not so happy to get back in the car...
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| Kate, tell us how you really feel:) |
But, eventually she fell asleep again for about an hour. The ride home was SO much better than the ride there, which is good because once I got home I actually started thinking about making the trip again.
We definitely had a few rough spots, but overall, I'm so glad we went. I wish Matt could have come along, but we'll have to bring him next time.
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