The Winterhoff Family

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Home, Sweet Home

We’re back home in South Carolina after 19 days away, thousands of miles traveled, and 3 separate destinations visited. And the grand finale of vacation this year was me flying alone with the 2 children yesterday. Gulp. I actually received gasps of horror from several of my mama friends when I told them this as we were planning our trip. The idea of being confined on an airplane with an unpredictable infant and an extremely energetic 3 year-old without another adult/set of hands was daunting, but a couple of my friends who had flown with their kids before assured me, “It’s never as bad as you think it’s going to be…”. Comforting, I know. Still, the idea of flying seemed so much more appealing to me than the looonnng drive back from Pennsylvania, where the children and I spent last week with my family (and Mark had to come back home for work). In my mind, the advantages of the plane were:
1) It’s a direct flight. 2) It’s only 1.5 hours from take-off until landing… 3) I can try anything once, and 4) I will (hopefully) never see any of the passengers again if my kids are screaming the entire time and I am “that mom”.

And the end result was: The kids were GREAT. I actually received compliments from several people about how well behaved my children were, which is comical considering our current challenges with Luke’s behavior (but that’s another blog post). The most difficult aspect of the experience was planning all of the logistics (how to pare down 3 weeks’ worth of needs into 2 suitcases that could be checked, and what to send home with Daddy, etc). I continue to be amazed how the tiniest person in our family requires the most “stuff” and that the amount of space needed for each family member’s items is directly disproportionate to their size/rank in the family. (I think Mark ended up with about ¼ of a small suitcase for his wardrobe/shoes/toiletries for our entire vacation)…

With Mimi’s help to lug all of our gear through security(stroller with carseat, laptop, and carry-ons full of diapers, outfit changes, and snacks) and escort us to the gate (the Non-Passenger Escort Pass may be the best invention in the entire world besides the epidural), we boarded the plane with no problem and the flight was quick and easy. Luke was so excited to meet the pilot, who gave him a handshake (I guess pilots aren’t really the “high five” type), his own set of wings (which I loved, and remember having a pair of these when I was little), and a cute coloring book and activity set. Luke was delighted by the beverage service (and called it “magical apple juice”- not sure why), turned up his nose at the free peanuts, and watched a Bob the Builder DVD on my laptop. We stretched out in the front row and had plenty of room, Leah fed discretely under my nursing wrap and fell asleep for most of the flight, and Daddy picked us up at the Greenville airport, which is less than a mile from our house. Admittedly, I breathed a big sigh of relief when I plopped into Mark’s car, and had a momentary sense of victory and accomplishment that now I could probably do anything.

The funniest part of it all was that Luke’s blue potty (which is not exactly a tiny item) was one of our carry-ons. He is frightened by public toilets and there was no way that I was going to risk an accident on the plane, so I chose to have his potty securely in tow for the trip. And he sure did sit down and use it in the middle of the terminal at BWI… Ahh, we are classy these days. When we pulled in our driveway yesterday and the temperature on Mark’s car registered 119 degrees (it wasn’t quite that hot but you know how the thermometer on cars always is a bit higher than actuality), I thought, “Oh, summer in South Carolina… Take me back to the beach!” But we’re home sweet home, with new memories from our adventures in the sky.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Rehoboth Beach Vacation

The above picture says it all: The best part about the beach is FAMILY! Mark's grandparents started the tradition of a family vacation in Rehoboth Beach, DE, many years ago, and their legacy continues. Their 4 children now bring their own families, and this year we spread out in 3 beach houses (Absent in the above photo but also at the beach were Bean, Leah, Sara, Nancy & Mickey, Rick, and Bethany.) Our Winterhoff Beach House consisted of 6 young children (5 of whom are age 4 and under), so you can imagine the energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. Poppy and Bean provided another wonderful week for us, and our kids ate up the attention from their cousins, aunts & uncles, and grandparents. Luke has been talking about going to the boardwalk (Funland) since last summer and was thrilled to return to his favorite rides. Leah rode on a playground swing and the merry-go-round for the first time, we stayed busy and the pool and beach, and the Beach Fairy left clues every evening to lead the children on treasure hunts and find prizes. What special memories were made during our Rehoboth week this year! Here are some of our photos:

The Girl Cousins (Maya, Leah, Alexis, and Lauren).

"Baby Gabe is a big boy now!" Luke proclaimed.

One of my favorites...

These children bring us so much joy.

Look how excited Luke is to be driving his favorite Funland car again this year!

Grandfather, Grandson, & Son.

On the bridge at the duck/turtle pond.

At the pool.

Backseat driver.

First carousel ride!

Below is a slideshow of some other favorite pictures from our Rehoboth week:

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Patriotic Pride

Ever since July 4, Luke has really enjoyed waving the American flag and showing off his patriotic pride. His favorite new song is "America the Beautiful" and he has created his own unique words for the tune. Below are the actual lyrics as well as Luke's own rendition, along with a video of our patriotic little man. Enjoy!

America The Beautiful Lyrics:

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Luke's Interpretation:
"Ah-nerica!, Ah-nerica!
God shed his Grace (Leah's middle name) on Lee (nickname for his baby sister)
And crown da' good with Brotherhood (because he's her big brother)
From C (dramatic pause)...to (another pause)...Shi-Ning (big finish here)... C!!!!!!"

Click here for Luke's patriotic video!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Topsail Island Beach Vacation

We had a wonderful time at Topsail Island last week, and Leah had her first beach vacation! The weather was beautiful and we loved spending time with our family. Here are some of our favorite pictures from our time at Topsail:

Leah with her Uncle Jef

Nutty was always smiling for Aunt Molly

More of our beach pictures (also in our Winterhoff Family Photo Albums ):

Monday, July 11, 2011

Precious Cargo!

Mommy has had a little helper packing for our summer vacation. We certainly don't travel light anymore, but will have a very well-dressed baby on our trip!

Bring on the beach!!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Blueberry Festival

This morning, we went to a Blueberry Festival at Roper Mountain Science Center. There were booths of delicious treats, blueberry-themed games and crafts at the Living History Farm, and the Natural Sciences building was open to the public, featuring lots of exhibits, animals, and educational displays. It was summer at its best, with live music, freshly baked pies & farmers' market stands, and of course the abundant blueberries everywhere = yummy! We all enjoyed the festival, but Luke's favorite part by far was the "city bus" (shuttle ride from the parking lot to the festival). He could have ridden the bus all day long and been perfectly happy. Here are some pictures from our day:

Playing with old-fashioned toys

Blueberry girls

Stamps with blueberry ink

Watermelon snack break

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In other funny 3 year-old news, Luke spotted a bottle of Hershey's Syrup in the refrigerator door last night and asked us, "What is that?"

Daddy poured a little bit into a cup, added milk, and told Luke to say the magic words to make "magical chocolate milk".

Luke shouted, "ABRACADABRA!"

Daddy stirred the milk, transforming it into a delicious chocolate-brown concoction.

Mommy nervously bit her lip, fearful that Luke would never want plain old, boring white milk again once he realized we were able to create such a tasty treat at home.

Daddy handed the cup to Luke.

Luke took a big sip of milk, crinkled up his face in disgust, spit it back out into the cup, and proclaimed, "I DON'T like it! I want PLAIN milk."

Mommy smiled to herself and breathed a big sigh of relief that her little boy is such a creature of habit and routine, and won't know what he's missing for a little while longer!