This week we took a short overnight trip to Asheville to see the Biltmore House. It was fantastic! What a fun journey. The girls had a great time watching all of the cars and trucks on the highway. They practiced making the sounds along the way. The boys slept most of the way there which was a real treat!
I was well prepared for the “I’m hungriest” and the restlessness that comes with a car trip. We have a new car… well, it’s really a van. But, if you look really fast it does not look as much like a van as the old one. I know, it’s ridiculous but, I feel good about calling it Mommy’s car. So, snack choices in the van, I mean, car were strategically planned to minimize crumb dropping. Here is what I packed for food:
VAN (snack options)
My Seed and fruit granola bars Kevin’s energy bars NutThin crackers (from Thrive) Raw cashews and pecans Bananas Sliced Apples
OUT TO DINNER… yes, a restaurant! I researched ahead of time and found a restaurant serving “healthy fast food”. They served an organic, grass-fed, and, gluten-sensitive menu. The kids were super excited to eat out and enjoyed the following:
Grass-fed burger with house-made sweet potato chips and an egg biscuit
Turkey club with sweet potato chips
Omelet with peppers, onion, and spinach with coconut chia pudding
HOTEL (after dinner… for the inevitable hunger right after I brush my teeth) Avocado Hard-boiled egg Cantaloupe Toasted coconut chips with cinnamon
BREAKFAST (in the room… a real treat!)
Boys: hard boiled eggs, fruit salad, teff and buckwheat banana muffins
Girls: oatmeal with raisins, toasted coconut chips, and sunflower seeds.
Sharing a room with four children was quite an event. While Kevin went down to the lobby to “work” I was fending for myself with four overly tired children. Fortunately, we were still in the phase of good spirits and there was not any nastiness. Annabelle did not want anything to do with her pack and play. In fact, she did not want to be too far from me at any point during the trip… my little shadow. So, she shared a very small full bed with me and Cameron. She had a great time teasing Cameron for about 30 minutes... poking him, which he could not resist retaliating! It was too funny. I sent Cameron to sleep with William in the other bed… and you can guess what happened then. The teasing started on the other side of the room. Annabelle carried on in the dark saying every word in her growing vocabulary along with her sweet little giggle. Hilarious. And then, everything was quiet. She fell asleep and so did the boys. Until, Kevin came in and put Cameron in my bed! He moves around like a wild monkey in bed at night. So, in my effort to keep Annabelle safe from his involuntary kicks, I was precariously positioned on the edge of the bed all night. I slept about… 2 hours. It was awesome!
Everyone… except Kevin, was up bright-eyed at 5 am! We were all so excited to see Biltmore… there was no time for sleep. The next three hours were a great workout… trying to keep the girls from tearing apart everything in their reach, feed, and dressing everyone in time to leave by 8:15. But, we did it!
Cameron kept the girls entertained with rides on the luggage cart. We of course had to take the elevator tour of the hotel!
Biltmore was superb! The decorations were fading, but still amazing. The immense size is always grand to see. The kids could not get enough of the animals! We of course had to take a picture of Mr. Biltmore’s potty…
The girls walked the whole house by themselves, except for the stairs because they were too dangerous.
I loved seeing the pool, kitchens, and of course… the gym.
It was a great, short overnight vacation, but we grew together as a family. We did it together, which is the most precious. The memories will last a long time…
