Anniversary trip to Raleigh

Last weekend Benny and I were very blessed to be able to spend the weekend away in Raleigh, NC for our anniversary. This was all made possible by my mom and Dave offering to watch the kids while we were away - SO so thankful for this! 

We got to Raleigh Friday afternoon and did a quick little hike near the hotel to get some fresh air and stretch our legs after the 3 hour trip. 

We got checked into our hotel, changed and headed out to dinner at a great sushi spot. 

Dinner was amazing. Afterward we headed back to the hotel, got settled in, and played Mario Kart on the giant 76 inch TV in our room.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel before heading out to Pullen Park. Pullen Park was suggested as a beautiful place to walk around, but we had no idea until we pulled up that apparently they were also hosting something called LuminoCity 'an immersive magical wonderland of lights.' Since it was during the day, nothing was lit up but it was still so cool to see the incredible displays that are not typically there.

After Pullen Park, we went to the Museum of Natural Sciences. There were a lot of highly rated museums in the area but I'm so glad we chose this one. We got to see all the exhibits on one side, and then you cross into another building and see the research labs and how things work on the other side.

Once we left the museum we went straight to Morgan Street Food Hall, which was basically a giant trendy beefed-up food court. 10/10 would recommend, my only complaint is that I wanted to try every type of food but obviously couldn't afford it.

I ended up getting lobster tacos and Benny got a lobster roll - both delicious.

We went back to the hotel to regroup for an hour before venturing back out and going to a comedy club for one of their matinee shows. It consisted of 8 different amateur comedians in 2 teams who competed in variety of different 'games' to determine who was the funniest. I am so glad we decided to do this, it was hilarious! I would go again and again.

From the comedy club we got some brick-oven pizza for dinner before heading to a musical put on by NC State, Urinetown. We had never heard of it before, but it was also hysterical. And they did such an amazing job! I've never been to a college musical before but we were so so impressed with the production. 

By the time we got back to the hotel it was around 10:30 and we were exhausted from such a busy day. The next morning we took it slow with breakfast at the hotel and then finally got a chance to use the hot tub. By then we were ready to start heading back to see the little faces we missed so much. 

We are just so thankful to have willing and enthusiastic family offering to help watch our kids so we can get away. I know so many friends who don't, and we just feel so blessed by it. We don't often do date nights throughout the year, and have come to realize how important it is for us to make a point to get away once a year and shift the focus back to each other. A huge thank you to my mom and Dave, and to Katie for helping make this happen for us!! We love you!

Riser is 11 months old

One more month with this sweet boy before he is a one year old! Riser is around 20 pounds and in size 12-18 month clothing mostly, still some 9-12. He still only has his bottom two teeth. He is capable of standing for a few seconds unassisted but still no significant steps yet. He did start using the walker this month and absolutely loves it. He gets very frustrated when it stops (he runs into something) and he needs someone to turn him around. He also has figured out clapping and loves to clap with people. He is big into mimicking what we do which is also a lot of fun.

Riser loves playing outside and will eat handfuls and handfuls of dirt if I let him. He wants to get into everything. This month Bonnie and Riser had their first sleepover, sharing a room for the first time. The first night went great (although they were up earlier than usual) and the second night was a disaster. We don't plan to have them share a room permanently yet but are working toward it eventually. 

This month also consisted of a week or two of sickness as he ended up with hand-foot-and-mouth disease. He was covered in blisters and a rash on his face and body. Thankfully he seemed to fare better than he looked. He is officially all healed and healthy once more. 

Big girl bed

After 3+ years, Bonnie felt ready for a big girl bed. We told her she had to earn it by doing a better job for bedtime consistently. This went on for weeks. One day in the car Bonnie said out of the blue "Mommy, I'm ready for my big girl bed. I'm a little bit tired of thinking about it." She was tired of waiting and talking about it, she wanted some action. I told her she was right, and we got to work setting it up. 

This was a big deal for her. If you don't already know, Bonnie has always had a hard time with bedtimes and nap times. She still goes through phases of crying herself to sleep (much less than ever before) and gets very stuck on her 'rituals'. If any part of her bedtime routine is out of order or out of place, it can cause some anxiety. So we were also very hesitant about such a big change.

She had some expected anxiety her first night, but took to it very quickly and did a great job! She loves her bed and the freedom she has to get up and get books or play during her quiet time if she isn't sleepy. She still struggles at times for bedtime, but she is definitely making progress.

It has been about a month since the transition and she is doing great. In fact, as I write this, Bonnie and Riser are upstairs sleeping in the same room for the first time. Slowly but surely this girl is becoming more flexible with her sleep and we are so proud of her!