It's taken me a while to get this written and posted, but it's finally done! Here are the highlights:
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| Miss G being a good little girl on the flight back home |
The flight:
On the way there my worst nightmare was realized. Little Miss G did not nap her usual two hours and she was throwing tantrums. Let me remind you that she is still a "lap child" so her wailing and flailing around on my lap
with our meal on the tray is not a good situation. My little girl even slapped me! Ugh, well, at least the flight eventually had to end.
On our way back to Massachusetts she totally made up for the horrible flight over. She slept most of the way! Hallelujah! I think what helped was that we had our own row of three seats to ourselves. Nice :)
The trip:
Our wonderful trip consisted of shopping, family, Hurricane Hermine, Gladys Porter Zoo, friends, portraits, South Padre Island and eating to sum it up in a nutshell!
I was still on a bit of a shopping obsession on my visit since I had recently been given some money from my mom and husband. My only find was a pair of flat, gray boots for the fall, but I know that when the weather gets cold they will be one of my staples in my wardrobe--especially since I also have two new pair of "jeggings" :)
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| Grandma and little G playing Chalupa |
As for family, I was able to see just about everyone and it usually consisted of food and eventually a game of Chalupa. My cousin had a party for her son which had some potato salad that tasted a lot like my mom used to make (yum!) and my aunt threw a party for my cousin which had good tortilla chips (from a tortilleria), fajita tacos and ranch style beans (which they don't sell in Mass and I miss sometimes). Before we flew back, my mom invited the family over to say good-bye and she made a really good carrot cake.
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| Loving putting sand her new buckets |
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| She warmed up to the water and then didn't want to leave! |
It was a little ironic because when we were flying to Texas, there was a threat of a hurricane hitting Boston and we ended up right in the path of another one named Hermine. It ruined or plans for the island early in the week, but the rain cleared up pretty quickly and we ended up going on the weekend. It was Miss G's second time at South Padre Island and she really had fun. Her Pawpaw bought her some beach toys and she liked playing in the sand with those. She also enjoyed the water more this time around. Now she understands what a beach is and talks about it so I know she would like to go again.
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| In the petting zoo |
My little girl is at an age where she enjoys going to places like a zoo so I was excited to take her to the one I grew up going to, the Gladys Porter Zoo. Living in Massachusetts and seeing the zoos they have, I now really appreciate this zoo. I didn't realize how large it is compared to the ones I've been to in the Boston area. Miss G, her Grandma and I enjoyed it, but boy was it hot that day! After 2 1/2 hours we still needed to see the bears, but we left because of the heat and we were tired, too!
I was happy to be able to meet up with some old high school friends at a new restaurant and catch up. It was the only evening that I left my little girl with her Grandma, but she did well as I knew she would. She got attached to her very quickly on this trip. Living so far away, unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of being able to leave Miss G with any family and go out and have fun so I definitely appreciate when I can.
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| Playing at the portrait studio |
Also, Grandma got her wish and had Miss G take some portraits. When my husband and I have taken her to get portraits she usually was too scared to sit and smile so I didn't have any expectations with this session. The photographer must have not been around a child as young as her in a while because she thought Miss G would just sit still and pose for her. I do appreciate her ambition, though. We got some ok shots and it was great practice for my daughter.
Lastly, was the drop-off at the airport. I don't know why, but when my mother was walking away after saying good-bye to me and her granddaughter I just lost it. I started crying uncontrollably for a while. It wasn't an "ugly cry" as Oprah calls it, but I was a little embarrassed that I could not fight back the tears as the guy at the airport was checking my ticket and ID. The other guy next to him actually asked me if I was alright. I must have looked a little pathetic. I didn't realize how sad I'd be to leave. I guess seeing how little G bonded to her Grandma so fast and them not being to be able to see each other as much as if we were living in Houston is what made me cry.
