More Fun with Grandma and Grandpa

We went up to Hanging Rock State park while Grandma and Grandpa were here. The kids were so much better this time - not nearly as much whining. I think the lollipops helped :)- lesson learned from the Biltmore trip. The waterfalls were just as beautiful as last time we went, but this time, the rhododendrons were in bloom. It felt like walking through a wild garden. The weather was beautiful - actually very cool for this time of year (53 F). 

And then there were 8.....

stalks of corn left in the garden. Initially I had 10. What happened to the other two that had been growing nicely in my little patch of a garden? The first one left us a couple of weeks ago. The corn was only about 2 inches high and one stalk (the little one on the end) was severed right above the ground. Ian was my first suspect because he had been wielding a small blue shovel earlier that day. But then this morning, another little corn plant on the end was completely severed and the top of it was gone! So, whom ever severed the plant, took the evidence. I've seen a little rabbit and a ground squirrel in our back yard.  They are my suspects at this point. I'm afraid I'm going to have to put up a little fence around the garden - or at least put something around the next littlest corn plant for protection.

Grandma and Grandpa's visit

The Saturday that my parents were here, we visited the Triad Farmers' Market. The market is very large and I think farmers come from all around the state to sell their produce and plants. The strawberries are in season now, so we had to get some of them - along with some fresh bread, goat cheese, greenhouse tomatoes, flowers (for me, Payton insisted), and some sugar snap peas. Yummy! We had a very nice lunch that day with all the stuff we bought from the market. I think Mom and Dad were impressed with the size of it. There aren't farmers' markets like this in TX.

Later that day, the kids (and Grandma and Grandpa) had fun playing in the water. 

We had a visit from the local fire department. They were testing the fire hydrants. We got a close-up view of the fire truck and the gush of water from the hydrants. The fireman flashed the lights and honked the horn for the kids. Ian was pretty worried about it while it was all happening, but was very excited and animated as he was telling Daddy about it later that night. 'Daddy, fire truck, here!'

The Biltmore

Off to the Biltmore Estate we went after the eventful morning at the dentist's office. The Biltmore Estate House is amazing. It reminded me of a rich country home out of a Jane Austin novel. It has 250 rooms, 43 bathrooms, 4 floors, and a basement equipped with a bowling alley and indoor poor. There are formal gardens, an Italian garden, an azalea garden, and lots of trails to meander on. The estate also has a farm and a winery on the grounds. You can stay at an Inn somewhere on the 8000 acre estate or go for carriage rides or horse rides. The place is absolutely beautiful.

If you go after 2 pm, your tickets are good for the whole next day. So, my strategy with the two kids was to get there after 2 and see as much as we could before supper and then see the rest on the morning of the next day. The kids enjoyed the farm and most of the gardens. The first day we strolled through the azalea garden down to a bass pond. Payton was not too thrilled with the walk - I think she was hungry. We walked through some of the formal gardens before the kids had enough. So, after a snack in the car during the meandering 3 miles to the farm, the children were much happier. The farm had some horses, goats, and chickens. Ian seemed particularly interested in the chickens. I think he wanted to chase and catch them, but I wouldn't let him. The kids also really enjoyed the Italian garden that had the lily ponds and goldfish/koi in them.

We were going to try to make it to the winery that first night, but we ran out of time. We headed off to the hotel. Ian had to help with the luggage :)

The next day, we attempted the tour through the Biltmore House. The kids weren't nearly as impressed as the adults were.  They wanted to get in and out of there as fast as their little legs could go up and down its 4 floors. They did well considering we had to pause in hallways and in bedrooms, waiting for people with earphones or classes of students getting a tour to move out of the way. We bought a book about all the rooms, so that we could read about what we saw in the house. 

After the house tour, we ate some yummy lunch next to the old carriage house and then toured the rest of the gardens. This time the kids each had a lollipop. They were a lot happier on this trek through the gardens...hmmmm.

First Dentist Visit

Grandma and Grandpa flew into RDU Tuesday evening. The kids and I went to pick them up. They were SO excited to see them. Each child gave them an extra-long hug and Payton talked to them almost the whole way home. It wasn't that Ian didn't try to get a word in; Payton just wouldn't let him. There was just so much to talk about - the surgery, the weather, school, toys, etc.

Since I have the grandparents here, I am taking advantage of their help. Payton and Ian had their first dentist appointments. The pediatric dentist office was very kid-friendly waiting room equipped with a playhouse and lots of toys. The examination room was open with four tables pointing towards the four corners. You could see everyone and everyone could see you and your exam. I guess this helped..... Payton went first. She had to have X-rays. She didn't care for the X-rays too much. She has a very small mouth for her age and they had a hard time getting the lower back teeth pictured. She did great during her exam. Ian took a little more coaxing. I didn't think he was going to get on the exam table, but receiving a green bouncy ball helped tremendously.

Ian got a clean bill of healthy teeth. Unfortunately, Payton has three cavities that we have to get filled on two separate occasions :( The dentist said they were in odd places. I don't know if her getting them had anything to do with her inability to swallow very well with her stuffy nose and large tonsils prior to surgery, but it could be a possibility. Anyway, Payton gets to go back next Tuesday. Grandma was there to help with the whole dentist experience which was a relief. Doctor and dentist visits are stressful for everyone involved.

After lunch and play at Chic-Fil-A (hey, that rhymes), we set off for Asheville, NC to visit the Biltmore Estate.

Payton's post-surgery voice

I made a video of Payton singing Jesus Loves Me before and after her tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy/ear tube surgery. We were told that her voice would probably change. Right after the surgery there was a huge difference (she sounded like Minnie Mouse), but I waited 2 weeks till most of the inflamation was gone. The teachers at Payton's school both noticed the difference right away. Our friend, Jill couldn't stop chuckling at how different she sounded.

Tim and Fanny's visit

We had a very nice visit with Tim and Fanny. The time seemed to fly by. We had to dodge some rain and thunderstorms, but we managed to go see some of the beautiful places around the area.

We went to Hanging Rock State Park which had a couple of easy trails that end at waterfalls. We had a picnic lunch by a lake before it started raining on us. The kids were a little fussy on and off, but overall the beauty of the park made up for it. When we started to get close to the waterfalls Ian got a little scared - I think because of how loud the rushing water was. Payton loved it all. I really had to watch them because the kids wanted to jump around on the rocks and they were all pretty slippery.

We visited Scott at the hospital for lunch one day and the Greensboro Children's Museum another day.

And what trip to Winston-Salem would be complete without a trip to Pilot Mountain. A couple of squirrels wanted in on our lunch. Then the caterpillars decided that shear numbers would be able to take us.  Don't worry, we made it out of there OK.