We made it!

We left my in-laws' at 3AM and we're in Fayettville, NC by 7:30AM. The kids were awake by then and we all needed to use the potty AND eat. We made a pit-stop at McDonalds. I swear, I am DONE with McDs after this road-trip! Breakfast of champions. Augh. The iced mochas tasted just like chocolate milk. LOL.

Lunch and dinner was much of the same: fastfood nastiness. :p We decided to make the entire trip in one day and got home at 7:30PM CST. Total number of hours driving: 17. ACK! We got home, bathed the kids and put them right to bed. BD & I showered and were in bed by 8:30.

I had 11 hours of sleep last night! I was OUT...dead to the world. I woke up at 7:30 this morning and saw that we needed groceries. First on the agenda though: coffee! We made an emergency stop at Starbucks for a much-needed pumpkin spice latte.

We then hit Publix and got some necessities for the week: milk, almond milk, fruit, salad, bread, etc. I plan on getting back on track with the exercise and diet. I cringed when I saw pictures of myself from this vacation...its just so frustrating. Augh. But that's a whole 'nother post. :)

Last day in VB.

Our vacation went by so quickly! Before we knew it, our last day had arrived. It was so good being home...even Noah kept telling us over and over again that he wanted to live in VB forever. He definitely loved being around his grandparents. :)

Our last morning was spent lounging around...the kids played and danced while BD & I relaxed on the couch... After Caleb's nap, we headed over to Sam's Club, then Trader Joe's to stock up on some wine and Puffins...here's a pic of my little terror looking innocent at Sam's...

After our mid-day outting, we came home and my MIL was preparing a feast for our last dinner in VB. She invited some friends and my brother (who is their adopted son)...the lady can cook. :) I took some pictures of the food during preparation, but was so overwhelmed when it came time to eat, I forgot to take a pic of my plate! :p

Scalloped potatoes...
Baked macaroni and cheese...

The beef tenderloin...
Green beans...
The wine of choice was this sweet red from Trader Joe's...I love this stuff so much, I went back and got 4 more bottles, plus a bottle of Prosecco. :)Our last day went by so quickly, before we knew it, it was time to bathe the babies and put them to bed. Mike and I did some last minute packing (most of it was done the day before) and were in bed by 8PM...we had a 1:30AM wake up call, and a 3AM estimated time of departure...

Adieu, VB...we'll be back soon!

Red Robin fun...

Oh how I love being on vacation. Oh how I love sleeping in and waking up to the kids having been fed...sadly, all good things must come to an end, as is my vacation in approximately one day. :( We had a great Thursday though, and Friday, I am sure more fun and relaxation is in store.

I started my day with my MIL's yummo coffee: chicory with a tsp. of ground cinnamon. Delish! Paired with my French vanilla coffee creamer, it is da bomb! Grandma & Grandpa took Noah out for a little one-on-one time while BD & I stayed home so that Caleb could nap. After Caleb woke up from his nap the 3 of us met up with Noah, Gma, & Gpa for some lunch. Restaurant of choice: Red Robin.
We love that its super kid-friendly...this is actually one of the few restaurants where we don't feel like our kids need to be super quiet the entire time. Caleb loved his balloon and crayons. :)

Noah loved the crayons and coloring page as well...I love that these little distractors can keep them both busy...for awhile at least. :)
Caleb & Gpa waiting for the food...now you all know who K-Bob looks like. ;) Twins, right?!
This is Noah's new picture face...too cool for school. LOL.

I was so in the mood for a burger for lunch today! Red Robin has a pretty big burger selection...
I chose the sauteed mushroom burger...OMG what a meal. I think this meal has pushed me over the edge. I have felt like a big tub o' lard all day since. :P
We snuck away again for another kona mocha frappe from Melt...this vacay has been 2 weeks worth of gluttony, seriously. :P I'm not ready to get back to FL, but I am ready to get back to a normal eating and exercise regime...I'm feeling a little fluffy. :p

A Day Out with Gma & Gpa.

Grandma and Grandpa took Noah out to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center for some good ol' educational fun. :) I let them bring my little purse camera so they could capture those precious Kodak moments. Noah had a great time and loved his one-on-one time with Gma & Gpa!

Hodge Podge Wednesday.

Wednesday started out weird because 1) Caleb slept in until 7:40 and 2) I slept in until 8! Hello, that never happens! Another weird thing was that Noah woke up before 5AM, super excited for a walk with his grandparents, then asked to take a nap at 9:30! Caleb went down for his normal nap at 10:30, and we were all out the door for another day in VB around noon.

First on the agenda: lunch! Another weird thing about today: we actually ate at Burger King! Its been years since we've eaten there, and I am totally suffering from our meal still; 8 hours later. :p The kids seemed to enjoy it...

After our 5000 calorie lunch, we headed to the NEX because MIL needed to get a security sensor removed from a shirt she purchased last week. While there, BD decided to feed his North Face addiction by trying on some jackets. Mind you, he has 2 fleeces and he just bought a NF jacket last week. :p
A pic of the boys with Grandpa...

After the NEX, we drove down the street to the Red Mill Commons for some (window) shopping.
Noah waiting for Grandma outside while she pays for stuff...

BD & Caleb waiting outside for Grandma, watching and listening to the jets fly...sounds like freedom. :)
After shopping, BD & I snuck away so I could take him to Melt...
OMG we are going to miss this place when we go back to FL! The kona mocha frappe is to die for. Period. BD & I will be getting another tomorrow...heehee! :)

Dinner was fried wontons...these things are sooooo bad for you, but so good!
I also had some fried rice and a part of a pork chop...all so good. I had to make BD take the plate of wontons away before I ate them all.
As I am nearing the end of vacay, I am feeling the dreaded consequences of all my eating. :P I keep telling myself I am going to hit the gym hard when I get home! :p

You'd think we were Mexican.

The Phillips fam loves them some Mexican food. Seriously, we have it 2-3x a week some weeks! BD and I decided to take the in-laws out to lunch at our favorite Mexican jaunt: Guadalajara. BD & I have been going there since 2001 and the staff is like family. :) Here is one happy boy knowing he'll be getting some chips, salsa and guacamole...

Here's the face of another happy boy knowing he'll be getting some good eating too. :)

Guadalajara has my all-time favorite guacamole...I craved this stuff when I was pregnant with Noah and now Noah loves it!
Salsa and Guadalajara's famous "white sauce..." I haven't been able to get this anywhere but in VB!
My entree is one of my all-time favorites: chicken taco salad, no beans. :)
We spent the rest of the afternoon doing what I do best: shopping! :) Of course, we were smart and didn't buy anything...it was nice just looking around. :) Oh, we did have to buy diapers though...man, priorities, I tell you! :)