Jacksonville Zoo

On Thursday, June 13, my mama, sister, NK and I packed up and went for a day trip to Jacksonville.  I had two things on my to do list for Norah Kate this summer: a trip to the zoo and a trip to the beach.  We wanted to do everything before it got too hot, well, we almost waited to long.

We left at about 9:00 for Jacksonville.  When we got there it was right around lunch time so we decided to go eat first.  We ate at the Cheesecake Factory, and it may seem common sense but the best part of their menu was their cheesecake.  Some of you may say, "well duh!"  But honestly, I have heard everyone rave about it so much that I thought their food would be good too, but it wasn't that great to me, and I am not a picky eater.  Norah Kate was WILD in the restaurant and was wanting to "saush" (salt) everything- which is weird because I rarely salt food at home.  She is getting a little more difficult in restaurants because she hates being confined... I learned to not even ask for a high chair and get a booth instead, and ask if they can bring her food our first.  One thing we did learn though is that she likes raw tuna.  She tore up my sister's tuna!



Anyways, after lunch Mama needed to get something from Pottery Barn so we walked what seemed like 3 miles in the blaring heat to the Pottery Barn.  My sister pulled up the weather to see what the high temp was going to be it I think it was something like 96 degrees with 10% chance of rain.  Not a cloud in the sky.

We got to the zoo around 2 and Norah Kate kept saying "It's hot."  I was like, "Yeah baby, I know."  I put her in my stroller, pulled mine and her hair up, and away we went.

You can tell it was hot and humid because we all had a little "shine" to our face.

 

The first place we went to was the lions den.  I don't think she could see them really well, it was so hot that were laying out in the shade on a rock.  Next we went to the giraffes.  She LOVED them!  That was her favorite part I think.  She would pat the rail and say "'Mere boy! C'mon!"  She would giggle and squeal.  While looking at the giraffes the bottom literally fell our of the sky, it started pouring!  At first I was disappointed but then it really cooled us off and ended up being a blessing.

 

We made our way around the zoo, and Norah Kate walked most of the way.  She couldn't really see what was going on when in the stroller.  I kept thinking she would get tired and want to be held, but no.  She liked the monkeys, the birds, and the otters.  She also liked the "Rogs" (frogs).  We never saw the elephants, so I was disappointed about that, but they were about to close up and I think had put them up for feeding.

 

 

 

After trekking 3 miles at the mall, then probably 3-5 miles at the zoo, we were tired, hot, and sticky, not to mention hungry.  I learned a long time ago to pack snacks, so I gave her a fruit cup and some water and she fell asleep I think before we even pulled out of the parking lot.

She had a blast and really did good!  She is an excellent car rider, and can tolerate her car seat for 3+ hours at a time.  I was one tired mama though when we got home!

Panama City Beach, FL

August 16-19th we went with Matt's family to Panama City Beach, FL. I must admit, I was pretty nervous about this excursion. After the Steinhatchee trip back in July, I was praying that Norah Kate wouldn't be so out of sorts. Also, it is about a 3 1/2 hour drive to PCB which is the longest amount of time Miss Priss has been in the car. I couldn't have asked for a better behaved baby though!

Our chauffeur!

We left at about 6pm Thursday evening. She took her a little hour nap while we were driving and woke up when we stopped for a bite to eat. We got her out of her carseat while we were eating, then I fed her while we were driving down the road. She just talked and played for about another hour. When she got fussy (about 9pm) I pumped her a bottle and gave her the bottle while she was still in her seat. She went right to sleep and slept until we got to the house we were staying at. I was so proud!

Friday morning we got up and went to the beach. There was a storm rolling in so we only stayed at the beach until about 2pm. We all came in and got us a nap, then we went out to eat at the Shrimp Boat Friday night. I highly recommend eating at the Shrimp Boat when you are at Panama City! It was SOOO good. It is a nice place to eat, kid friendly, around $20-$30 a meal, and has a spectacular view! Because it had rained, it was so nice and cool outside.

Kisses from Daddy

Sweet baby girl

 



I was craving ice cream after my meal and was bound and determined to find a creamery. We went to Pier Park and ate at the Marble Slab creamery. My ice cream was HUGE but very tasty. It has chocolate ice cream, Reese cups, and chocolate chunks all mixed up in it! Talk about a chocolate fix!

We didn't stay at Pier Park very long, because it was late and we were all pretty tired. It was neat though, it has a carnival/fair in the center of this outdoor shopping mall. Lots of good eating places and cute shops.

 

 

Saturday morning we were on the beach by about 10 or so and stayed out until about 2pm. It was a BEAUTIFUL day to be on the beach! I absolutely love the Gulf. The water is so clear. Norah Kate loves the ocean too. She would kick her feet and try to stick her face in the water. She wasn't afraid at all! I went to Walmart and bought the kids a little blow up swimming pool and we filled it with a few inches of water and set it up under the umbrella. It was a nice cool spot for them to play.

We came back to the pool and swam some more. We were all a little big water logged, but I think the big kids (us) had just as much fun in the pool as the little kids. My husband has a big family, and we always have a blast when we all get together.

 

I love my little family!

 

Saturday night we went to eat at Boatyard. It was another good place to eat. I swear, I think that was the BEST grouper I have ever put in my mouth!! It was along the same price line as the Shrimp Boat, and just as tasty! After that we went to find go carts for the kids (big and little alike :)) to ride. They had so much fun!

I wasn't joking when I said a big family!

 

I got to see one of my best friends too!!

 

Mother-in-law and her "girls"!

 

 

I guess I was a bad parent during this trip because we kept NK out waaayyy past her bedtime every night. She would usually go to sleep in the carseat, then I would just push her around in the stroller. She was out! But, hey, we don't go on vacation all the time. Of course, she would not sleep in her pack and play. She would start out there every night, then about 1 or 2 she would end up in bed with us. Oh well... At home she sleeps by herself just fine!

Norah Kate slept great on the way home. She woke up around Tallahassee, so we stopped and did a little window shopping in the mall. Then she slept the rest of the way! My idea of a perfect car ride!

 

I love, love, love my in-laws and we had a grand time!! I hope we make it a yearly thing! We are already planning a winter time trip. :)

Steinhatchee, FL

For the past several years my family has been vacationing in the BIG town of Steinhatchee, FL (pronounced : STEEN-Hatch-EE).  Actually, Steinhatchee barely makes the map.  This town consists of a Hungry Howie's, a Dollar General, gas station/grocery store, two seafood restaurants, a couple of marinas and a few hotels and condos.  It is a very small scale vacationing spot that mostly consists of locals.  We love the place though.  It has this sort of peace and quiet about it that you can't get anywhere else.  There are really only two reasons to go to Steinhatchee: fishing and scalloping.  My family usually does both.  Scallops are small, clam/oyster like things that you snorkle and dive for and get out the grass.  There is a small ball of meat inside the shell that is good fried or with pasta.

I absolutely, love, love, love to fish.  Scalloping is fun but I freak myself out a little bit while snorkeling in the water.  I am a scaredy cat when it comes to sharks, stingrays and jellyfish.  This year I didn't do either, though.  Both Mom and Matt offered to watch Norah Kate while I went, but I felt pretty guilty about leaving her. 

Almost every day a thunderstorm would roll in.  One day it rained all day long!

Needless to say, I got stir crazy.  Norah Kate was not her normal self either.  She was incredibly fussy, did not sleep through the night any during the whole week we were there and pretty much refused to sleep in her pack and play.  She slept with me every night, which meant this mama didn't sleep.  I would try to put her in her pack and play but she would wake up and cry everytime I laid her down. I could hardly put her down during the day without her falling to pieces.  To top it all off, I think we went through a growth spurt because she was nursing throughout the night too.  Bless her heart, she was all out of sorts.

Matt came down later in the week and gave me some relief.  On Saturday, he watched her for me so I could get some much needed R&R.  I laid out by the pool and read The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks.  Matt would put her in her stroller and roll her around outside.  She would go to sleep every time!  I wish I could have found out that trick earlier in the week!

We cooked and ate a lot while we were there. I got addicted to the TV show Criminal Minds and watched The Vow. I fell in love with pluots (a cross between a plum and an apricot), and relearned to play the card game Speed. I went running one afternoon in the misting rain (which was much cooler than running in the blazing sun!) and almost got bit by a dog.

Saturday afternoon, me, Matt, and Norah Kate went for a ride to check out the local scenery.  Norah Kate got the best nap while riding in the truck; she slept the whole ride.  We stopped for ice cream, which has seemed to start up our new ice cream habit because I have had ice cream every day since then.  Saturday night, Mama and Daddy watched Norah Kate so that Matt, my brother, his girlfriend and myself could go to dinner.

Overall, it was nice to have some good quality time with my family and just to be somewhere with different scenery.  I am looking foward to vacation in August with Matt's family!

Amelia Island

Last summer, Mama and I discovered Amelia Island, FL.  It is one of those little beaches where I would LOVE to retire.  They have the cutest downtown, good food, and pretty beaches.  It is more of a quiet beach than PCB or Daytona.  We went for the day last year but we went Monday and stayed for the night.

Monday the weather was perfect.  It was hot, but breezy, so it was tolerable.

Napping on the beach Monday afternoon

Norah Kate loved the beach and the tide pools.  The tide pools were perfect for her because I could sit in them and hold her up.  She could stand in the water and not have to worry about waves knocking into us.

We looked like we were going for a week the way we packed, but I learned that's how all trips are with a baby.  Umbrellas, beach chairs, pack and play, stroller, cooler, over night bags, towels, snacks....

She smiled like this to almost everyone that walked by her while we were downtown.  She already loves being the center of attention!

Tuesday was a different story.  It was crazy hot!  The beach was starting to get crowded too, and there was NO breeze!  I don't think I have ever been to the beach and there be no breeze.  Even under the umbrella was miserable hot.  The only way to be comfortable was to be submerged in the water.  It was way too hot for Norah Kate. She was pretty ill and we were constantly taking her down to the water to cool off.  We stayed out for about an hour and then packed up and headed home.  She was so wore out she slept the whole way home (over a 3 hour drive!).

Next year I will be chasing her down the beach! :)

 

 

Southern Summers

Let me just say that I LOVE summer! It is not my favorite season (the two weeks of fall we experience here in South Georgia is my favorite :)). Despite the gnats, mosquitoes, sweat and 100% humidity, I love getting out on the boat, going to Steinhatchee, FL, spending time at the beach, laying out by the pool and mowing my grass. My most favorite part about summer though is the fresh fruits and veggies!

These peaches came from South Carolina and were HUGE!

Bi Colored Corn, also from South Carolina

(My daddy went on a trip and his customers sent him home with fresh produce)

White acre peas from Little River Produce in Lake Park, GA

I have been a busy bee these past two weeks putting up vegetables in our freezer for the winter.  I have put up fresh cream corn, zipper peas, and white acres.  Needless to say, between the venison, breastmilk, baby food, and veggies... our freezer is pretty FULL!

Nannie teaching me to cream corn.  This is a messy job!  I had creamed corn in my hair, on my face and up to my elbows!  It will be yummy in the winter time though!

 

Normally, Matt plants a summer or fall crop of squash, but he didn't this year so I missed the chance to put up squash.  Hopefully he will plant some for fall.  I have begged Matt for several years now to plant me a garden and I would tend to it, but he hasn't.  Maybe next year!  Mama is supposed to teach me how to put up jams and perserves this summer too! I am so excited!  I love being raised in the South!!! 

All my hard work!

Pool Time!

On May 3, 2012 Norah Kate took her first dip in the pool at Granna and Papa's house!  She loved it!  I have a feeling we will have a little fish on our hands!