Dashel recently turned 3, (holy cow! How is my baby 3?!) and we were lucky enough to be surrounded by many friends and family- who, of course- showered him with toys and gifts. We ended up opening presents the next morning in our living room after the hub-bub of the party and birthday festivities died down. This was so fun because Dash got to relive the fun of his party the next day- which also takes the post birthday sting out of the day after a bit! As he opened- we snapped pictures of each gift (and also kept notes about who gave what). I one hour photo-ed that goodness and jotted my thank you notes right on the back of each pic. Easy peasy- and so cute that each friend/family member gets to see the excited look on Dash’s face when he received their gift! Such a fun, easy way to send a thank you!
So we actually did it ,and have lived to tell the tale! We flew with 2 littles from Boston to Savannah, and actually, it wasn’t that bad!!
I attribute most of the success to snacks, pacifiers, bottles/pouches, naps, and felt books that included little pieces to play with! Here are some photos from our travels!
Dash tagging our bags! The dreaded weigh in, yes, it was more than 50lbs… š Checking the instruments, getting ready for take off š Dash’s first view of a plane (plus a funny photo bomb of a guy that was struggling with something…)
Enjoying the flight ā¤ļø
Definitely the sign of a successful day! We drove up to my in laws house today to spend the night so they can drive us to the airport in the morning. This plan works out so perfectly for us because we are leaving our dog here- which means no boarding, yay!- and we don’t have to worry about long term parking, etc. and are hoping to do curbside check in with our bags… if you’ve been following the blog for the last few days, you know I’m a tad nervous about flying with two littles and I’m hoping this process goes as smoothly as possible! (I will keep you updated on how it goes and share my own tips soon!)
We had about a 3 hour car ride driving up here, which went mainly well- kiddos were in pretty good spirits for the majority of the ride, and then we were able to celebrate with all of Steve’s family- aunts, uncles, and cousins, that couldn’t make it to Sailor’s bday party the other day. We had a great little pizza party, and Sailor got sung to again- she was in all her glory š!
This picture was snapped on the way up to bed after Dash stayed up waaaay past his bedtime… Of course when you’re staying with grandparents, the kids get a little spoiled- which is great! At Steve’s parents house, it’s lovingly called “anything you want day” – which sounds pretty awesome…
We leave in the am for the airport! (As Dash would say, to go up in the sky!) I’ll keep you posted on our (mis)adventures ā¤ļø
Are you going away on vacation this summer? We leave for South Carolina in a week and I’m equal parts excited and overwhelmed! The idea of packing for a family of four- yes, I will probably micromanage my husband’s luggage as well, and flying with 2 little ones- ages one and two, is definitely a little bananas. (Especially since we also have Sailor’s first birthday party on Saturday and I have a to- do list a mile long before leave.. eeek)
We will be heading down to Hilton Head for two weeks with my parents- which will definitely be a huge help, AND Steve and I are going to escape to Charleston, SC for a night to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary! This is where we just booked our night away! (I’m dying!)
The Mills HouseSo, I’ve basically been reading all about tips to travel with kids, since we’ve never flown with them before. And also reading up on all the best of Charleston. (I grew up vacationing in Hilton Head, so I’m pretty prepped for that area already, and besides, we’re all just really excited about the pool and straight chillin..)
Here’s a round-up of some of the tips I’ve been scouting:
Our kiddos just finished their (first for Sailor and second for Dashel) year of daycare. I can’t believe how fast their (school) year went… and I can’t help but be so grateful for the daycare they attend. As a working mom, it’s hard to leave your kiddos for the day- there’s a lot of missing them, and sometimes, early on, some guilt, about not being able to stay home with them. But honestly, I couldn’t love their daycare more. The teachers and staff are thoughtful, sweet, and engaging. Everything is always safe and clean, and my kids are learning so much, including sharing, manners, their letters/colors/numbers, even Spanish! It’s a long road of school ahead of them, and I’m glad that this is the start of their student careers….
With the end of the school year here, and summer swinging in, I got to thinking a lot about graduations, moving on and growing up. (My kiddos will be in new rooms with new teachers when they come back in the fall!) Although their high school graduation seems like eons away (…and the thought of it seriously starts to bring tears to my eyes…) I started a graduation gift for each of them to give them on the day they finish their high school careers. (Hold on to your hats, this is a gift in the making, that takes quite a while…) I purchased two books, a different one for each of them, and had their teacher’s write personalized notes (with the dates) in each book. I plan on getting every teacher to write a note to them for each of their school years; they will be able to go back and see what their teacher’s thought of them from the time they were 6 months old to the time they were 18. (I’ve already read some of the notes and they are so sweet!!)
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Of course “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Suess is a timeless classic that many people give as graduation gifts, but if you want to branch out, here are the two I chose. (They have the sweetest stories/messages). Do you have a long term gift for your child?
So, we have officially reached the stage of toddlerdom where Dash will sometimes get so upset about something that he’s in tears and cannot catch his breath, and therefore cannot articulate what’s wrong- although I’m fully aware that there may not be anything wrong except for the fact that he’s 2 and the world is a tough place… I started using this little phrase to help him calm down and catch his breath…
Smell the flowers & blow out the birthday candles.Ā
I say this little phrase to him and then demonstrate a nice deep breath through my nose (smelling the flowers) and a nice deep exhale through my mouth (blowing out the birthday candles.) I only have to do it a few times while rubbing his back before I start to hear his breath slow and the tears start to subside. I love this little trick! It really helps to get your child focused and relaxed and gives them a moment to regroup. I can’t remember where I first heard this little trick, but apparently it’s totally a thing because I googled it and found this.Ā Have you used this trick before? What tips do you have about calming your little one down when they are seemingly inconsolable? I’d love to hear- every little trick to add to our toolboxes helps!
