Oh be still my heart! I posted this picture on Friday night while lounging on the couch with my bestie Julie! Friday was the first day that we finally got to meet baby Alexandria since she was born 3 months ago.
Chloe and I woke up early Friday morning to be able to hit the road by 8:30am to start our journey. I knew that it would take quite a bit longer and I actually have a post planned talking about road trips with a toddler! We pit stopped at Bucee’s and again at a McDonald’s, but finally made it to Julie and Chris’ house just before 2:30. So a 4 1/2 hour trip took us 6 hours. Not terrible considering we were at McDonald’s for at least 30 minutes while Chloe ran around and played!
Friday we enjoyed time outside before the cold weather rolled in. Chloe loved playing on their swing set, and was pretty much stuck on repeat going up the ladder and down the slide. We went to get some delicious BBQ for dinner and closed out the night with bathtime for both girls! Chloe loved getting to take a bath with the baby!
Saturday morning started with LOTS of snuggles and movie time in the media room. Julie’s husband is an ER doctor and was working nights, so we were trying to keep the kiddos kind of quiet and in their own space.
We had breakfast, watched Sing and Chloe finally got to hold Baby Alex or “the baby” as she calls her. She asked multiple times on Friday, but Chloe was filthy from eating in the car and playing on the swing set. Let’s just say that Chloe used her bootie to dust the slides! She was so excited and proud to be holding her that I couldn’t help but take all the pictures. Alex has a sweet little champ and didn’t fuss one little bit while Chloe was holding her. It’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship!
Once we got ready, we decided to head out of the house and go on an adventure. We went to the Dallas World Aquarium! This place was so neat and the perfect activity on a cold, windy day. We had been hoping to go to the zoo, but the aquarium wasn’t just fish but tons of animals!
Birds and alligators and monkeys oh my! After seeing this toucan eating a blueberry, Chloe was convinced that all the animals wanted to eat blueberries.
The aquarium is downtown and multiple levels so we started at the top since we have strollers. Then we were able to cruise on down to the bottom only needing an elevator to get down to the basement. Tip: if you’re planning to visit and have a toddler that will want to get out of the stroller a lot, you may want to forgo the stroller. There isn’t a ton of walking like there is at a zoo!
The crocodiles were HUGE! Chloe decided they were super neat but very scary. We even got to see this guy in the sand moving around. Chloe wanted to stay and watch every animal for as long as possible. Unfortunately it was pretty crowded, so we had to keep moving to let other people in to see what was going on.
It’s not the best picture, but this anaconda was massive. It literally gave me the heebie geebies as it slithered around. There was quite the line of people to see him and it was worth it. Chloe was freaked out, but she couldn’t look away.
Next up, stingrays!!! I have a special love for stingrays since JP and I went swimming with them on a cruise many moons ago. These spotted guys were busy swimming and lots of kids were gathered around watching them and trying to stick their hands in the water. Chloe is still too small to cause that kind of mischief!
In the center of the aquarium is an amazing waterfall habitat with monkeys, birds, fish and even a manatee! You can see the centerscape from all of the different levels of the aquarium. Naturally we had to get some pictures of us and the girls.
Next we took an elevator to the lower level to check out the manatee! A space opened up right by the glass when we got down there. We were close to the end so I didn’t think the manatee would come right in front of us, but I was so wrong!
He decided that he needed a snack and there was some right in front of us. Chloe was amazed and giggled the whole time.
I mean he was up close and personal for snack time!
Then we went to see fish from all over the world. Chloe was interested in one tank. Of course it was the tank with Dory and Nemo. She was so excited to see them together! Nemo was hanging out in his sea anemone while Dory was swimming in circles.
Sunday morning we hung out in the media room again. We watched Secret Life of Pets and snuggled those baby girls. Chloe got to hold Alex again and I got to have her fall asleep in my arms. A happy Auntie Amy indeed! Around 10:45am Chloe started losing her mind. I think 2 days with no naps and early morning wake ups sent my girl into a tizzy. I decided it was best to just load up and take off so Julie could have a relaxing Sunday.
Since we were planning on a few stops on the way home, we decided to stop in Waxahachie to visit Kristin!!! It was 1hr 15 minutes from Julie’s house which is the perfect distance. We spent a little over 2 hours there which was so perfect. Chloe was able to watch Mickey and play with all the fun toys at Auntie Kristin’s house while we got to talk and catch up. It was a wayyyyyy better pit stop than McDonalds! Next time I see Kristin, it needs to be longer for sure!
We had a wonderful weekend away, but of course we missed JP! I think he had a great weekend at home alone. He had the chance to relax and do nothing since he’s been traveling so much lately. He also got lots of brownie points because I came home to a beautiful, clean house!
Now it’s time to start looking forward to my NEXT trip…Disney! ONE MORE WEEK!
Where do y’all road trip to?
Do you like to get out and do things when visiting friends? Or just hang out and catch up?
