Our Trip to Charlotte

We loaded up and headed to Charlotte Friday mid-morning. As a sursie, Carter got a new Doc McStuffins book for the trip. She was so excited to look at the pictures and read her new book. Mommy had to read the book aloud while daddy drove and Carter listened contently. 

Of course we didn't leave as early as we had planned but we were able to stop at a Jason's Deli for lunch. Carter ate her cheese sandwich and fruit but she was so excited for her ice cream cone after lunch!  We told Carter we were going to play so when we got to Discovery Place Kids she couldn't wait to get inside. As soon as we made it in the door, mommy tried to get a picture but as you can see she was pointing to "go play."

She wore an apron and played at the water table. At first she was a little apprehensive about the water splashing and what to do but she soon caught on and we ended up visiting this area more than once during our day. 

 One thing we all enjoyed about DPK was that it was meant for little kids. Carter was a good age and was able to enjoy all but one area. Since she has never played in a play/climbing area (like at a fast food resturant) she didn't even pay much attention to the multi-level play place. This was good news for daddy because mommy had already decided that it was not meant for pregnant people.

We visited most areas atleast two, if not three or four times. Carter kept coming back to the playhouse area and each time she would find a new toy to play with or area to explore.

 Seemed like we visited the fire station more than just a couple times. She always wanted either mommy or daddy to sit with her in the front of the truck but as soon as she had her fill, she was more than willing to climb in the back of the truck my herself...see the hiney and legs crawling up into the truck? She was so proud of herself for making it up there by herself.

 At the fire station there was also a 911 operator booth with a phone. Carter quickly made herself at home and called everyone she knew. Afterwards, we stopped by the ambulance. Carter climbed up on the stretcher to lay down but that didn't last long, she was up and checking out the first aid stuff.

 Next we were off to the grocery store. Carter knew what to do, put things in her cart and then head straight to the register. She loves ice cream, but she really liked opening the freezer door and choosing a couple cartons.

 She even wanted to play in the floral department of the grocery store. She put together a pretty vase of flowers.

 At 11:30 we headed to center stage for story time. Usually Carter is engaged by reading books but not today, it was all she could do to sit still for about two minutes and look around the museum. At that point, we scratched story time and went back to playing. There was just too much else to do!

 From there we ended up on a submarine. It was a darker, blue tinted room with a ship and other at sea themed stations. Carter even wanted to ride the dolphin.

 The music and art area was fun too. Carter banged on some pots and pans, played the drums, tore playdough into tiny pieces and even colored a turkey for Thanksgiving.

 By the time we reached the vets office, mommy and daddy were getting tired but not Carter, she was still going full speed ahead. From there we went upstairs and drove the airplane. Carter enjoyed being able to look through the glass and see the first floor down below...just like she was up high in the sky! There was also an area to build and race your cars on a ramp.

Hands down, Carter's most favorite area was the cafe...it really should have been named "Carter's Kitchen." She absolutely loved this area. We played for a few minutes before the staff came in to clean it. Carter cried crocodile tears as we had to take the toys from her hands and carry her out of the area. They assured us that it wouldn't be long and she would be allowed back in.

 While we waited, we checked out the hen house, walked the balance beam, picked some apples from the apple tree, and visited the center stage.

 Carter also drove the boat, practiced her mechanic skills, helped daddy change a tire, and check out a race car (that she was uninterested in).

A little apprehensive about sitting in the center of the train table at first but just a minute later she had a big smile on her face when she found the "two bus."

 Someone was getting excited to go back to the re-opened and now organized cafe!

 And back in her element! She cooked pizza in the microwave, the oven, and the brick oven; then pretended to eat it at the table.

It was not easy getting Carter to leave but we knew that she was exhausted and we hoped to make it to the hotel before she fell asleep. We watched "dogs" (101 Dalmatians), sang songs and talked about all the things she played with just to keep her awake on the 20 minute car ride. This is what one tired little girl looks like:

 After looking at the forecast for Sunday and taking account as to how well Carterbug slept in the hotel we decided to cut our trip one night short and checked out a day early. Carter didn't care, she was so excited to go "shop!" We must have heard the word "shop" a million times that morning from the time she woke up, ate breakfast, got dressed and packed up. Mommy and Carter took a quick picture together as we were getting dressed and daddy was packing up.

Carter and Lamby were ready to ride the elevator and head to the car!

 After checking out all the "big airplanes" in the sky, "Hollywood" was ready to get buckled up and go!

We shopped at the outlets, South Park Mall, and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Carter loved their pecan and pumpkin pie cheesecake along with dipping her finger into the whipped cream! Carter slept most of the car ride home and when she woke up, she told us she wanted to go "more shop" but the only place we were headed was to our own beds at home. It was a late night but we all had a good time on what was probably our last trip as a family of three!