When we got our first camper, Tim and I talked about how we'd love to do some longer road trip type vacations and we really wanted to continue to do this even with Griff (though road trips with kids can be a bit harder!). We took one long road trip with our pop up, but hadn't taken a road trip type trip since we got our next new (to us) camper. We were so excited to take Griff on his first road trip in the camper this summer! We had initially been planning on going to New Orleans in the spring but it got cancelled due to COVID. Then, we were planning on taking a trip out to a couple major East Coast cities (DC, Baltimore, & Philly) but due to COVID knew this summer wouldn't be the best for that either. Instead, we decided to do a mixture of a mountain and beach trip!
Since we were driving quite a distance, we chose to split the drive up as much as we could and do as much driving as we could when Griff was sleeping (naps or at night). The first night we left around 4 pm and drove to Charleston, WV (which brought back a lot of ASP memories for me!). We didn't get there until 1 am so we stayed at a hotel that night. From there, we drove on to Shenandoah National Park and stayed at Loft Mountain Campground within the park. We spent the next 2 days exploring the National Park. While it was really pretty, we both agreed we still preferred the Smoky Mountains. However, we did enjoy hiking to a couple waterfalls (Dark Hollow Falls & Doyle River Falls) and seeing a couple other neat areas in the park (Big Meadow, Skyland Lodge, Masanutten Lodge, etc).
After leaving Shenandoah, we drove to Outer Banks and stayed at Oregon Inlet Campground. We didn't realize how big the Outer Banks area was! We had about 4 days in this area and packed our days with beach time as well as time exploring. The first day we spent most of the morning hanging out at the beach right off the campground. Griff LOVED the big waves - although we didn't love constantly chasing him out of them. 😅 We let Griff take a nap and spent the afternoon exploring the northern Outer Banks area - including Corolla, Currituck Beach Lighthouse and Whalehead. Everything indoor was closed down but we enjoyed walking around and exploring outside still. Our second day we drove down to Hatteras and took the ferry (a car ferry - so we drove on and took our car!) to Ocracoke to explore that island and see its wild ponies and lighthouse. On the way back we saw the Hatteras Lighthouse and stopped at a beach on the sound side and let Griff swim - there were no waves and the water was super warm so it was really relaxing. On the third day, we went back to the beach we'd found the day before and spent the morning there playing and relaxing in the water. Then, we spent the afternoon exploring one last lighthouse - the Bodie Island Lighthouse - and relaxing at the campground having dinner. On our last day (our travel day), we went for a quick last swim at the campground beach and then drove to Harpers Ferry, WV.
We were sad to find out most of the Harpers Ferry National Park was still closed due to COVID. However, we made the best of it and still saw what we could. We saw a couple of the battlefields and also drove down to the Lower Town area to walk around. In this area, we stayed at a KOA which had a lot of nice amenities so we also took advantage of a few of those when we could (while still socially distancing). Griff especially enjoyed playing on the bounce mat at the KOA! Tim and I both agreed we would like to come back to Harpers Ferry one day to see the rest of it.
Overall, it was a really good trip! Griff did really well in the car (although we did use our back up Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes and Frozen II as needed!) and we really loved getting away for a few days as a family. It was definitely different due to COVID - We didn't do anything indoor and really did our best to still socially distance and only go in gas stations or groceries when required and with a mask). However, it still included some wonderful memories and was a great little getaway and recharge.
Now, we're counting down the days and anxiously awaiting our next camping road trip! TBD as far as where we go depending on how this pandemic plays out. Here's to many more (socially distanced if necessary!) memories on our future trips!
Our sweet boy is officially a year and a half! It seems like just yesterday he was turning a year but he is growing - and changing - like a weed!
Some things Griff has experienced between 12-18 months:
-He took his first Disney trip and saw the beach for the first time (Cocoa Beach)
-He celebrated his second Christmas
-He Griff experienced quarantine with mom and dad due to COVID19
Some things Griff can do at 18 months:
-He can walk really well - he got the hang of it about 2 weeks after he turned 1 year. He can even run somewhat now!
-He climbs really well - so he is a lot more independent on a playground these days! He can walk up the steps mostly on his own, go down slides, etc.
-He has a few words - dada, mama, ball (ba), quack (wa-for duck), woof (woo woo-for dog)
-He can scribble more purposefully
-Stacks about 5-8 blocks
-Drinks from a straw
-Enjoys riding his "bike" (balance bike) around the block
-Throws a ball with better aim
-Uses a spoon and fork pretty well
Griff's favorite things are:
-Water - He would happily spend all day playing in his water table, the ocean, the lake, etc.
-His mama - He continues to be a bit of a mama's boy and his mama loves it
-Reading - He will happily spend 15-20 minutes sitting in our laps reading book after book
-Pluto and dog toys or stuffed animals
-Ali - He LOVES his fur sister
-Any kind of animal - he loves our neighborhood ducks especially
-Being outside - Griff would happily spend all day outside if we let him
Overall, Griff is understanding us a lot better (sometimes we're surprised at what he understands when we ask or tell him something!). He is a lot more purposeful and picks things up a lot faster these days after watching us and copying. It is just crazy to us how fast he is changing. He continues to be a very gentle, sweet spirit and we love watching that continue to grow as we watch him grow.
We continue to pray over his life, that God would guide him and grow him and watch over him. We are so grateful to be allowed to joy of watching him grow and look forward to seeing where life takes him.
Griffy got to celebrate his birthday in a big way...with his first trip to Disney!
We celebrated with family + friends the day before, then flew out for Disney the morning of Griff's actual birthday. Tim had to fly separate from Griff and I and actually left on a much earlier flight than us, so I got to get the birthday boy up. We celebrated with balloons in his crib and time playing with Ali and then we left to catch our flight too. Griff loved the hustle and bustle of the airport and was a champ on the plane. He had a snack before we boarded and then he played with his toys for about an hour before he took a nap for the rest of the flight. That night when we arrived in Orlando, we got settled in our room and grabbed groceries and tried to get to bed earlier since we wanted to get to the parks early the next day!
Griffy must've known he was at Disney and been as excited as we were...because he decided he didn't want to sleep and woke up more times than I can count that night (and the rest of the week) 😅
The first day we got up bright and early and started with...the Magic Kingdom! We took the ferry boat into Magic Kingdom then took our time walking down Main Street and letting Griff take in the sights and smells...and Castle! He loved people watching as we walked. We went right and went into Tomorrowland first...and hopped on the People Mover first thing (Griffy's first ride!). Tim and I love the People Mover and think it is so underrated. After People Mover we hopped around near Tomorrowland and Fantasyland riding a bunch of rides (since it was early there weren't long waits!), including Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World, Enchanted Storytime with Belle, and Haunted Mansion. Tim even let me sneak away to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We had packed our lunch so in between rides we also found a spot to sit and eat. Griffin loved the rides! He was enthralled the whole time - and even loved Haunted Mansion, which we weren't sure if he would be scared of. We also got to let Griff meet his first characters here - Winnie the Pooh and Tigger! We weren't sure if he would be afraid of them, but he wasn't at all! He got a big grin, walked right up to them and immediately went in for big hugs. We were so surprised since he hasn't really watched TV and only knows them from toys/books we have. After this we walked over to do the Hall of Presidents and walk around Liberty Square and saw the Festival of Fantasy Parade. I love seeing the parade along Main Street with a castle view, but knew Griff wouldn't love saving a spot for long and you often need to save a spot for quite a while to get a seat along Main Street...so being near Liberty Square is also a favorite for me (It's a pretty view and you rarely have to sit to save a spot super long!). Griff loved the parade as well - we got a front row spot and he stood and clapped or danced along most of the time. After seeing the parade, we went back up to Fantasyland to let him meet a few more characters - Donald Duck and Goofy. He loved them too! We also took him to ride Dumbo and The Little Mermaid. After this, we were near time to leave the park (they closed early this day due to a private ticketed party that evening. So, we took the monorail and went back to our car and drove over to the Polynesian to have dinner at Kona Cafe. After dinner, we took the monorail to some of the other resorts along the monorail route to see their Christmas Decor, including the Grand Floridian and Contemporary. Both of these had really impressive Gingerbread House displays (real life size!) that were so cool to see.
The next day we spent the day at Animal Kingdom! We arrived early hoping we could hop on the Safari before our Fast Pass for Navi River Journey, but the Safari actually wasn't running until a little later than usual because it was too cool for the animals and none were out yet. So, instead of doing that we meandered around the Tree of Life and walked over to let Griff meet Dug and Russell. Dug is actually Tim's favorite character so he was excited for Griff to meet him...and we were pretty certain Griff would love him since he's a dog and looks somewhat similar to Ali. After meeting them, we walked back over to Pandora to use our Fast Pass and walk around that land. Every time I visit this area, I am amazed at the work the Imagineers did...You literally feel like you are immersed in another world! After this we walked over to Africa and watched the Festival of the LionKing, rode the Safari, went to Rafiki's Planet Watch, and walked the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. After exploring Africa, we went over to the Asia area of the park to walk another animal exploration trail and see UP! A Great Bird Adventure. After seeing these, we ate and headed to get in line for the Rivers of Light. We had a fast pass but really probably could've seen it ok without one. We all really enjoyed the show though! It wasn't as good as Magic Kingdom's show (Happily Ever After) but we thought it was very good still! After this we walked over to DinoLand U.S.A. to cap off the night. Unfortunately, the Dino Dig area was closed (I think Griff would've loved this!) but he was able to meet some more characters which he really enjoyed - Daisy Duck and Chip n Dale. After meeting these characters, we enjoyed looking at all the lights and Christmas decor in this area and near the front of the park as we walked out for the end of the evening. This was the first year they really decorated Animal Kingdom and they did a stellar job! The characters at DinoLand were in costume (Chip n Dale were even reindeers!), the large Dino at the entrance was all lit up, and the front of the park had a large tree and gorgeous paper lantern type decor along with a light show on the tree of life.
On Wednesday, we went to Hollywood Studios! Tim and I were really excited to see both Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land. We got a coffee as soon as we got in (Griff really wasn't doing us any favors in the sleep department so Tim and I needed it)....and then the first thing we did was meet Mickey and Minnie! Griff loved both of them, but especially Minnie! He was obsessed with their noses - we had to remind him a couple times to be gentle. After that we spent most of the morning meandering through Toy Story and Star Wars land. Both were amazing - we couldn't believe what an amazing job the Imagineers had done in designing them. We spent our afternoon wandering around and watching shows mostly - Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, and the stormtroopers walking through the Main Street. We didn't ride as many rides at this park - mostly because there weren't as many Griff could do. However, we did ride a few - including one of the Toy Story rides - and Griff really enjoyed them. Once it started to get dark, we spent some time walking around and seeing the lights and Christmas decor - Tim liked this park's decor the best and I really liked it too...it was very old Hollywood or 1920's style. We were hoping to stay for the fireworks display but Griff was starting to get a bit fussy - mostly because he wanted to practice walking but it was hard to let him do this since the park was getting more crowded....so we decided to take the skylines for a ride instead to cap our night off. It was neat to see where all they went and get an idea of what resorts they stopped at - plus we got to see everything lit up at night from above!
On Thursday, we got to have a somewhat slower morning because we didn't have anything until 4 pm that evening as we just had tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party that evening. We decided to spend the morning resort hopping to see some of the Christmas decor at some of the resorts we hadn't seen yet. We started at the Ticketing and Transportation Center (where you park for Magic Kingdom) and took the monorail to the Contemporary Resort. From there you can take a boat to see Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness (the campground) so we took the boats and saw both of these! We also had a quick lunch at Wilderness Lodge. Tim and I both agreed after seeing the campground we'd love to stay there one day - hopefully our next visit! We then took the monorail back over to Magic Kingdom - you can get in at 4 pm if you have tickets to the party so we wanted to take advantage of that and get an early start. When we got in, we stopped along Main Street and got a silhouette done of Griffin at one of the booths. We then went and used a Fast Pass to ride Jungle Cruise! After that we spent some time wandering around Adventureland and Main Street - some highlights being watching Elsa light up the castle and watching Griffy happily chase the Disney ducks. 😅 Griff went down for a quick nap after this (we wanted him to take a late nap so he'd be able to stay up some of the later festivities that evening). While Griff napped, Tim and I wandered around the park getting some of the complimentary treats, rode the People Mover, and just generally took in the sights. It was a sold out party so it was very crowded and busy. Once Griff woke, we watched the Christmas Parade from back in Liberty Square. He was mesmerized the whole time - as were we! After the parade, we rode a few other rides, including the Magic Carpets and the Tea Cups, and watched a few smaller shows. We made it to around 11 pm before we all called it a night and capped off the night walking down Main Street watching the snow fall before exiting - a perfect way to cap the night!
On Friday, our last park day, we went to Epcot! We got lucky and last minute got an earlier (9:30 am) Fast Pass for Frozen Ever After so we started with this. Since the World Showcase wasn't open, we went back to some front areas of the park and rode some other rides - Nemo, Living with the Land, and Journey into Imagination with Figment. We also took Griff to meet Pluto, who he loved! After this, we spent the rest of the afternoon/early evening in the World Showcase. We explored the different countries, trying all sorts of holiday foods since Festival of the Holidays was going on! We also rode The Three Caballeros, watched a show in the America plaza, and listened to the Candlelight Processional from the America Plaza Fountain. Epcot is one of Tim's favorite parks because he loves exploring the World Showcase and it's one of my favorites as well! To end our night, we went to see a quick showcase on the changes that are coming to Epcot in the redesign (so exciting!) and rode Spaceship Earth.
On our last full day, we spent the day exploring Disney Springs and resort hopping to the last few resorts we hadn't seen. We walked around Disney Springs most the morning and then took a boat from Disney Springs to Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside and back. We then took a bus from Disney Springs to the Boardwalk Resort. From the Boardwalk, we walked to the Beach Club Resort and to Epcot's Skyliner access. We took the Skyliner down to the Art of Animation resort, seeing the Riviera and Caribbean resorts along the way. From Art of Animation, we took a bus back to Disney Springs. We loved seeing all of the resorts and their unique decor for the holidays!
On our last day, we decided to take Griff for a quick trip to see the beach for the first time before we had to catch our flight. We took Griff to Cocoa Beach. He LOVED the water - he literally spent the whole time trying to walk or crawl into the waves! It was fun to watch him...and a little anxiety provoking. We were sad to leave and were excited for when we'd get to bring him back to the beach!
Overall, it was a great trip. It was definitely more tiring than we expected - Disney with a toddler (who doesn't sleep well) is no joke! However, we loved seeing Griff's reaction to the rides, meeting characters, parades, etc. Griff overall did really well with the change in his schedule - he was able to go to sleep with a few minutes of rocking at the baby care centers and took naps in the carrier pretty easily. He really was at a great age to take his first trip! We already are counting down the days (me especially so!) and can't wait to take him back!
Don't mind the fact that this post is way delayed...but back in December we celebrated our sweet ONE year old! Griffy's first year went by so fast. He's grown into such a sweet, sweet spirit. He's also developed and learned things in general so fast at this stage! He was right on the border of full out walking at a year - he'd walk with our hands or take a couple steps on his own. Within a week or two of passing a year, he was full out walking around the house. Some other things he'd learned to do or could do around a year were:
As far as likes/dislikes, Griffy:
-LOVES his mama. He is a mama's boy and I will gladly take every second of it. His mama is pretty enamored with him too.
-LOVES playing in any type of water. I have a feeling we will have a "fish" when it comes to the water one day.
-LOVES to be outside. He really is not fazed by the cold or any type of weather. He would much prefer to be outside all day every day - which has been true for him from the beginning but we continue to see him fall more in love with it every day.
-Doesn't love sleeping...unless it involves cuddling with us 😅 He has gone through more sleep regressions than I can count. We just try to remind ourselves how thankful we are to have this little one to want us so much.
We celebrated our sweet boy's first birthday BIG!
The day before Griffy's first birthday we had a party with family + friends at the Interurban Depot in Downtown Plainfield. It's this sweet little old train station that is now used for events. It is a really easy space to decorate - because it is absolutely gorgeous (lots of natural light and tall, old window with all brick walls). But I also still had fun making all the decor for Griff's party. We went with a national parks/camping theme. I got some of the decor second hand from my cousin's friend who had used the same theme for her little and then made some more decor of my own. I also tried my hand at making Griffy's cake - and he was a big fan!
The next day, on Griffy's birthday, we left for Griffy's first trip to Disney - talk about the best first birthday ever! In another post I'll talk more about our trip but to say Griffy had a blast is an understatement. And we loved it too. We were definitely more tired this trip having a toddler in tow but it was so magical getting to see Griffy experience everything for the first time.
We are so thankful for the year we had with Griff and have loved watching him grow - and to wrap it up with a sweet party and the best trip with our little family was icing on the cake. Here's to another year of Griff and more time spent together watching him grow 💗
