Walk by Hello: Road Trip

08 September 2009

Road Trip

We just arrived back from a 3 day road trip to Charlotte, NC. And aside from the hectic nature of packing suitcases and a cooler and loading up the van, along with forgetting keys, dome lights that would not turn off in the van, occasional bouts of whining, potty fiascos and the search for a clean gas station bathroom we had a blast.

Natalie and Adam seem born for the road. Lots of storytelling, laughing, singing of songs and asking of millions of unanswerable questions made the trip enjoyable and far from boring. Both "Daddy dolls" came with us and made it feel Tim wasn't so far away. Just a squeeze around the middle and one of the dolls would come to life with his voice.

It was incredibly exciting for them (and exhausting for me) once we arrived at the hotel and went about the business of loading up the luggage cart and making several trips back and forth from the van to the room. We checked out the pool only to find no steps for toddlers to splash on or even a shallow end. So into the pool we went, both of them deciding to jump tandem onto my head and almost upsetting all three of us. After 20 minutes of spinning around and paddling lopsidedly back and forth we ended that and headed back to settle in.

After a colorful exploration of downtown Charlotte we headed for a trolley ride. What I found incredibly hot and cramped, Natalie and Adam found adventure in. Hanging from sidebars, bouncing up and down on the seats, not really noticing the heat, they were mesmerized.

Then it was off to Discovery Place. Caught up with a dear friend from college and grad school and the hours flew by as we chatted and the little ones played.

Next day we decided to check out a nature museum which was the biggest hit of the whole trip. Lots of reptiles and insects and wildlife and plenty of hands on activities.

Definitely tired at the end of the days but overall it was so worth it. So many great memories and honestly at times I almost forgot I was pushing 35 weeks till those end of the day backaches caught up with me or I had to climb up a McDonald's playplace slide after Adam.

One more trip after this and then our new little guy will make his appearance, hopefully AFTER Daddy gets back home for R&R!

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Pecan Cream Cheese Icing:

8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter 3 (9-inch) cake pans with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar, and beat. In a medium bowl or on a piece of parchment, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the eggs, beating well after the addition of each. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the carrots and beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Fold in the nuts. Divide between the 3 cake pans and bake until set and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest in the cake pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, remove from the pans, and let cool.

For the Frosting: In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. Add the vanilla and pecans.

When the cake is cool, place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread the top with cream cheese frosting and top with a second and third cake layer, spreading the icing between each layer. Spread the icing around the sides of the cake and let harden slightly before serving. To serve, cut into wedges.