This past weekend we had the pleasure to meet three of our favorite couples for a long weekend in Fredericksburg. Trinity and I have been looking forward to this vacation for a LONG time, as it was our first vacation since last summer.
We headed out of town with Erin and Craig on Friday morning. I was curious to see how Grace did on the drive, as she hasn't been on a road trip since she was almost three months old at Christmas. I wasn't sure how it would go, especially since Erin and I were sitting in the back seat with her. Thankfully she did really well and either slept or happily sat in her car seat the entire trip!
Since the Reynolds and Keffers would not be joining us until Friday evening, we planned a detour through Blanco for a Real Ale Brewery tour. Trinity and I had attempted to do a tour when we were there last year for their annual anniversary party, but there were too many people already signed up. We lucked out this year and got to Blanco right at 3pm for the first of only two tours! It was a very informative tour, with a humorous and energetic tour guide. And of course we also got unlimited shotglass size tastings of six current Real Ale beers. I don't think the experience could have been any better, unless it hadn't been 100 degrees outside!
After the tour and tastings, we made it to Fredericksburg around 5:30 and checked out our four bedroom house while we waited for the Reynolds. We stayed at the Avery Haus, which I would highly recommend to anyone needing a large house to rent in Fredericksburg. It was a very old home but had lots of updates, including new kitchen and bathrooms. Once Thomas, Jess, and Addison arrived, we headed to Main Street for dinner. Then the guys went to the store while we put the kids to bed. That evening we just sipped wine and beer and waited for the Keffers to get to town.
Saturday was all about shopping along Main Street. It was very hot, so we stepped into almost every store and took several stops for food and drinks! While Erin and Craig shopped in the largest kitchen store on Main, we took the opportunity for some photos with the kids outside the candy store!
I love this picture of me and Grace because I have a picture of myself pregant with her in the same chair last year!
Grace did great all day, even though she got hot several times during the day. She even napped in her stroller twice! Thankfully all the stores are air conditioned, so we were able to cool her down by stopping at the shops throughout the day.
That evening we all sat on the patio at Silver Creek for several hours to eat and drink. We then headed home to enjoy a pie-off between two rival pie companies in Fredericksbury. There wasn't an obvious winner based on the voting, but I think everyone knows which pie company really won... :)
The girls took a bath together before going to bed on Saturday. Gracie absolutely loves playing in the tub, and I think she was excited to have a friend join her for the firs time! She and Addison splashed around together and took turns getting scrubbed.
Sunday morning everyone but the Reynolds and Trinity headed to the Nimitz Museum and National Museum of the Pacific War. They were both good museums, although they required a lot of reading! The girls were a little faster at going through the Pacific War museum, so we took some photos while we waited on the guys to finish!
Once Craig and Mike had emerged from the museum, we met the rest of our party for lunch before heading along Highway 290 for some winery tastings! We stopped at three of the 10+ wineries between Fredericksbury and Johnson City for tastings, and we even enjoyed the shade and some live music. The girls konked out on Thomas and Jess for a quick afternoon nap, which they both needed! Then it was back to house for pizza and pie!
Monday we took it easy and had lunch on Main Street one last time before hopping in the car for our drive home. We were sad to say goodbye to everyone and make the journey home. Apparently Gracie was very upset because she was pretty fussy on the ride. There was about a thirty or forty minute stretch where she cried non-stop. Even her bottle and food wouldn't calm her down. She finally gave in to drinking her bottle and fell asleep once it was almost gone. She slept the remainder of the drive home, much to Erin's and Craig's relief. We were sad to return to reality, but it's nice to be home and to get Gracie back on her schedule!
Being a Mom and Tot class, the lessons were short (only 30 minutes) and mostly consisted of singing and splashing in the water. We sang The Wheels on the Bus and Ring Around the Rosy, as well as some other pool/tub songs I'd never heard before. Gracie enjoyed splashing around while we circled the pool and sang.
The only thing Grace didn't seem to care for was laying on her back. Every time her head hit the water, she'd jerk back up into a sitting position. After a few tries, I decided to keep her on her tummy when the other kids went on their backs.
My favorite part of the class was getting Gracie on her stomach and trying to get her to kick. The lifeguards would come up behind her and tickle her feet, and before long she had the kicking down! And a few times she even extended her arms to paddle... I know, she's a genius. What can I say, other than good genes. :) 
