Charlotte Airport - CLT - Review

Last month, we had the great pleasure of two layovers to/from Mexico at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, the 8th largest airport in the U.S. This was not our first CLT experience and we quickly remembered how much we enjoy the airport (and Charlotte).

Aside from being beautiful and clean; the terminal is filled with great shops and cute eateries. The smell of slow-cooked, sweet carolina bbq pork fills the air and the large, sun-filled windows make it super bright and warm!

The biggest reason this airport is probably #2 on my list is due to the fact that we found this awesome "nook" to rest and relax chase Miss L around until we are beyond exhausted. Since airport terminals tend to be tight and mass chaos, it was refreshing to step out of traffic and enjoy some playtime free of getting run over by rushed passengers.

The space is on the 2nd floor, just steps from the passenger traffic and is complete with rocking chairs (as seen on a big southern porch south of the Ohio River) and a eye-level view of this rotating artwork of various flight inventions for Miss L to gaze at with excitement.

Rocking - which lasted just a few minutes

Birds eye view of the Terminal

Perhaps you can see the artwork

If your travel plans give you the option of a layover, I would highly suggest CLT if possible due to it's an option. If you are flying US Air, it is probably more than an option, it probably is a natural part of your flight plan.

20-months of Laughter!

Today, we celebrate 20 months of Miss L! Or in better words - 20 months of laughter, joy, giggles, smiles and fun!

It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital and yet today, she is busy climbing the mountains called couches and chasing Mr. Cole around our home.

Ironically, she had an impromptu visit with her pediatrician today as she has been fighting a cold the past week, which turned into a non-stop discharge in her bloodshot eyes. Poor thing looked miserable while we spent the recent weekend bouncing around Chicago.

Turns out she has her first ear infection, which also included an eye infection. We were thankful it wasn't pink eye and she is already looking much better after two doses of medication today.
Her weight check today: 25# 8oz - about 50th %tile

She surprises us daily with a new word learned or a new phrase exclaimed. I think her biggest "thing" right now is saying Please and Thank You! Her polite ways quickly extended far beyond retrieving/accepting food, and she correctly applies them to nearly everything. Tonight, she was sitting on the lap of J, so I threw her "silky" blanket to them and she responded naturally, "thank you, mommy."

She also understands and uses "hot" and "cold" correctly.

Our new favorite snack is a slightly thawed, frozen Go-Gurt {Yogurt on the Go!}. She'll almost always eat pasta, corn and anything with peanut butter.

Despite being sick, we managed to have some fun in Chi Town - see pics below...

Playing on the play-airplane at MSP Terminal 2.
Both MSP Terminals are well-equipped with kid-friendly activity centers.

Lunch at Tesori, while visiting my former boss



Visiting "The Bean" with Daddy! It was super windy! Surprise?

 

Too bad Miss L was sick...would've been a super cute photo!

Our lil' water bug

Riding the "moving walkway" at MDW...entertaining a 20-month old AND the rest of MDW passengers! :)

Goodnight, Chicago! (Oh, we bought that book to add to our collection)

Carrabba's Bread Dipping Mix

On a recent Italian dinner at home, I got ambitous while searching Pinterest for some inspiration and came across...a copycat recipe of Carrabba's Bread Dipping Mixture. Carrabba's is one restaurant we love and miss dearly as the closest one is likely hundreds of miles away!

I meticulously followed the directions from the recipe on Pinterest and the recipe was a huge hit! It really did taste like I was dipping bread while sitting at Carrabba's! I accompanied the dip (which is served with extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top), with a loaf of French Bread by Pillsbury. It is our favorite type of bread in the dairy fridge.

Carrabba’s Bread Dipping Spices
Source: www.recipelink.com
Makes 1/4 cup

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil (or 1 tbsp. fresh-if using fresh reduce parsley to 1 tbsp.)
1/8 tsp. dried rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. fresh)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes)
1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Place all ingredients except olive oil & lemon in a blender or food processor and chop until all ingredients are similar in size. Stir in the olive oil & lemon juice.
For Serving:
In a small dish, place 1 1/2 tsp. spice mixture. Pour 3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil over top of the spice mixture. Serve with french bread for dipping.

 

 

 

 

Hoppy Easter

I hope everyone had a great Easter, celebrating our risen savior.

Our day started with an Easter Basket and indoor egg hunt.

After a nice church service, we had about 45 minutes to kill prior to our brunch reservation. With that said, Miss L fell fast asleep within 3 minutes of leaving church. So we stopped at home to grab a few things, make a grocery list and allow her to take a cat nap in her carseat.

We enjoyed brunch at the same restaurant as last year - Morgan's on Nicollet - as they had every item on their buffet we could ask for and then some!  Miss L sat in her high chair with the tulle from her dress overflowing! She ate very well and then also spent time playing, too!

 

 

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail...