Come One, Come All

September 2010 was filled with fun times and many visitors. Our cousins Rodney and Marine and their daughter Aiyana came to visit us for a few days. It was the first time Aiyana had flown in a plane, and the first time they had visited us in North Carolina. It was also the first time I met Aiyana, and the first time that she and Alyssa met. The weekend was filled with even more "firsts" as we took them to a few places in our area that we had never visited.

Getting used to walking on the mulch

Rodney, Marine, and Aiyana arrived on a Friday afternoon, and we spent the rest of the day catching up and relaxing. On Saturday morning, we walked to our development's playground and water fountain. The girls had fun climbing the jungle gym, and Aiyana loved going down the slides all by herself. Alyssa and Aiyana both loved looking at the water and flowers in the fountain. The girls liked the playground and fountain so much that we walked there again on Sunday. We also attended the 100th Anniversary of Burlington Carousel Festival. We rode the train and carousel and walked around all the booths and tents. We even ate delicious elephant ears even though it was so hot that day!

Wawa=Water fountain

Carousel Festival

On Monday, we drove to the North Carolina Zoo. which includes 500 acres of natural habitat exhibits and wooded trails. It was our first time at the zoo, and we learned that it is one of the largest zoos with 5 miles of pathways. We ate lunch outside the cafe before walking around and seeing many of the animals. In the North America part, we saw crocodiles, turtles, and frogs as well as different water plants. We also saw a sea lion and otter swimming in a pool that we could view from above as well as under ground. We then saw puffins and a sleeping polar bear before riding the Tram to the Africa area, which was filled with tropical plants and flowers. While there, we saw a lion sleeping behind some rocks and some chimpanzees, baboons, and a gorilla that urinated in front of us after eating a carrot :) The most beautiful part was seeing 3 antelope and 2 elephants from afar in a vast field. It looked like a mother and baby elephant, and it felt like we were in the grasslands with them. Since we only spent a few hours at the zoo, we hope to return next summer so that we can see the giraffes and more animals and exhibits. I also forgot my camera so I cannot wait to see the pictures Marine took.

On Tuesday morning, we went to the Greensboro Children's Museum for the first time. Alyssa had so much fun that we decided to purchase the family pass so that we can go more often. Alyssa especially loved the pretend grocery store and tot area where she rode different bikes and played in the tunnel. It was nice to walk outside and see the beautiful flowers and watch the chickens in their coop. After the museum, we ate at Natty Greene's in downtown Greensboro before the Davids had to be at the airport for their trip back to Texas.

The Big Red Chair

Shopping

Look how tall I am!

Group Pic

On Wednesday, Teta Samia and Giddu came to visit. We spent the first few days relaxing, and Alyssa had many tea parties with them. On Saturday morning, we drove 3.5 hours to Myrtle Beach. It was the first time Alyssa had been to the beach, and it was the second time since we got married that we have made the trip with Shereif's parents. We rented an umbrella and chairs and sat on the beach for a few hours before checking into our hotel. We went back to the beach for another hour, played in the hotel pools, and played in the tubes. Alyssa loved the machine that you use to wash the sand off your feet after walking on the beach. She was only slightly taller than it, so it sprayed water all over her body, and she laughed every time she went on it. She did not want to get off to let other people use it. Alyssa was not afraid of the ocean and tried to run into the water on numerous occasions too. She LOVED playing and kicking in the water and shoveling sand. The sand was too hot for her to walk on, but she still tried to run into the water on her own.

On the beach with Teta and Giddu

Playing in the sand

Playing in the water

Playing in the pools

All clean

We then showered, dressed, and ate the dinner that we had brought with us before driving to Boardwalk at the Beach. Alyssa fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep the entire time we were there. We went shopping and walked around while listening to the music. There were lots of people, and the weather started to cool down. Alyssa slept the entire night--probably because she was so tired from playing on the beach all day. The next morning, we decided to take Alyssa back to the Boardwalk so that she could see it and the ducks since she loves ducks so much. She and Daddy fed them, and we walked around all by ourselves since no one else was there before the stores opened. Afterward, we sat on the beach for about an hour before it started to rain. We left in the afternoon, and Alyssa took a short nap in the car on the way home.

Playing with the ducks

Daddy left to go to Columbus for work early Monday morning so we spent the day with Teta and Giddu. We went for a walk and looked at the pictures we took at the beach. They left early Tuesday morning, and Alyssa and Mommy went to Baby Fun Time and fed the neighbor's cat in the afternoon. We were exhausted, but we had a great time with all of our family. Alyssa finally had the chance to meet her cousin and to spend more time with her grandparents. She also experienced many new sites and playing in the ocean and sand for the first time at the beach. Hopefully, we can revisit these places again and again and establish annual trips so Alyssa can learn new things each time.

September was definitely a fun month and a great way to end the summer, and we know more fun times are in store for us over the next few months with the upcoming holidays!