Up, up, and away!!

My friend Erin and I got really brave today and decided it was time to take Molly and Nate on another date. Our venue -- the beach to see the last shuttle launch. With only a 30% chance of launch I wasn't expecting to see the shuttle go today. I rolled out of bed at 6am certain that it would have been cancelled. Nope. It was still on. So, I got up and began to figure out what in the world I would need for a day long trip to the beach with a four month old. After packing the car full of bottles, diapers, a Bumbo, a Moby wrap, towels, sunscreen, and various other things, Nate and I headed out to pick up Erin and Molly. We made a quick stop by Chick-fil-A and made it to their house about 20 minutes late. In my opinion, that's not too bad all things considered!

We loaded up and headed down 95. We were very afraid that we'd get down there only to find out the launch was cancelled so Erin made a call or two to her husband just to be sure everything was on. It was. We decided to stop at New Smyrna Beach. Thankfully we got a very good park right by the sidewalk. We loaded up our arms with the necessities and headed to the beach. It was drizzling and we were still weary that it would be scrubbed. We set up camp with the babies and settled in. By 11am we were hoping against hope that it was going to launch. It got closer and closer and we heard one person say a minute until liftoff. That was followed up with a comment about a failure. Apparently there was some camera that needed to be readjusted on or near the shuttle. Then, at 11:29 liftoff!! It was very overcast at the beach, but we were able to see Atlantis take off on it's final flight. We even heard the roar of the boosters. Awesome!! Of course, Nate and Molly slept through it, but later in life they can say they were there!! Here are a few pictures from our adventure....

 Chillin' while the moms set up camp

The conversation probably went as follows...

"So why are we here again?" 

"I don't know, just humor them." 

They refused to look at the camera. Something to the right was more interesting. 

Nate and me ready to watch! 

Molly caught a quick nap.

Erin and Miss Molly getting ready to watch Atlantis.

I wasn't able to get a good picture of the shuttle shooting through the sky. Thankfully we didn't get stuck in horrible traffic on our way home. Nate and Molly were troopers at the beach and decided to nap on the way to our next stop -- Daytona Beach. We decided to stop at Daytona Beach and find some lunch. I called my friend Shannon who has vacationed there most of her life for some tips on a good place. She sent us to Aunt Catfish's. Yummy! Erin and I gave it two thumbs up :-)

Nate and Molly did a great job at the restaurant and, as luck would have it, the rain started just as we were about to leave. Thankfully it let up enough for me to grab the car and pull to the curb so we could get the babies in without soaking them. They were so exhausted from the busy day that both of them slept on the way home! Nate and I dropped off Erin and Molly and headed home. We unpacked, ate, and bathed when Nate decided it was time for another nap...

Worn out!!

We had a blast watching the shuttle launch and hanging out with our friends. Maybe Molly and Nate will be super exhausted tonight and sleep well for their tired mommies!!