escape from reality.

My mom had offered to watch the kids while she was in town so Ben and I could get away (a delayed 40th birthday celebration for Ben). We were so grateful for the offer and her willingness to put up with 4 crazy kids for 2 days. It had been a long time since we'd had a little break like this (we miss our days of weekend swaps with friends). Ben and I decided to stay close to home and we started our first day in downtown Raleigh, trying to do things that are normally difficult with kids. We went to the North Carolina Museum of History to see a special exhibit on the history of film in North Carolina. We had the whole place to ourselves and spent TWO HOURS walking around the exhibit, reading everything (something we never get to do when we're with our kids in a museum). Our next stop was the famed Beasley's Chicken and Honey for lunch. Best chicken and waffles I've ever had. The sides were amazing too (we tried the buttermilk biscuit with honey, mac 'n cheese custard, and sweet potatoes).

We had a good laugh about how easy it can be to find parking in downtown Raleigh vs D.C.

After lunch we drove to Chapel Hill where we had a hotel for the night. Our hotel was in a prime spot near restaurants and the UNC campus. First we decided to check out the Christmas decorations at the Carolina Inn. They had fun displays for the 12 days of Christmas. We also walked around the Coker Arboretum on the UNC Campus. We saw a late afternoon matinee (the latest Hunger Games movie) and then had a really nice dinner at Lantern. We finished off the night with the best s'mores cookie of my life at Insomnia Cookies down the street.

Twelve drummers drumming.

Our hotel had a really nice breakfast in the morning, included with our room. So it was hard not to order everything off the menu. We hit up another museum, the Ackland Art Museum, got lunch at a yummy vegetarian cafe whose name I can't remember, and then saw another movie (The Imitation Game). The day ended with a stop at the grocery store to pick up diapers and then it was back to reality. Thanks again mom!!