Biltmore + Camp Drop Off

It's that time of summer again, when I send my eldest off to sleep away camp.  You would think I would be used to this by now, it is his third year after all.  Yet, he is making the jump from one week to two weeks....and I'm making a big jump backwards in letting go.  Ugh!

In anticipation of seeing Jack off, we made a big weekend of the drop off.  Every year we try to see a different part or attraction in North Carolina.  This year we opted to give the Biltmore House a whirl.

We arrived just in time for lunch and let me tell you, we were starving.  We got a quick bite in the village after checking in to our hotel.  Little did we know at the time, Cedric is quite a popular guy around these parts.  Our lunch was delish and the weather was fabulous for alfresco dining.

After lunch we meandered around.  The village was full of little shops and sights to see.  We left all the entertaining up to Lucy though.  She seems to be a pro.

The grounds were full of wild life.  This little guy hopped right by us and even hung out and let us chat it up with him.  Of course, this prompted Maggie to start begging for a pet bunny.  If I'm not careful, Daddy will take her to lunch and come home with one.  That's how we have two fish and a hamster to date. {not even a joke]

From there, we took the shuttle from our hotel over to the Biltmore Mansion.  There is nothing deceptive about the pictures, it's just as giant in person.

Our hotel package came with the audio tours and I'm so glad they did.  We might not have thought to purchase them otherwise and they are well worth it.  The kids got a kick out of their "cell phones".  Not to mention, Cedric, the family dog, narrates the kids version.  It makes the self-guided tour much more do-able for little ones.

To be honest, I was kind of wishing I had the Cedric version.

The tour was incredible, the house is beyond amazing, and I think it's fair to say we all really enjoyed it.  I would lying if I didn't mention, the girl's attention spans started to wither after about the 28th room.  But, over all a great experience.

Post our house tour, we made a quick visit over to the train exhibit and the farm before closing time.

The little ones were starting a steady decline so I knew it was time to take them to their HaPpY place.    It works like magic every time!

We topped our day in North Carolina with another amazing meal and ice cream in the village.  The next day was a biggie....CAMP DROP OFF!

I don't know why this still gets me every summer.  It's such a bittersweet day.  Leaving Jack for a whole two weeks is heart wrenching, but seeing his joy and excitement is exhilarating.  I imagine it will always be like that.

Fortunately, he has slew of good buddies that go every year.  This is about a third of them here.  It's amazing how this tradition has continued and new friends keep adding on.  I love this experience for him and hope my girls get to enjoy it one day too.

The camp does an incredible job of making the drop off as smooth as possible and it's plain to see I leave him in very capable hands.

After getting Jack all unpacked and settled, letting the girls enjoy the lake for a bit, and having lunch, it was time to say goodbye.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the very best part of the entire weekend before I sign off.  I said goodbye to my camper with a hug and a laundry list of things to do, like...have fun, say your prayers, be the best you can be, change your clothes, try new things....etc, etc.  He responded with a half-hearted, "okay, I love you, you can go now".

As I left his cabin and headed down the wooden stairs, I heard a clamber of thuds behind me.  When I got to the bottom this guy was right behind me, arms open and the most GIANT hug and sincere "I Love You" ever.  Seriously made my summer.

Let me just tell you, Jack is not a super touchy feely kiddo, so this was big stuff.

Now we are back to home sweet home minus one little one.  The girls will be busy with a few camps of their own and hopefully, before we know it, Jack will be back!