Teddy's Triumphs and Trials: Spring Break 2026

Vacation in 2018 nearly destroyed us. It (and COVID) led to some pretty big changes in terms of our land and how we vacationed. The last 3 vacations we've taken have included one of our sitters (and my dad for one trip, too) because we learned that more hands make vacations a bit easier.

This year for spring break, though, we didn't have the option of taking a big along with us. So, we ventured out for a jam-packed road trip with just the 4 of us, heading to the East Coast and taking in as many sights and experiences (and donuts and ice creams) as we could!

The highlights of vacation in terms of sights seen included:

3 National Seashores (Cape Lookout (my favorite!), Cape Hatteras & Assateague)
1 National Battlefield (Moore's Creek with the slogan of "For King George & Broadswords!")
1 National Historic Site (Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad)
1 National Memorial (Wright Brothers at Kittyhawk)
4 National Parks (Shenandoah, New River Gorge, Congaree & Smokey Mountains)
3 hours in Washington D.C. with cherry blossoms everywhere exploring:

Jefferson Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
WWII Memorial
Korean Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Washington Monument

Our favorite moments were our few hours in Washington, D.C. where we absolutely lucked out with a parking spot to walk with hundreds if not thousands of others in the beauty of the snow white cherry blossoms. AJ has never been to D.C., and we've wanted to take him there for years. While this doesn't replace the desire to spend a couple days there exploring all the museums and truly enjoying all the monuments, memorials and history, it was a wonderful opportunity!

The other highlight for our entire family was our trip to Cape Lookout, as we took a boat out to the island to explore for the day. Dave did a phenomenal job planning vacation and had rented us a side by side to drive around the island. It was the perfect way to get to explore the historic village, all the different beaches and the lighthouses. We laughed (and worried a bit) as we got stuck in the sand twice in the first 1/2 mile, but thankfully those were the only times we were stuck. It was a beautiful day, though windy, so we got to dip our toes in the ocean, search for sea shells and enjoy a picnic in short sleeves and sunshine!

Travel with Teddy is still travel with Teddy. As I've told others, we'll have our moments and challenges here at home, and I'd much rather be seeing, exploring and doing than not. So we had a 2 a.m. bedtime the first night and another night with a midnight bedtime because Teddy insisted on sleeping on the couch. That might not sound like a problem, but Teddy is at risk of falling out of bed and eloping or leaving the hotel room, so we always pair him in bed next to an adult for safety. I gave up that night, though, and blocked the door with a laundry basket and just slept lightly to keep an ear for him.

We also had to do a lot of valet pickups for Teddy, as transitions were tough. He often refused to leave just about anywhere, but he'd go when the vehicle pulled up. The other challenge in the vehicle, which was a challenge, was aggression toward AJ. Teddy decided after the first couple days that he no longer wanted AJ sitting by him, so he was pushing, kicking and hitting at AJ.

But, we saw progress with restaurants, even without an extra set of hands. Teddy did really well waiting and eating in the restaurants where we ate, which often isn't the case. We also saw progress with hotel rooms, with very minimal attempts to leave the room and much more willingness to just chill with hotel TV. Even bedtime was easier in the sense that it wasn't such a fight with flailing and crying as much as simply not wanting to sleep.

It really was an amazing trip with tons of fun memories for all of us! Here's pictures of some of the fun.