Not only did he have the weekend off .. he had Monday off, too!
Squeeeeeee!!
I honestly can't recall (for at least the past 5 years) a time when he's had Labor Day weekend (or any holiday weekend for that matter) COMPLETELY off.
It was PURE BLISS.
I looked forward to it so much and tried to savor every little moment.
As he's back to work today ... I thought I best write about some of the highlights!
We kicked off the weekend on Friday afternoon .... when he arrived home super early at 3:30pm. I almost fell over dead with glee!!
Anyway...we took a long walk -- which helped us feel "less" guilty about ordering pizza from a yummy place within walking distance from us. We sat outside with the girls and gobbled up some delicious pizza. We ended our walk stopping by a college campus nearby ... they happen to have a huge courtyard for the girls to run around in. Daddy plays 2 on 1 defense....and it's a great energy burner for the girls. They were so tired, in fact, they walked over the stroller and got in. That was a FIRST!
Saturday morning -- we hit the road about 10am for our first "road trip" since we've moved. This road trip had a very specific destination --- the PACIFIC OCEAN!! We were very excited for the girls to dip their tootsies in the salt water and to see what their reaction would be to such a large "pool"!
I have to say -- the girls were amazing on our almost 4 hour trip. They slept some -- jammed to music -- and had good dispositions in general. We were very pleased and proud!!
As we rolled into the small touristy town we'd be staying in -- we were pleased to see shops, kid-friendly things to do and plenty of people!!
We decided to check into our hotel first, change into swimwear and then head for the ocean. It was a bit breezy at this point ... and the 80 degree temps were more into the 70's now, but still warm enough.
And, truth be told -- the hotel wasn't exactly Caesar's Place .. but we decided it would be OK for just one night. :):)
When we drove near the water -- we realized we could physically drive our vehicle right up onto the shoreline.
This was great -- especially with the girls. It was pretty windy right down by the water and so not having to trek a long way was perfect. It was really unique to see all the vehicles lined up along the shoreline. We cozied up next to a couple of families who were very welcoming.
YIKES!
Daddy and I were on full lifeguard duty!!
But -- eventually the tide came in and they realized they had to stand back a ways -- or they would get knocked down and WET....which happened to Ms. K and she was not happy about it!!
Ms. R was pretty fearless as usual. They just loved running to and from the water. And, they loved the sand, too.
They were also very intrigued by the beautiful kites. So many kites flying high!
After we'd exhausted the beach - we packed up and headed back to the hotel to bathe and get ready to head out for dinner.
Feeling all clean again -- we set out to stroll around the town ... people watch ... ride a few ponies ... and find some dinner. We've decided that eating outside is the way to go with these ladies. They are getting (somewhat) better at dining out, but if we can be outside -- all the better!
After dinner....the hubby strolled the girls back to the hotel while I drove the car. More fresh air for them and 15 minutes of alone time for me. Ahhhhhhhhh!!
Back at the hotel we followed our normal bedtime routine ... jammies....milk.....teeth....book and lights out.
**Crickets.....Crickets*** ... is what we expected to hear .. as in SILENCE because the girls had to be tuckered out, right?
WRONG!
When the lights went OUT the girls turned ON their crazy!!!
And when I say crazy -- I mean INSANE MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS SLUMBER PARTY CRAZY!!!!!
Jumping, giggling ... shrieking .... chasing ... in the bed ... out of the bed .... cat calls back and forth....
My explanation doesn't even come close to doing it justice -- it was out of control people!!!
The hubs and I went from complete hysterics ... to frustrated ... to laughing so hard we were crying.
These ladies had no intention of settling down, sleeping or even resting at this point.
So - we waited. We tried EVERYTHING from snuggles to tough love.
We wondered what our neighbors must think??
We kept debating what to do .. what to do??
FINALLY Ms. K fell asleep for about three minutes .. UNTIL Ms. R woke her.
Big surprise there, huh??
We were without any ideas at this point....and so .... WE PACKED UP AND DROVE HOME!
Yup - that's what we did. Three straight hours back home in the middle of the night.
We decided.....this "slumber party" could potentially go on for hours, right?? And ... none of us would sleep -- they'd surely still be up at the crack of dawn and THEN we'd have to drive home ... dog tired with two crabby babies!
And guess what??? BOTH girls were asleep BEFORE we left the parking lot!
Argh!
We'd contemplated driving around with them and then transferring them to the hotel, but if history repeats itself -- our girls don't do well with the whole transferring bit.
Turned out -- we drove home with no issue -- girls slept 90% of the way -- no traffic .. AND they both slept til almost 10am the next day!
INSANE I tell ya!!
The hubs later admitted he was shocked that I thought staying in a hotel was a good idea. Our girls are still in cribs and have never slept in a big bed. I don't know why I thought that would work. I guess I thought they would love to snuggle in with us ... but perhaps that was more my idea!! :)
Sunday ... brought a slower day as we were all tired. We enjoyed walking up to the local farmer's market to get some yummy fruit and fresh squeezed lemonade.
The girls napped well and so did mommy in the afternoon!
I had to remind myself a few times on Sunday that the hubs would STILL be home another day!! It was truly wonderful.
Monday morning brought gorgeous weather (as was the whole weekend, really) and so we packed up and headed to the kiddie pool/splash pad for swimming and a picnic lunch. Simple fun!!
As yesterday began to come to a close -- my sadness set in. I didn't want our "normal" to return. But -- we took another nice walk last night -- let the girls run around at a local soccer field ... and we were all tucked in by 9:30.
What a weekend... FULL of memories ... FULL of fun ... FULL of time with daddy....the best part if you ask me.
We will never forget the shenanigans that took place in that hotel room. In fact -- it solidified that my girls aren't quite ready for that type of outing -- AND reminded me why they have their own bedrooms. I can not imagine what might go on if they shared a room!!
Sunday morning -- after we woke -- and some of the fog lifted from our late night travels ... the hubby said to me ...
"Honey ... I think we are definitely day trippers right now".... and I whole heartily agreed!
What a wonderful, fun-filled weekend never to be forgotten!
Hope you all had a safe and memorable holiday weekend!
With love,
Cuz I'm the mama!
Oh my gosh, what a weekend! For sure one you will never forget! Glad you were able to get some quality family time....and a nap!! Miss you!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had such a great weekend as a family. I had to laugh at your hotel sleep experience; that's EXACTLY how are girls are. When we stay at my in-laws they go nuts sleeping together. I think you made the right decision to leave...that's what I would have done!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had such a nice long weekend together as a whole family!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness...I'm just picturing that slumber party in the hotel! Gah!!! I'm glad you and Hubby were able to laugh about it! (I think I would have sobbed!) :) And I'm sure that will be a memory for many years...sure to bring many more laughs, too. :)
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