Vacation

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Another Adventure

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Did I go overboard this summer? Yes, I definitely did.

But let me explain my thinking: E needed to do something this summer. The other two are in daycare, but we needed to find a care option for E, and that meant paying money for camps. So my first plan was to find a way to pay for less weeks of camps. This was also around the time that my employer was calling us back into the office at regular intervals, which is not something I enjoy.

So I figured if there was a way to not go into the office, not pay for camp, and also go on vacations I’ve always dreamed of going on with my children, it would be win-win-win! Part of this is the pandemics fault, because we’ve been trapped at home for so long that we’ve been dreaming up quite a list of places we wanted to go.

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More Vacation Fun

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While I knew I wanted to go to Santa’s Village this summer, it seemed like a long distance to go for just one day. So we decided to take a couple, and explore some more areas of New Hampshire. One of the first things we did was play mini golf, since it was right across the street from our hotel. It went about as crazy as you’d expect. One kid was really into it, one was very frustrated that they weren’t better, and one loved to pick up every ball they saw and take off running with it.

I could have done with 9 holes instead of 18, but I’m pretty sure we succeeded in making some good memories, which is really all I’m looking for with things like this. Somehow I even managed to make two holes in one without even looking! I’d hit my ball quickly and then grab a child only to have Tom let me know my ball had gone in the cup. I actually did worse when I paid attention to it.

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Santa's Village

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I go back and forth about how I want to spend our summers. Relaxing and lazy summers spent outside by the water? Or action packed and seeing all the things? Maybe I’ll alternate - rent a house one year for a slow paced vacation and the next year spend the summer going all over and seeing everything I want to see. Or maybe it’s a result of feeling so locked down the past few years due to the pandemic and getting used to being a family of five.

But as I’ve stated before, I’ve been itching to do more lately. So this summer I planned a few things that’ve I’ve been dreaming about. Number one? Santa’s Village!

I actually wasn’t sure if we’d do Storyland or Santa’s Village - I didn’t really feel strongly one way or another, but eventually I leaned towards Santa’s Village. I felt like our family likes Christmas more than fairy tales, and I heard the park had more shade for hot and sunny days.

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A Big Trip

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We’ve all heard the funny sayings about how vacations with kids aren’t vacations, they’re ‘trips’ or just parenting in a new location. I think it’s a great perspective to have, since it helps to set expectations. Tom and I have traveled to beaches where we sat in the sun all day and read book after book. That was relaxing. We’ve also toured cities where we walked tens of thousands of steps a day and saw every every sight we wanted to. We’ve been there, done that. And we know that this season of life isn’t either of those. (And we’re okay with it).

Our recent trips have been very kid focused and friendly. Visits to or with family, where we have extra adults and very easy schedules. We incorporate naps and play time and nothing too hard. Even when we go places around home, we do easy trips. We go to the library after nap time when everyone is happy, and we don’t stay too long. We’re not the parents who attempt big things. We keep it easy and safe for the most part.

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Lake Winnipesaukee

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I was feeling nostalgic recently for the family vacations of my childhood, and wishing I could recreate some of that magic somehow. Nothing I was finding was giving me the feeling I was looking for - if I even knew exactly what I wanted. And then I realized, why not? Instead of finding a place similar to where we used to go, couldn’t I find the exact place we used to visit?

And so I did! I wasn’t exactly sure until we got there, but slowly the pieces started to piece together. Memories started lining up with what was in front of me, and sure enough I was finding myself spending the day in the same spots I was when I was nine or ten years old. It was so surreal and amazing. And then my parents joined us, and we found the same house we used to stay in. And talked about the weeks we used to spend there with my grandparents, and my uncle, and great aunt - all people who aren’t with us anymore, but who had been with us in this place. It was a small thing and it was everything.

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Seven Months

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After a few boring months, this was a big one for you! Not only did you leave the house, you left the state and flew all the way to Florida! And then we discovered that you aren’t really used to being outside, and it’s a huge adjustment. We’ll just say it wasn’t your favorite, so after a trip to a playground, a hike to the river, and a farmer’s market all in the first two days, we mostly let you stay in the house after that.

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More Thoughts on Florida

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There was so much prep work for this trip. So much. It had been two years since we’d really gone on a trip like this, plus this was our first trip as a family of five, and had so many unknowns, so I think we went a bit overboard. Our motto was better to be prepared than surprised, but I think it worked.

Aside from packing suitcases, flights and having a place to stay, there were other details. Leading up to the trip we rented baby gear and coordinated it getting dropped off at the rental house. We put in Amazon and Target orders of snacks and toys and diapers and anything we could possibly think of needing while we were there. There were things like masks to think about and any other Covid related extras to plan for. We rented a car, asked someone to check on the cats, and figured out the car seats.

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A Trip, Two Years Late

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I really never thought it would happen. I refused to pack suitcases, I didn’t have a rental car booked - I was so sure that something would go wrong and we’d cancel again. I was having some major flashbacks to the last time too. When we had our paper chain countdown going, and I had to throw it away before we reached the end, and then sit my two year old down and tell him that we’d be staying home for a while.

So I guess this post is fitting to follow the last one. I wish I could say it’s a triumph over the pandemic, but it’s not. We still have a 60% unvaccinated household, although I hold out hope that will change by this summer. But maybe we’re slowly finding a way to live with this pandemic. To find a way to live but also be safe? I hope that’s the case.

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Vacation Week

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So our lovely daycare decided to close for a week, with not a ton of notice, which meant there weren’t a lot of options for us. All vacation homes within a few hour drive were booked or too expensive or missing something essential. So instead of meeting my parents at the beach somewhere, we decided to just head to Vermont. Honestly the kids probably enjoy Vermont better than the beach anyway. There are tractors and land to run around on, and they can eat all my dad’s peas from his garden.

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Road Trip

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We recently took a long trip in our car (more on that later) and it was the longest that G has ever been in the car in his entire life. I was worried it might not go well, of course. When you’re that young it’s easy to not be hyperbolic when you say something is the worst thing you’ve ever experienced. It literally could be. And it would be easy to see how being trapped in a car for a long period of time, when it had never happened before, being one of those times.

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Mainely G

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My last post about Maine was pretty E heavy. Mostly because he’s a toddler and is big about experiencing everything and sharing opinions about it. Baby G on the other hand, mostly goes along with whatever we’re doing. For every one of those memories about E, baby G was there too. Usually in someone’s arms or sitting on the floor watching everything that was going on.

There were a few very distinct G memories though, and so I thought I’d share them in their own post. I’ve already mentioned that G was feeling a little off during the week, and as a result, that surrounds most of my memories of him. We were constantly trying to either figure out what was going on, or trying to treat it. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we were minutes from bringing him to the ER (Tom had already called to verify they had a pediatrician on staff) when we abruptly changed our mind and decided he was fine.

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Mainely Memories

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We recently went on our annual trek to Maine. I guess it was technically a vacation, but these days that word has a very different meaning than it used to. At this point it’s all about building memories and doing things to make the kids happy. And I’m okay with that, as tiring as it is. (It definitely gives me a different perspective of all those years in Maine when I was younger, and what my mom was going through!)

We did have the added bonus of having a lot of family and friends come and stay with us, which was amazing. It meant extra hands to hold our babies, to entertain them, to play with them, and to feed us! All good things. And our kids were psyched! There was so much laughter and running around and smiles. Nothing is better, or makes me happier than seeing someone I love, love on my children. It makes my heart happy.

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Keeping Me Guessing

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I think I was wrong.

Not just wrong, but I had it completely backwards. I used to say that E was an extrovert and G was our introvert, but after a week of vacation, I’m rethinking that. We all have a bit of vacation hangover right now. It was a long week, a tiring week, and the most fun week ever. Totally worth it, but reentry is hard.

So as I’m watching how both of the small ones react to reentry and think about how their energy levels fluctuated over the week, I’m thinking that I’m changing my mind: E might be an introvert and G might be an extrovert!

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The Slow Down

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I was hoping I’d have more time. After all, I’m only 7 months pregnant, and I was crossing my fingers I’d have at least another month. But apparently this is it. This is where I’ve run out of time, energy and motivation apparently.

There is still a lot to do. There’s a baby to prepare for, holidays are coming up and presents need to be wrapped, cards need to be sent, and then there’s the normal things, like remembering to do laundry (or more realistically, remembering to put it away after its been washed), and getting myself dressed and out the door every day.

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A Week in Maine

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I'm pretty sure when anyone looks back on our Maine vacation this year, they're going to remember two things.  E saying "hi! hi! hi!" and everyone singing "Do your ears hang low" until it haunts your dreams. Tom has taken to hiding the elephant, and my dad would start screaming from across the house whenever the song started, but the truth is E's reaction is SO CUTE, I'll push play over and over again.

Same goes with his talking.  He's so excited to have figured out a word, and the fact that it causes reactions from people?  It makes his day!  Which means he'll walk around saying "hi" to anyone or anything.  Unfortunately the birds, a person 3 blocks away, and the trees haven't figured out how to answer him.

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I'll Never

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There's a reason parents will give a knowing smile when people without kids, or parents-to-be, say they'll "never" do something. 

And maybe you won't.  You'll have rules and routines and will stick to your convictions.  And then one day you'll find yourself in a new place, on vacation, and routines will go out the window.  It will be late and everyone is tired and crying.  You'll be at the end of your rope and you'll think...well maybe...

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My Favorite Part of Vacation

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There's something I love about family vacations.  Especially low key ones with not a lot of plans.  I'm talking the rent a house and go to the beach type vacations, as opposed to exploring a new city, every day has an itinerary type of vacations. 

Something happens when you have that kind of time to spend together.  To eat meals together, to get to know each other's quirks, to just be together.  You get the moments that end up being my favorite memories from vacation.  Not the baseball game or the children's museum or the beach - as fun as those might be. 

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Littlest Sox Fan

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While it wasn't his first Sox game, it was his first visit to Fenway South for spring training.  You know we couldn't let a trip to Florida pass by without a Red Sox game! 

The whole week was full of new experiences, big crowds, and schedule changes for E.  It was a lot to take in, and sensory overload for sure.  We did our best to make sure he still had some sort of a schedule, and got enough sleep, but he was still overwhelmed at points.  

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The Flights

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Allow me to completely skip over our vacation for a minute, an answer the question that everyone really wants to know: How did we survive flying with a baby?  

Not easily. 

While it worked out pretty well, and I haven't ruled out flying in the future, it was something I spent a lot of time thinking about and planning for.  I always find I handle situations better if I've run though every possibility ahead of time, so that when something does happen, I don't have to think.  I just react.  And I've got everything I could need at hand, so I can do it quickly.