Blurring The Lines Of Our Routine - Summer Finale
09.6.2010 Our Practice Vacation
”Okay. And what were their names again?”
That is what the babysitter, having met her only ten minutes prior, asked us as we walked out the door. Granted, it was a trusted babysitter of my sister-in-law, and the kids were at her house with my nephew. We were headed to my brother’s surprise 40th birthday party and we took her up on her offer for their babysitter to watch our kids, too. And with some generalized instructions like “feed them whatever you feed Xavier, try to give them a bath, say prayers, just pray for everyone by name, and then try to put them down to sleep – I guess in the guestroom? – before 8:15, and maybe just prop some pillows around so they don’t fall off the bed?” we were off.Surprise!
This was the second night in a row that we had left their bedtime routine in the hands of people who had never so much as spent two hours with Harper or Mateo. And only the second night EVER that someone other than Jennifer or our nanny, or myself had done it. Later that evening, I received a text message that, after a good ten minutes of crying, the kids were sleeping peacefully. When we arrived to pick them up, they were asleep side-by-side, something we hadn’t seen since they were just a few weeks old. And like warm, wet noodles, they transferred easily from the bed, to the car, and into their beds at grandma’s house.
The day before, we had been in Austin, the second leg of our three leg trip. It was a very short stay, arriving that Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Without a nap. We were staying with some friends of mine from college, Kristin and Jason, whose three boys aged 5 to 12, I knew would sufficiently distract Harper & Mateo from any tiredness. Harper had her favorite.
We had invited ourselves a few months prior. Also, do you mind if after we get the kids to sleep that night that Jennifer and I go to a Paula Poundstone show? Because she’s performing at 7:00 and 9:30 and we’d like to go to the later show since we’ll be missing her stop in Houston the next day. Not only did they not mind, but they encouraged us to go to the earlier show so that we could have some adult fellowship afterwards. “But that means you would have to put them down, Kristin.” “Rachel, we have three boys, I think we can handle the bedtime routine.” And I will say that there are no better hands that we could have entrusted them to, than to entrust them to Kristin and Jason.
Turns out the bedtime routine went well save the part of Harper not being too sure she wanted someone else to give her a bath. Their sons read a book to them while Kristin tucked them in, and then Kristen and one of the boys rubbed their backs for a bit, and when he stopped, Harper looked up and asked him to continue. This, we learned while drinking hot coffee and eating a delicious dessert that Jason had made. Somewhere around two in the morning, we all called it a night.
BUT GET THIS:
When we went upstairs, the door to the room the kids were in was WIDE OPEN. With light STREAMING INTO THEIR ROOM from the bedroom (where we'd be staying) across the hall. And the window, because the room is being remodeled, had NO CURTAINS OR SHADES.
AND THEY WERE SLEEPING! In their air mattresses. EVEN HARPER who up until this night had refused to sleep in anything other than a pack-n-play if not her own bed at home. (I should note that at home they sleep in separate rooms, in twin beds, in total darkness, with the door shut.)
And in the morning, when they woke AT A REASONABLE HOUR, we could hear them. But it was like Jason and Kristin had placed one of those electronic fences at the edge of the door because they talked and played with their Tot Clock (that we had brought with us), and looked out the windows, and played WITHOUT EVER EVEN TRYING TO STEP OUT OF THE ROOM. I even got some of it on video.
After an amazing breakfast fit for a king, we reluctantly said our goodbyes and made our way to San Antonio, where six hours later we would leave them with their cousin and his babysitter.
But the reason any of this had happened was because unlike last year, we were determined to attempt a family vacation this summer. Like in a hotel. With the kids. On purpose.
Our mini-practices and experiences in flexibility had been mostly successful – things like the beach and pushing naps and getting to sleep a little later - giving us the confidence that there is oxygen outside the orbit of the life we’ve led in the last two years. And I figured this summer was a good a time as any to attempt an overnight stay somewhere other than grandma’s house.
We ended up booking two nights and three days at Hyatt Lost Pines Resort & Spa in Bastrop, Texas. In the event vacationing with toddlers ended up being more like a life sentence with hard labor versus semi-recreational work, we were only two hours from home, or ninety minutes from grandma's in San Antonio. Plus, we got some great rates and perks by booking our trip through a fellow MoM and travel agent, Elise Newman*. And oh my, Lost Pines is spectacular for families!
The first afternoon we were there, we spent the majority of our time either on the playground, or feeding the ducks by the lake.
Bedtime was better than expected, in part because we completely wimped out and ended up going stand-by for a junior suite. The large bathroom and bedroom were separated from the living space by a door, which allowed us to retreat to a room without having to sit outside our door, or confine ourselves to the bathroom until they fell asleep. Nevertheless, Mateo crept into our room around 5:00 a.m., but amazingly fell asleep between us. Like a rock. The benefit of this was that it left Harper to sleep soundly in the pitch black living room, tucked into the pack-n-play that we had reserved from the resort.
On the second day, we had reservations for a pony ride. Boy, they loved that. But they've been loving ponies a long while, since their cousin's birthday party and the rodeo.
We spent the remainder of the day alternating among the zero-entry pool (with a beach!), floating along the lazy river, and the playground.
On night two, we decided to try something a little different: we put Mateo to sleep in the pull-out sofa bed instead of his mattress, thinking maybe he’d stay there all night. Of course I had packed the foam bed bumpers, and it worked liked a charm.
Each evening, Jennifer and I would split a take-out dinner from one of the restaurants, and while she stayed in the room, I would go downstairs to pick it up. That’s when I discovered another awesome thing about Lost Pines: an outdoor movie on the lawn and smores for all the guests.
We loved Lost Pines so much, we're already plotting to go back next year. And I’ve got ideas on how to make our stay even better. They’ll be three then, which means they’ll be able to participate in the Kids Club activities. But to be honest? There are so many things to do there as a family, that it doesn’t seem we would have any need to do something separately from them.
So it all came down to this: three cities over five days with much to celebrate and be thankful for. And we did more than survive…we had so much fun!
*In this age of internet self-service, I cannot emphasize enough how nice it has been to use Elise Newman, a fellow MoM and travel agent. We've enjoyed her service (paid by the retailer, not by the consumer) so much, we're using her to book a trip for us this fall. Elise has given me permission to list her contact information here, so if you are thinking about any travel plans, save yourself some research and call Elise at 713-432-9203 or email her at ehnewman at swbell dot net.
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Blurring the lines of our routine – the whole series:
Part V: Amusement Parks, Delayed Naps, and driving during bedtimePart IV: Late dinners out and early evening birthday parties
Part III: A trip to the beach (sort of)
Part II: Long trip to the zoo and lunch out.
Part I: Pushing back bedtime and toddler negotiating 101
Reader Comments (2)
I love Lost Pines. I went there for a girls' weekend last year, and I kept thinking how awesome it would be for our family. Thanks for the tip on the travel agent!
That photo of Harper and Mateo in the pool? That right there is why you have two. That photo says it all! They are sooooooooo precious!