Journey to the Knot

Sunday, June 21, 2015

San Antonio Trip

Thursday afternoon, we left for our first family road trip - our first trip ever as a family. Quinn has never been out of town at all, and it was his first time to stay at a hotel, too. It was a great trip, all-in-all. I had been wanting to go to San Antonio for a while because I knew the boys would love Sea World. It also worked to our benefit that Quinn gets in free because he's under 2, Banner got in free with a Preschool Pass, and I got in free with a Teacher Pass. Sam was the only one we had to pay for - and with his Texas bar discount, we got him a ticket + all day dining for only $74. We just had to take advantage of this great deal!

So, as I was saying, Thursday afternoon, we left for San Antonio. The trip took about an hour more than it should have because we got caught in horrible stand-still traffic about an hour and a half in to the drive. Quinn had fallen asleep - and slept for about 45 minutes before we were just parked on the highway. He woke up once the car stopped, so I think he sensed that we weren't moving anymore. Unfortunately, our plans to eat dinner on the Riverwalk or maybe take a riverboat were out since we arrived too late in the evening. So, we headed straight for the hotel (Omni Hotel) after picking up a quick bite to eat in the car. These boys were so giddy in the hotel room. Quinn really liked being there - and he copied every silly thing Banner did. They were bouncing on the beds, climbing on and off of them, then running around naked before bath. It was hilarious and so cute.

The next day, we were up early and went to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Then, we headed to Sea World. Unfortunately, it was raining, but we stuck it out and it let up shortly after we arrived. It would sprinkle from time to time, but mostly, it was clear, thank goodness. :)

Ready for our fun day - waiting for the first show ("Pets Ahoy") to begin

Clyde & Seamore

Quinn adores Elmo and Abby - but he was a little overwhelmed and cried on the stage with them!

One of my favorite moments, though, was after Quinn got off the stage from crying and he wanted to just stare at these characters. He kept waving to his "friends" saying, "Hi, Elmo!" "Hi, Abby!" "Hi, Ernie." And he couldn't make himself leave! It was precious. It kind of broke my heart as a parent, though, to see him so scared of them up so close but to desperately want their attention. He had a hard time walking away and then kept waving goodbye to each of them. Sweet Abby was waving to him and that made it harder for him to leave. I kind of wanted to let him stay in that moment forever too!

But, it was on to other things. This was Quinn's first ride, and then they played more at the Bay of Play before eating lunch at Rosita's Cafe. SO FUN!

Then, we went to another show, Azul:

In the splash zone, but hiding under Mommy's rain coat!

Next, the boys played at the Bay of Play splash area for a bit before we took a break for an ice cream snack. I couldn't get enough of the giggles and sweet smiles I was seeing!

And, then we were ready for more splash park fun! More giggles, squeals, and getting drenched!

The water was pushing his trunks down, and he'd run over to us and say, "Look at my tushy!"

And, then, one last show: One Ocean. We finally saw Shamu... well, all of us but Quinn. He passed out before the show even started.

Then, we saw the penguin encounter, the alligator exhibit, and fed some fish. And, then, we decided to head home. It was going to be dinner time soon, and we had put in 7 1/2 hours, and we were exhausted.

Negotiating when it will be his turn again with the bubble gun.

That evening, we stopped in to Mama Margie's for a quick Mexican dinner and then headed back to the hotel for a much needed night's rest. The next morning, Saturday, we wanted to stop by the Alamo before leaving San Antonio. I showed a couple videos to the boys before we got there so at least Banner could try to understand what we were seeing. He was interested in the guns and swords and knives we saw. Then, we headed to Austin to see our friends, Scott & Bertina, to have lunch with Uncle Trey, and to see his brand new store, Room 5 - very impressive!

And that was that! A successful trip! I had a lot of fun, and just like after most trips I take, I was sad it was over. The weather could have been better, and some of the places we were excited about at Sea World were closed for renovations (like Dolphin Cove where you can feed fish to the dolphins and the Coral Reef exhibit), but we got over that pretty quickly and enjoyed the places and sights that were available. The boys did great - got along wonderfully (except immediately after we bought them only one Shamu bubble gun!) and seemed to truly enjoy each other. I'm really proud of us for finally taking a trip with the boys and getting out of our comfort zone. I'm proud of us for being in the moment, for knowing our limits and how to best plan this trip, and for enjoying it! Can't wait to do it again!

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Camp Mommy: Weeks 1-2

Two years ago, I decided I needed structure and organization for how I would survive the summer with a toddler. Banner had just turned 2, I was pregnant with Quinn, and I needed lots of activities that we could try out to get out of the heat, to spend some quality time together, to get out of the house, and to give Banner some really great experiences before he started school that year. I decided to call it "Camp Mommy" and to invite some friends who had around the same age as Banner. Then, last year, we continued "Camp Mommy" but it was more limited since Quinn was pretty young and Banner was in camp 3 days a week.

Now that Quinn is ready to experience some more exciting things and really needs the stimulation, he deserves his own Camp Mommy! So, this summer, we have some amazing things planned! We've already had 2 weeks of great activities, and I'm really having a great time. These busy days certainly help me feel less frustrated and bored without a good plan. It's just how I function - I need a solid plan, and it helps keep me accountable for how we spend our days!

So, here's what we've been doing these past couple of weeks:

The first week, Banner was with us for all the events since he wasn't in camp yet. The first week was so much fun, I almost decided not to put Banner in camp for a while because we were all having a blast together. But, he needs time with friends and away from us for a bit, so I didn't follow through. But, it was tempting.

We kicked off Camp Mommy with a visit to Celebration Park. I love this place because the kids can play on a regular playground and then hop over a small divider to the splash pad to cool off. They can go back and forth and really enjoy their time. Unfortunately, Quinn was feeling pretty crummy that day, so he just kept saying "Car. Go. Bye-Bye." Poor guy just wanted me to hold him, but I think he would have liked it if he were feeling better. We had several friends and some cousins meet us up at the park, and then we had lunch at Chick-fil-A with Levi & Luca.

The next day was Banner's birthday, and since Quinn was still feeling pretty icky, Logan and Landry picked Banner up for a special birthday play date at Lil Ninjas. It was their first time there, and I'm certain we will be back! I'm bummed I didn't get to go, and that I didn't get to feel it out for myself, but Logan's videos were greatly appreciated. Of course, that night, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's with the family for Banner's birthday.

On Wednesday, Banner had his well check, and Quinn had a sick visit to the doctor. So, that morning was booked with doctor stuff. But, that afternoon, after napping at Grandma's house, I took the boys to Campbell Green for some splash park fun. Levi, Luca, Ryan, and Levi came too, and the big boys had fun with water balloons!

This boy was EXHAUSTED on our way home!

On Thursday, we went to the mall playground, ate lunch at the food court, and caught the beginning of the Bubble Man's presentation. The boys weren't interested much, so we headed home for Quinn's nap time. Later that night, I think Banner's big weekend in Minnesota caught up with him, or the exhaustion of the summer heat - or both, because instead of managing a bite at dinner, he was dozing off at the table. I just swooped him up, gave him a speedy bath, got him ready for bed, and he was out by 6:30 (and woke up at 7:15 the next morning)!

Summer getting to him already!

Friday was probably our most favorite day of the week - which is a big deal because we had a lot of fun the whole week! We ventured down town to Klyde Warren Park to play in the children's park where the boys could splish, splash, spin, and climb all over the beautiful playground. Quinn seemed to love it there, and Banner was having fun with "Big Levi." Then, we bought lunch from the food trucks, sat down to eat, got caught in a refreshing drizzle of a random raincloud, made a huge mess with snow cones and ice cream, and then went to the DMA children's area before heading home. Such a blast of a day!

Little daredevil. . . I had to grab him immediately after this pic was taken!

After a fabulous birthday weekend, Banner started camp during our second week of summer. So, Quinn and I had some fun at Sense-Able Gym, at library story time, at an impromptu play date with Luca at Grandma's house, a play date at Play Street, and our first My Gym class of the summer (which both of us LOVED and can't wait to go back!!). Then, Thursday of Week 2, we were off to San Antonio for a big adventure to Sea World and the Alamo.