Our Eternally Ever After: Staycation / Baby's First Time in the Pool :)

Mid July we decided we were going to use a hotel stay that we had purchased way back before I was even pregnant for a steal of a deal ( half price for a King Size Suite) and get out of dodge for awhile. It was already paid for, so we called the hotel up and even though it was from last year they said they'd still honor it. Luckily, Kevin talked to the only working employee who knew about the original deal. It was such a hot month and we were looking forward to cooling off in the pool. A little soak in the hot tub couldn't hurt either. So we set our plan into motion for a lovely little staycation.

We left in the middle of day on Saturday ( 7/16 ) and had a nice lunch together, then hit Walmart for a few supplies, and finally headed to our room. When we checked in, we were so looking forward to relaxing in the air conditioning of our suite ( our car doesn't have A/C), but when we started to get settled in our room we noticed it wasn't getting any cooler. We thought maybe it was a slow process and since we were on the 3rd floor it would just take a little longer to get us all cooled off ( heat rises and all ) but no change. On top of the air conditioning issue, the cable wasn't clear, the bathroom fan didn't work, and we just weren't comfy. So, I sent hubby down to see what was up, while baby girl and I sweated it out on the 3rd floor. I had just finished stocking our mini fridge when Kevin returned and announced "We're moving!" He explained that the room had been out of service since Monday and the other person who had checked us in, must not have known that. So in just a few stroller trips we got settled into our new room. Everything was better there, the a/c, the cable, and there was a bathroom fan. I stocked the mini fridge and K, E, and I headed over to our favorite thrift store ( just up the road) to meet up with grandma Judy ( who had agreed to watch E for a little while when Kevin and I took a soak in the hot tub). We found some fun items, finally came back to the room and ate some dinner ( just subs, fruit, and veggies and chips) and E enjoyed some dinner too. Then, at long last we made our way down to the pool :)

When we arrived we found a mom and dad and their 2 kids, and 3 very unattended kids who were still dressed in their clothing, also the bottom of the pool was littered with coins. Shortly afterwards the parents and kids left and then we were there with the 3 kids flying solo. We layed our stuff down and got baby girl into her pool float and politely asked the kiddos to move so we could get into the pool ( they were on the steps ) but then they decided to leave, leaving behind oodles of change in the bottom of the pool. It was like swimming in a fountain. Kevin quickly gathered as much change as he could in handfuls and surfaced with a 50 cent piece! Score! Once the change was gathered up and safely stowed in our diaper bag we commenced operation cool down.

Ahhhh, the pool was so relaxing and baby girl loved it! She was like a duck to water, splashing and kicking her feet as she floated about in her yellow pool float. We had so much fun! The best part was, we had the pool all to ourselves. Grandma Judy took some videos and each of us took pictures, we swam and floated around and enjoyed the water and then we decided it was time to hit the hot tub. So Grandma and E went up to the room and started on her bedtime routine, while K and I hit the hot tub. Little did we know it was skin melting hot! I winced as I dipped my toe into the water, but Kevin assured me it was fine as he sunk into the water with a jet pelting his back. I tried and tried to get comfy but it was too dang hot! We lasted maybe a 1/2 hour and went back to the room. Grandma had gotten E ready for bed, and she had her bottle and was out. Kevin and I got showered and settled down in the lounge area for some cable TV watching ( we don't have more than a very few channels) so that was something different too.

All in all, it was a great little overnight get away. We missed church the next morning ( only because we have 9 am church ), but enjoyed a complimentary breakfast buffet and gathered up our stuff and headed home. When we got home we hadn't grocery shopped, so our food selection was quite small. We popped some popcorn and enjoyed a lovely rainstorm on the porch as a family. A great end to our little weekend together.

Anyway, that's the story. If you don't want to hear all the specific details, you can skip to the pictures, they tell the story too! In order for me to remember it all though,( in my older than it used to be brain) it helps me to write it down so I can really relive the memories. It was such a great adventure I told Kevin we needed a staycation every year, now to find a really good deal on a hotel again, hmmmmm... I'll keep my eyes open.