We lucked into a weekend away at the Horseshoe Bay Resort in the Texas Hill Country.
While I was exhausted going up on Friday (my 5 am flight in from Minneapolis was killer), Saturday was perfect.
I’m only now learning something about traveling with my kids. I think I’m late to the game because we rarely take the kids anywhere besides the farm and the ranch. It takes 24 hours to get to bliss.
Have you parents found this? The travel is painful. The adjustment can be brutal as well.
We drove four hours straight and arrived at the resort for a late lunch. The kids were bouncing off the walls after being cooped up. And they’re past naps but still get tired, so they were cranky. By the time we arrived for the group dinner, Bray and I were both rethinking our summer vacation plans. If we can’t survive 24 hours away with the trio, then how will we survive a week?
But Saturday morning arrived! Everyone slept well Friday night and awoke ready to explore and swim. Despite the gloomy forecast, it never did rain, and the sun even beamed its lovely rays all Saturday afternoon.
Saturday was bliss.
After a big breakfast, we all five settled in down at the pool which was empty at such an early hour (they are EARLY risers). They ran from big pool to splash pool to hot tub without taking a breath. The boys decided to head down to the marina and rent a jet ski while little bit and I hung out with a girlfriend of mine for a few more hours until it was time to eat yet again…
The boys bounded into lunch with tall tales of speeding jet skis and near misses, and everyone’s words and laughter jumbled over each other’s. Then miracles of miracles, all FIVE of us napped. I am nap resistant. Naps theoretically sound amazing, but I never can sleep in daylight. And the kids have long passed naps. But we were all sundrained and found an early afternoon two hours to recharge. Ahhhhhhhh. (When was the last time you napped? It IS all it’s cracked up to be.)
Then little bit and I went down to the beach where we met up with a newfound friend of hers, the seven year old daughter of a friend of mine. Then of course more swimming. Oh yes we did live at the pool Saturday. The boys, on the other hand, couldn’t resist another hour on the jet skis. This time the lake was more crowded and Bray was a little more nervous, but all survived in one piece and ready to join us swimming.
In the evening, the event planner brought in “kid care center” workers and activities for dinner which meant the kids were all occupied with lots of fun projects while the grown ups actually got to sit down, have a drink, and catch up with one another.
The five of us wandered down to the beach after dinner to take in the water at twilight.
By bedtime, I’d completely unwound from the manic week. Little bit came in and crinkled up her cute nose to tell me she loved me and to have me help her spell out some words. When I went to get up to grab a pen, she held me at bay and whispered, “they’re writing on your mother’s day card, you can’t go in!!!” Once I made it in to the living area, the baby said, “you’ll never guess what I’m sitting on.” All of them looked like the cat that ate the canary because they were being so stealth in hiding my Mother’s Day card 🙂
This is the best gift ever. Their joy in writing me messages of love and keeping everything hidden for this morning. Our full day together of fun and sun and nowhere to be but with one another. Moments together and apart with no agenda and unexpected sunshine. A wonderful Mother’s Day away.
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