Going on vacation when you are a mom of two toddlers is not really a vacation...it's a business trip. I think I am still recovering. Needless to say, it was exhausting, but it was filled with memories we will never forget. And, because my memory has gotten worse since I became a mom, I figured I better blog about it before I forget.
Day 1: Friday, February 25th
Today, my hubby turned 30. It was probably not his favorite birthday though, because he was still getting over a nasty cold. Seriously, I've never seen him so sick with a cold before. He even came home early from work one day and slept the rest of the day, only waking up for dinner. We woke up this morning and packed up to leave by 9 am so we could stop for lunch and pick up my cousin at work so she could drop us off at the airport. Poor Ted had to take a nap before we even left and, while our little ones played in the play area at the airport, he sat in a chair and closed his eyes. I was fighting off a bit of a cold too, but, thankfully, it wasn't as bad as it could have been before my sinus surgery. The first few hours of the flight went really well. I sat with Almanzo on my lap and Ted and Valerie sat in the seats behind us. I packed plenty of toys and snacks to keep them entertained, but eventually they were both so tired because it was way past nap time. The last part of the plane ride was not what I would ever call fun, because the kids were crying and whining and refusing to nap. Finally, I handed Almanzo to Ted and the kids quieted down when they could play with each other. When the plane started to descend, however, we all started to notice the pressure in our ears. Since my head was congested, the pressure got so bad I thought I was going to pass out. By the time we landed, I was in tears and couldn't hear at all our of my right ear. My ear finally popped when I blew really hard while holding onto my nose, but it hurt a lot for the rest of the weekend.
Dave met us at the airport and we loaded all our stuff plus the kids and I in his car while Ted took the shuttle to the rental car place. After Ted got the rental car, Dave led the way to the house where the bachelorette party for Cherylyn was starting. When we arrived, I was so nervous I thought I was going to puke. I didn't know anyone at the party except Cherylyn and it had been a long time since I'd seen her in person. Ted knocked on the door a few minutes after I arrived because he forgot something in the rental car and I ran out to open it for him. He prayed with me and reassured me it would be okay. I felt a little better, but didn't finally relax until we got to dinner and I started talking with Cherylyn and her friends. In the end, I had a great time getting to know some of Cherylyn's friends and enjoyed a delicious dinner too. Two of her friends dropped me back off at the rental car after dinner and I drove the rental car to Dave's house. I didn't get there until almost midnight and was a little freaked out when I saw a raccoon run across his driveway, but thankfully I made it safely and slept well the rest of the night.
Day 2: Saturday, February 26th
I was thankful the kids both slept through the night, because I was exhausted after a busy day of traveling the day before. After eating breakfast, I made a list and headed to the nearest grocery store to stock up on food for the next few days until my mother in law arrived. Then, we packed up our rental car and Dave's car for the bike race on Sunday. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive, so we decided to go there on Saturday so they could pre-ride the course and then we stayed at a hotel for the night. The kids and I slept for half of the ride there, so I was feeling really well rested by the time we arrived at the race course. While Ted and Dave pre-rode the course, the kids and I walked around and played. It felt SO good to be outside in sandals, shorts, and a t-shirt in February with the sun shining down on us. When Ted and Dave were finished pre-riding the course, we headed to the hotel and reheated the chicken and rice dinner I had made earlier. By about 9, the kids were getting tired, so we all got ready for bed. Dave had brought his cot, so we set it up between the two double beds for Valerie to sleep on while Almanzo slept in the pack n play. The sleeping arrangement worked out really well, because Ted could reach over and comfort Valerie if she woke up and she felt safe enough to sleep well all night. Almanzo, however, didn't want to stay in his bed all night. He ended up in our bed several times and then was wide awake before 7.
Day 3: Sunday, February 27th
After eating breakfast and packing everything up for race day, we headed back to the race course. While Ted and Dave did a warm up ride before the race, the kids and I found a fun tree swing to play in. When the race started, we found a shady spot in the "feed zone" to sit and wait for water bottle hand ups. Valerie was really excited when she saw Ted come racing around and starting yelling "Ted!" (because no matter how much we correct her she still calls him "Ted"). Sometime during the second lap, Dave walked over to us carrying his bike. He was disappointed to not finish the race, because his bike broke. I asked him how Ted was doing and he said, "Not good." Poor Ted was still not feeling well, but managed to still finish the race. Not quite the race day adventure we were hoping for, but we still enjoyed being there and experiencing a Texas mountain bike race on a real live ranch.
After the race, we drove for about an hour before stopping for dinner at a Mexican restaurant (because you can't go to Texas without eating Mexican food!). When we finally got back to Dave's house, Cherylyn joined us for dessert and champagne. We enjoyed a little movie date watching Iron Man after the kids had gone to bed. It was fun to have some time to spend together with Dave and Cherylyn before the chaos of all the wedding festivities began.
Day 4: Monday, February 28th
Today, we drove into San Antonio to help Cherylyn with a bunch of pre-wedding stuff. Ted, Dave, and Valerie took Dave's car to their church where Cherylyn works to load up with tables and chairs for the rehearsal dinner while Almanzo and I took our rental car to the grocery store to pick up a few things for the rehearsal dinner meal. We all met up at the church and then drove over to the gym where Cherylyn works. While they loaded up with a few more things, the kids enjoyed running around in the gym. Next, we went to Cherylyn's apartment to pack up her couch and a bunch of her kitchen supplies. Once everything was loaded up, we stopped for lunch at Which Wich (a delicious little sandwich shop) before heading back to Dave's house. Cherylyn had to finish up a few errands, but joined the kids and I in the evening while she was babysitting her nephew and the guys headed over to Dave's bachelor party for the evening.
Day 5: Tuesday, March 1st
Today, we decided to go over to the gym where Cherylyn works so the kids could run around and play during their preschool play time. They had a blast and I visited with Cherylyn a little bit while Ted played with them and Dave ran a quick errand. For lunch, we ate some leftovers from the weekend and then headed to the zoo while Cherylyn finished up her last day of work before the wedding. The kids loved seeing all the animals at the zoo. It was so fun to see Valerie's reactions, because she's been learning all about animal names and sounds lately. She especially loved walking around with her uncle Dave and even riding on his shoulders for a little while. After a while, Almanzo was so tired and crabby we decided it was time to leave. The kids fell asleep almost instantly when we got then buckled into their car seats again and we enjoyed a quiet drive back to Dave's house. That night, Cherylyn came over again after work and visited for a little while before leaving with Dave to go pick up his family from the train station.
