Thoughts on Vacation, Part 2

I didn't really know why I had so many misconceptions about how our vacation was going to go. And as I think through my thoughts and as I write them down, it seems like I'm giving the impression that I didn't have a good time.

This is not the case. I had a wonderful time on vacation.

Now that I have said that, what is it with the sand that is so enjoyable?


I mean, it's dirty, it's gritty, it's clingy, and it reaches down in the farthest of crooks, crevices, and cankles of the human body making it impossibly difficult to thoroughly clean. Yet one of the greatest attractions of the beach is the sand. I can't tell you how many times I've heard it said "Oh, I can't wait to feel the sand between my toes!".

Really? You really like to feel dirty grit between your toes?

I honestly didn't realize I had an aversion to sand until my kids (and hubs) began to love playing in it.



Or eating it, in the case of my youngest.



One thing I was looking forward to was building sand castles with my kids. I remember making drip castles for hours whenever we went to the beach as children. But every attempt to make a castle was pretty much in vain since my children took great joy in stomping upon every sand mound created by a bucket or other castle-building accoutrement. The kids are still young (I reminded myself) and at least their merriment was encouraged around our sand hole, but we had to be very watchful of the other families whose children actually liked to watch a castle get shaped and developed.



So, I'm not a big fan of sand as a Mommy. I didn't know that until we went to the beach. We did lots of sweeping in the condo, lots of towel laundry, lots of hair-rinsing, and lots of shaking-out-of-sand-from-the-bathing-suits. For some reason, I didn't remember this aspect of the beach. But, I guess it didn't bother me in the past since I wasn't the one cleaning it up.

This was the first time I was a Mommy at the beach.

Vacation - Part 3

"It was shortly after the kids went to bed when Patrick noticed the rash."

We left off from my last post talking about the quasi-successful day at Dollywood with the kids. It was hot, though not terribly hot. I'd say it was around 85 degrees. Ok, that's hot when you're toting around a 20+ lb baby.

Anyway, Patrick started noticing a rash developing on this legs when we got back to the hotel on Wednesday afternoon. It was more noticeable on Thursday morning, but still not too bad. He had gotten these rashes before when we had vacationed in the Caribbean back in '03 and '08. We had not yet determined the cause of the rash, though heat and humidity were both suspects. But, the '03 and '08 rashes were not fun - not fun at all: a red, itchy rash covering him from head to toe. So when we saw the beginning stages on Wednesday, I was concerned about Patrick and new what we would most likely be dealing with. He was concerned, but excited about trying Dollywood again. So, we pressed forward with our plan and left for D-ville.


We arrived at an earlier time and avoided the train like the plague. We took them right to the water area of Dollywood and let them get soaked. They ran around like banchies on Halloween, happy to be free of the heat and soothed by the cool waters. Mallory and Patrick went on the log flume ride while Ethan had a ball in the play area adjacent to the flumes. There were a few other children there, but he tromped around like he owned the joint.


And Evan just zonked.

I must say, a woman must have designed this little play area because it was adorned with huge fans blowing shaded air into the heat of the play area. It was refreshing and it helped ease the sweat drips that were trickling down my back.

We later took the kids to the kiddy rides and they had a blast. There were no lines and there were a few rides they could go on by themselves. We also took several turns on the carousel. All the while, I kept glancing at Patrick's arms and legs, noticing the redness spreading. He said he didn't feel it and was having a great time. Hmm. I didn't believe him.



I have to say that Dollywood had a very nice nursing room for moms like me who were a walking grocery store. Though I know a lot of moms who don't mind whipping out the milk section in public, I'm just not that kinda girl so I was very thankful for the privacy. The room was very small but had A/C and a comfy chair. I just tried not to think about how many sweaty bums and backs that have graced that chair...

After a great day at Dollywood, the kids were hot and tired and very excited to ride their most favorite ride of the day: the tram! Who woulda thought that the tram would be the best ride? At least they weren't fighting to leave. They like Dollywood, but the REALLY liked the hotel. But before we went back to Hotel Heaven, we stopped at the nearest pharmacy for some calamine lotion for that mystery rash that was now very, very evident on Patrick's body. When we got back to the hotel, there were naps all around then pool time. We decided not to take the kids out to dinner because we didn't want to spend a ton of money on food that the kids wouldn't eat. We decided to just pick up whatever they wanted and eat at the hotel. Mallory asked for a biscuit and Ethan asked for sausage so Bojangles it was. And they were happy. Like banchies on Halloween.



My husband still hadn't applied the calamine lotion and Patrick was redder than a ripe cherry. It was not a pretty site. I scratched my leg subconsciously.

After the kids went to bed and Patrick took a shower, we covered him in pink calamine lotion. He was itching to high heaven, though the calamine helped relieve some of his discomfort. Thankfully, he slept very well that night while I tossed and turned, dreaming about mosquitoes attacking my body and sweaty nursing chairs.

The next morning, we considered going back to Dollywood before heading home, but I insisted Patrick try to get an appointment with a doctor back home. It was a holiday weekend and I knew that he wouldn't be able to see someone until the following Tuesday. He said that he felt OK, but he was going to take a shower to see what his rash really looked like under the pink calamine hue. After the shower, he felt miserable.

He called the dermatologist, who was not able to see him. So then he called his usual doctor, who was able to fit him in at 2pm. We packed up the hotel room, snapped a few pictures of this beloved little space and headed home. I drove while Patrick itched. And itched. And itched some more. I scratched my chin subconsciously.


The doctor told Patrick that he had some kind of reaction to the sun and the rash would linger for a week. She gave him a shot in the bum of some steroids, which helped alleviate his misery to just being uncomfortable. In our talking, pondering, questioning and wondering about this rash, we think it's a combination of cheap hotel soap and the sun. He takes the same care of his skin at home like he does on vacation and it's not like we live in a cool climate (though cooler than some) so it can't be JUST heat. The biggest difference between home life and vacation life is the soap. That's my theory, at least.

Anyway, we had a great time despite the rash. We're planning another trip in August/September and I know that I have to take great care in choosing the location since our kids LOVED the hotel. There is no sense in spending tons of money on the other thrills of vacationland since our kids would just be content in a hotel room.

Vacation #1 down and a whole lifetime of more to come!!!

I'll just remember to bring our own soap.

Vacation - Part 2

Our second full day in Pigeon Forge started out on the wrong foot. And if any of you have traveled with small children you may already know that if the day starts out bad, it will probably be like that all day, which was true in our case except for one or two little gems along the way.

We stayed at All Seasons Suites, which was right off of Dollywood Lane. Our hotel room was situated very nicely for a family of 5 on a budget. The hotel was ranked #7 on tripadvisor.com, though now it looks like it's #8. With a brazillion places to stay in the Pigeon Forge area, I really wanted to find a place that was recommended. I had some specifics I needed met and did a lot of research to figure out what kind of place would suit our needs. Some of our needs/wants were:
1. Close proximity to Dollywood
2. A room with a kitchen (or at least a fridge w/ freezer)
3. A separate bedroom
4. Free breakfast
5. A nice pool

And even though I've stayed in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge at least 15 times, I've usually stayed at the same place, give or take a time or two. I would have loved to stay here again, but the hotel wasn't close to Dollywood and if we had a room with a fridge/freezer we'd be paying like $200 a night. So, hence my research. The place we found met almost all of our needs/wants. The place was a little dated and the bed was VERY firm, but all in all it was a nice place, very clean and it was extremely convenient (Food City was about a half a mile down the road!). That all said, Evan was sleeping in a pack n' play that we moved from room to room depending on whether or not he was taking a nap (bedroom) or was down for the night (living room w/ the kids). Ethan and Mallory shared the pull-out sofa bed. They all did pretty well with the arrangement, though I don't know what I would have done if I didn't bring my noise-maker alarm clock with me for Evan's sake! Evan slept through LOTS of digitized thunderstorms!!!

The night before our trip to Dollywood, Ethan woke up about 4 times throughout the night and the last time I just let him stay in bed with us (around 4am). Ethan is a pretty loud sleeper as well as a roly poly, so needless to say, I didn't go back to sleep. Then Evan woke up at 5am and chose to be up for the day. So, I attempted to transfer Mallory into the bedroom so Evan could be awake without disturbing her. Well, the transfer failed. We were all up at 5:30.

Needless to say, it was a crazy morning. With crazy kids.

We headed off to Dollywood and got there with everyone else who was going to the park that day. Lots of people. Everywhere. And it was hot, though not as hot as going in July or August, I suppose, so I shouldn't complain too much. We swapped out our online-passes to our real season passes once in the park and made a bee-line for the steam train.

Why, you may ask? We had been talking up the steam train to Ethan quite a bit during the days leading up to vacation. Ethan was very excited about riding a steam train. Evan was really tired and I figured it would be a good opportunity for him to nap during the 30-minute train ride and I could sit down while holding him (he's a bigg'un). Patrick suggested we ride in the front so Ethan could see the engine. So, we board with great anticipation for our ride.

Then the whistle blew.

LOUDLY.

And guess what? Evan didn't like it one bit. Cried. Cried and cried. Like a baby (go figure).

And guess what again? Ethan didn't like it either. He covered his eyes and ears, buried his head in Daddy's chest and was still as a toad playing dead. Who's idea was this to ride in the FRONT? Right next to the whistle? I shouldn't give Patrick a hard time, though, 'cause I thought it was a great idea, too. At first.

And guess what AGAIN? We had to endure the screaming baby and the scared toddler for the entire ride because the nice Mr. Conductor-man wasn't going to stop the train for anyone.

Welcome to Dollywood.





Thankfully the Merry-go-round was a hit.




As well as the flying elephants.

That's all we really had time for, since the kids were tired (from the crazy morning) and hot and sweaty. We had planned to go back the next day, so we didn't mind cutting the afternoon short. We all needed rest!

I took Evan in the pool in the afternoon while the kids slept, after which we headed out to dinner at one of my favorites, Applewood.


The kids were OK, but they just don't like going out to eat, mainly because they are not used to the food, I would say. I usually get "intense", which is a nice way of putting it, when the kids don't eat while we're out. If I learn to iron out my wadded panties, I think I'd have a better time. One day I will, but it will most likely be when all of my children are NOT UNDER THE AGE OF 4!

We did get a picture in front of the gazebo (or "gazoober", as Mallory called it).

Everyone was much happier when we headed back to the hotel per Mallory's PERSISTENT requests. On a side note, she asked to go back to the hotel every time we left the hotel (no joke). She liked the hotel. A lot.

After some pool time, the kids hit the hay. They were pooped.

It was shortly after the kids went to bed when Patrick noticed the rash.

Vacation - Part 1

We had the blessing of being able to get away as a family last week for some fun in Pigeon Forge, TN. This was the first time we had ever taken a vacation, other than going to my parents, his parents or some other family member. Patrick and I didn't know what to expect so we left without expectations and hoped for the best. All in all, we had a great time!

We left on Monday after we had lunch. I had scheduled a well-visit for Mallory and Evan several months ago that I wanted to keep, so Daddy kept Ethan while I went to the DR with Mal and Evan. Mallory asked all morning when it was time to leave for vacation and I kept having to tell her to have patience! After lunch, Patrick loaded down the car, which was too "loaded down" since we packed pretty efficiently even though I'd never had to pack for a trip without an accessible washer and dryer! We had 3 suitcases filled to the brim and 5 boxes of diapers, food, and other necessities to make it through the week. We didn't bring ANY toys for Mal and Ethan - just Evan. When I had completed my vacation shopping, I was looking for what to buy for the kids to entertain them while in the hotel room. I looked at Leapsters and a few other electronic toys that I just felt were too pricey for the annoyance they would be to us in a small hotel room. So after searching, I found 2 really cute backpacks that lit up when you moved. And since my older two have become VERY interested in Dora, I thought they would like a backpack with a map. Inside the backpack, I put coloring books, crayons, new color wonders, a new toothbrush, a slinky (thanks Kelly) and then anything else they wanted to bring (which they chose their Doggies, of course, flags (Mallory is still obsessed with her flags), and cars). They were a hit! I drew up a map for them both from the house to VACATION and their little imaginations just took over. Success!


I could write a book about each and every day and our experiences of each novelty the children experienced, but for the sake of length and time, I'll tell the remainder of our story thorough pictures. I have a friend on Facebook who said that over the course of her vacation, there were several mobile upload moments but now that she's posting pictures she has nothing clever to say. I feel that way, but here goes nothin'...

On Tuesday morning, we took the kids into Gatlinburg. Since our children are up EARLY, we arrived about 8:30, parked and explored the quaint little shopping area in G-burg called "The Village". For those who don't know, my family and I went to the 'burg a lot growing up and have MANY pictures of us in front of this fountain in the village. It was super cool for me to get a picture of my kids here.


Next, it was off to the Aquarium. We were some of the first people to arrive and practically had the place to ourselves for about an hour when more people started coming in. My kids had a GREAT time (though Mallory kept wanting to go back to the hotel. She LOVED the hotel)


As you notice, they were more interested in the fish than the camera. Didn't they realized we were just trying to make some memories?!?!?


Nice little fishy


"Want to hold it" - Mallory


This picture about sums up my life with Ethan. Fun, exciting, full of life, mischievous, dare I say more?


This was taken by a kind bystander in the shark tunnel. This is actually a very good picture...


We visited the Smokey Mountain Candy Factory after lunch at the Pancake Pantry. The kids selected these suckers, though I don't really think they needed ANY MORE SUGAR but how can you resist a kid in a candy store?


After the Aquarium and a nap (a much NEEDED nap) we took the kids to Calhoun's for dinner. Patrick had been to one in Knoxville and was very excited about going. I don't think I had ever seen him eat so much food...or maybe I have and just wasn't paying attention. Anyway, Evan was able to even enjoy some ribs. Like father like son...


That about sums up our first full day in Pigeon Forge. So, how about I break this post up into a series, huh? Or I'll NEVER get done...

Preperations

OK, so it's been a week since I've blogged (sigh). I can't seem to keep up.

BUT, we do have lots of fun stuff happening over the next few weeks. Patrick will be on vacation next week and we're taking the kids on our first family vacation - Gatlinburg! We have season passes to Dollywood now! We'll hit D-wood for 2 days, the aquarium and other happening places that Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have to offer. This will be our first extended hotel stay, too. It should be an adventure!

So, for those of you who have experience in hotel stays with your kiddos, is there anything you recommend that I bring? We'll have a 1-bedroom suite with a microwave, full-sized fridge and sink. We'll have breakfast provided in the mornings. Is there any good travel toys you recommend? We're looking forward to the adventure!

The week after we get back, VBS starts. YEA! I'm teaching the 4-year-olds this year and I'm very excited about the Egypt theme as we're delving into the life of Joseph. My neighbor is going to help out with Evan until Daddy gets home; I have to be at church by 5pm and VBS doesn't end until 9. I think Evan will be much happier at home with Daddy. Then after that, summer is in full swing! I'm excited about the coming weeks!

Oh, Bahamas, how I miss thee!

A year ago, I headed to the Bahamas with my bestie. What a wonderful trip! As she is immersed in finals this week (hopefully is done by now...) and as I'm accutely reminded that I have 3 small little ones to care for, we are light years away from another vac-A like this one. Well, seemingly light years because we WILL do this again. We WILL. We WILL.

Soon.