In preparation for the upcoming holiday season, Wesley decided that we all needed a break. He booked a hotel in Hendersonville, NC, and planned all sorts of fun things to do. It was a nice change from the typical pre-holiday freak out that we usually experience. We were forced to leave the mess and stress behind.
We arrived around lunch time and checked in to the hotel. Victoria promptly broke in the bed by jumping repeatedly. We then headed downtown to a place called Hands On. Vic got to paint and play dress up and paint, Trev raced cars, and Sophie even found things to play with.
We went to an amazing little Irish pub for lunch in which Sophie attempted to eat Wesley's face:
We also visited the fossil museum, which Victoria so eloquently described as "Booorrringg. We ate German for dinner, and minus a tiny meltdown here and there, the kids were very good all day. We rewarded them with a quick swim in the indoor pool at the hotel. Overall it was a great day.
Then it was time for bed. We had 2 queen beds, so the original plan was for Wesley and me to sleep with the baby in one bed while Trevor and Victoria shared the other. We started out that way, but then Vic wanted to get in the bed with me, so it was the girls in one bed and the boys in the other. Sophie took an insanely long time to fall asleep, especially given the fact that she had only napped for a total of about an hour that day. However, she was the first. Victoria would follow shortly, but before she dozed off, she tossed and turned, rolling into Sophie, so we put Sophie in the bed with Wesley and Trevor. Trevor went to sleep next, followed by me. Wesley stayed awake only to watch Georgia lose to Kentucky. Meanwhile every time Trevor would bump into Sophie, she would scream out, so Trevor ended up in the bed with me and Victoria. At about midnight we realized that there wasn't enough milk for Sophie in case she awakened in the middle of the night, so off to the gas station Wesley went. At that point, we ened up in our final sleeping arrangements- me with the baby, and Wesley with Trevor and Victoria.
I had hoped that once he returned from the gas station and everyone was settled, we would all sleep peacefully. Unfortunately that was not the case. I spent the next 7 hours listening to snoring, coughing, screaming, etc. I was also on pins and needles because I was terrified that Sophie would roll off the bed. I remember thinking at 3:30 a.m. that I couldn't wait for morning to come so we could drive home, and I could get in my own bed.
Every child woke up at 7:30 a.m. on the dot. No sleeping in for us, despite the fact that we were in a pitch-black hotel room. Wesley and I groggily got the kids presentable enough to eat the hotel breakfast. Then we returned to the room, gathered our things, and were on the road by 9:30. Minus the exhaustion, it was a much-needed, much appreciated vacation. It was our first trip with all the kids, and I dare say it was a success.
And now, I must make 48 deviled eggs for Victoria's class lunch, followed by preparing Thanksgiving dinner, then Christmas shopping, decorating, getting Victoria's teeth fixed, and the list goes on and on...