We leave in less than three weeks for our annual family vacation–Hubs, myself, our two kids, my brother and his partner, my other brother and my mom.  My mom started this tradition 2 years ago and it’s great.  This will be our 3rd family vacation and I am excited.  We are doing another cruise–which is great.  Cruising with kids is really great because there really is a lot for the kids to do.  Both kids will be old enough to go to camp and the kids can do camp at dinner time–how awesome is that.  The adults can have grown-up dinners in the dinning room.  It seems my husband and I are the only ones who think that is a good idea.  The uncles and grandma want to spend time with the kids as well.  I told my one brother (who lives in Chicago) that we would put the kids in camp at dinner time and he has the nerve to say to me: “Why even bring the kids if they are going to be in camp the whole time.”

This is so easy for those whose kids they aren’t to say and really easy for those who don’t have kids to say.  I love my kids and they are really fun to be around.  But we are the ones who have to parent.  We are the ones who have to take care of and entertain them when every one else is tired of playing with them, wants to do something else, etc.  We plan on taking our kids into port each day we port because it’ll be fun and so everyone else can spend time with them.  But again, they’ll hang with them for an hour or so and then they’ll go off and do other things and it’ll be us and the kids.

I don’t want this to seem like I’m complaining and don’t want to be with my kids.  I love my kids and they really are fun, but they are a lot of work and it would be fun to get to spend a hour or two snorkeling, etc., but those thing have to happen in shifts between Bill and I because while everyone wants to hang out with the kids, no one wants to actually be responsible for them.

I am determined to get to spend a little bit of alone time with my hubs sans children on this trip, regardless of what the uncles want.  But I want to find the balance and enjoy the trip regardless.  Looking forward to Grand Turk and the Bahamas. On a side note–I can’t wait to get Zoë’s hair braided while we are in the islands.

I know…who doesn’t know that.  We took our first driving vacation with both kids this past weekend.  Noah has been on several trips to Chicago/Indiana but Zoë has not.  Zoë hates the car and for the longest time we just didn’t want to subject ourselves to the torture of her screaming, crying, whining, etc.  But now after close to two years home–we decided it was time to take a road trip.  We went to Kansas City for Easter.  Easter is one of those holidays that is often more trouble than it’s worth–parents to see, grandparents, etc.  It is increasingly difficult when your parents are divorced and now you have two sides to see and everyone wants to so something at the same time.  We aren’t a religious family and therefore, so much of what Easter stands for/represents is not part of our celebration.  The kids are young enough that we don’t have to address the actual holiday–we’ll cross that bridge when they start asking–right now it’s about a bunny that brings eggs and candy–even though bunnies don’t lay eggs (Noah is very certain of this).

I had so much fun with on the family vacation.  The drive to Kansas City–nice and easy.  The kids did great.  They loved the pool.  Noah was so excited to see a pool inside.  He has been in pools before but always on vacation and always outside.  He thought this whole indoor pool thing was the coolest thing ever.  We spent a lot of time in the pool.  He is still a bit afraid of the water–but with his water wings he does okay.  He swam by himself (with water wings) for the first time this vacation.  He is a bit of a cautious boy–he will take chances but just seems to know that the water is inherently dangerous.  This is something that he has developed himself.  Zoë on the other hand–wants to jump in and do it all herself.  Noah will be getting swimming lessons this summer at camp and then after that we will sign him up for formal swim lessons along with Zoë.

Looking forward to our next vacation.

We are home for our trip to stay at my MIL’s vacation house in New Hampshire on Newfound Lake.  We had a nice time, but it always a difficult place to be and I have finally figured out why it is difficult.  A little bit of background on this place.  It is just one hour north of Boston where my BIL and his family live.   My MIL bought the house as a place for the family to gather and for her sons to use–mostly my BIL because Hubby lived in California at the time that she bought it and that is where she calls home.  My BIL and his wife have been the ones to take care of the house and for the first may years my MIL rented it out in the summer to help pay for the house–as houses in that area bring in a good deal of money from rental in the summer.  It really is a beautiful place and very nice.  Because of this role of caretaker and the fact that my MIL only comes out an uses the house herself twice a year, my SIL views the house as her own and this is where the issues seem to arise.  I do want to say that I like my SIL.  We talk and are friendly.  We certainly would not be “friends” if we weren’t family, but we are family and we get along just fine.  But she is difficult to live with. There is a power struggle in the house when both my MIL and SIL are there.  It is my MIL’s house but my SIL feels entitled to the house because they do live there all summer and use it nearly every weekend as well.  They have been doing it for nearly 12 years now and it is easy to begin to feel as though it is yours.  It is hard when you are on vacation and others are going about their regular life.  A regular life that is highly regimented and not very relaxing at all.  It does put a bit of a damper on one’s own vaction. I could go on and on, but I won’t.  I am just happy to be at home where I am not under any scruitiny for letting my kids play or for eating my lunch before I wipe up the crumbs from the table, etc.

The kids had a pretty good time.  Noah didn’t quite understand why his cousins–who are 14 and 10–didn’t want to play with him and that caused a few issues for Noah–but he’s a trooper and got over it.  Both kids had a good time and Noah loved spending time with his Grannie Sue.  All in all it was a great trip–I didn’t exercise at all–don’t want to even get on the scale.  I ate pretty good, but I didn’t exercise.

Here are a few pics of the good time that the kiddos had.