Toddler Travel

So. Our first hotel stay with two toddlers.

We started the hotel experience early on, Luke was about 7 weeks old when we took him down to Norfolk for a Rugby tournament. We did the travel while pregnant and with a baby thing. We did the travel with a baby and a toddler thing.

Now? Two toddlers. I was apprehensive.

I was nervous about the sleeping thing. Luke is in a bed, and Julia in a crib. Gone are the easy days of co-sleeping. We got two attached rooms ~ One for the kids and one for us. Jules goes to bed at 7 and Luke at 7.30. I didn't know how it was going to go with not being able to read to Luke in his bed like we do at home. I just could not picture it all. Motherhood is SUCH a constant learning process. Just when you think that you have things "figured out" things change.

We left on Wed, right at nap time, and the kids slept the entire way down. We took them to Nate's office to see everyone, then on to the hotel where we hit the pool. The pool was the other thing that I had worried about. Traditional lap pool type pools are impossible for me right now alone with the kids. I didn't realize that Landsowne had put in a whole new pool area, with several pools, and even a part with a beach like entrance, that was pure heaven. We fed the kids dinner at the pool, took a walk, and then went up. Got cleaned up and ready for bed and I put down Jules while one of Nate's coworkers arrived to babysit for us while we went out with friends. We came home and Luke was in his bed sound asleep, and both kids slept till well past seven. Again, heaven.

Restaurants have gotten fun these days. Still busy, but fun now as Luke is fully conversational and Jules chimes in with her funny little asides throughout the meal. Way more food goes in their mouths than on the floor. They have become little PEOPLE all of a sudden. THey say please, and thank you, and generally amaze me with how much fun they are. Nate and I kept looking at one another with a bit of astonishment at how generally easy and truly fun it all was. Its nice to step outside of the routine of home and to get to watch your kids experience new things. Its nice to feel as though the hard work of parenting does pay off when you sit around the table as a family laughing your ass off at how cute your kids are being.

Thursday we had breakfast together, then dropped Nate off at work. THe kids and I hit the pool again until noon, when I got them ready for naps, and me ready for golf. I put Jules down as Nate and our friend Sarah showed up ~ Sarah was kind enough to watch the kids for us while we played. We got in a HOT round on a beautiful course, and then met up with Sarah and the kids so that we could get the kids fed. They had a putting green at the resort ~ and we had brought Luke's putter with us, and the kid went NUTS putting. It was like Luke's version of heaven ~ golf balls and holes everywhere. We repeated the routine of the night before, as Caroline was again watching the kids so that we could have dinner with friends. Again, we came home to find Luke safely tucked into his bed and both kids sleeping away in their room.

Today we repeated the morning routine, visited friends, and then went to a burger place before we started the long trek home. Luke looked like such a little man downing down his burger next to his Daddy. The kids slept the whole way home, and I am utterly exhausted.

Travel with two toddlers, check. I've got it all figured out............. until tomorrow, anyway ;)