Stay-cation!

We’re now less than a week to the big Moving Day and we finally started to get serious about packing the house up. The stress has been a nearly palpable thing, and this has led to some of the kids just breaking down into tears at random times. All the school stuff is packed up so they spend their days being bored and fighting with each other.

And I’ve been so focused on holding it all together emotionally and financially while Lars goes back and forth to Vernal.

We’re all exhausted.

We desperately needed some fun.

So Lars and I spent a few days last week conspiring about a possible super secret stay-cation for our family. We wanted to pull one over on the kids, but it’s hard to do because they’re always with us. Lars ended up booking us a room at a hotel in the Salt Lake area with a pool, water slide, and splash pad – all indoors.

Friday morning, I packed up our bags without the kids noticing, and Lars took down the pack-and-play when he came home for lunch. We threw it all out our bedroom window and Lars picked it all up and put it in the back of the car. We told the kids that we were going to Salt Lake for piano lessons that afternoon.

The kids had NO idea at all. They didn’t get suspicious when Lars ran into the lobby to check us in. They didn’t ask questions when we started to get out of the car at the hotel. It didn’t click with any of them until we started to hand them their bags out of the back of the car. Then they freaked. It was so fun to see their expressions and reactions! It was fun to laugh and be happy again!

We dumped our stuff in the room and headed for the pool. Lucy loved the little splash pad portion. It was shallow enough for her to run around and “schwim”.

Gavin didn’t like any of it at all. Poor little guy shook the whole time. At one point, I thought it was because he might be cold (the pool was heated, but you never know!) so I took him out of his little tube and held him so that more of his body was in the warm water. He still shook and whimpered. He lasted a little while, but I finally took him out so we could sit together and watch the rest of the family.

Bethany spent most of the time playing water basketball with some other kids her age. Max found a little friend and they went down the slide over and over and over. Livy was everywhere. She would spend some time on the slide and then go sit in the hot tub. She would play with Lu on the splash pad and then go sit in the hot tub. Then she would swim around in the deep pool – and then go sit in the hot tub. She’s a funny little thing.

We took a break for dinner. We ordered pizza and hot wings from the concessions in the hotel and just ate in the room. After dinner, we headed for the arcade, where I beat Lars at air hockey and schooled my kids on the old pinball machine. I’m not as good as my dad, but I’ve got some skills!

The kids wanted to go swimming again after we were done playing in the arcade. Lars took the older kids and Lucy while Gavin and I hung back and played in the room.

I got these pics with Instagram right before they went down for the night swimming.

The next morning, Lars took the kids back to the pool while Gavin and I cleaned up the room and got ready for check-out.

It was only overnight, but I’m so glad we were able to have some family play time! It was so needed.