Side note: I am so incredibly thankful for my family who so generously shares with us the opportunity to go with them to the family cottage in the summer so that we can enjoy a vacation with our entire extended family. :)
Early Thursday morning, we threw all of our luggage into the car and made the hour and half drive to Frankenmuth Splash Village. This hotel was amazing. The hotel has an incredible splash pad with water slides and dumping buckets, etc. The splash village had so many components that for the three days we were there we hardly ever stopped swimming and we never got bored.
I of course, having gone to Frankenmuth as a kid wanted to go to the Chicken dinner and walk around in the little shops for a few hours to do some window shopping. Our second day there we dragged the kids out of the pool and all got dressed and went into downtown. The event started off a little rough because the baby was so tired and she kept attempting to crawl out of her stroller. After about 40 minutes of window shopping we decided just to go to dinner because the kids were starting to whine and the baby was hungry.
I have to admit in a perfect world, I would have made it to all the shops and made my kids try the chocolate cheese which tastes terrible. Alas, the kids had different plans so we went straight to dinner.
At dinner the seams started to unravel. Samantha began to cry. She cried at the drop of a hat. If she didn't like what was brought to the table she cried, if a crayon fell on the floor she was distraught, if Phebe even looked at her she had tears streaming down her face. Phebe added to the fun by having an attitude about chicken. If the chicken even dared to touch her plate, she would.... I don't know what would have actually happened if the chicken touched her plate. Claire of course, seized the opportunity to add to the fun. She grabbed anything within a 3 foot radius and chucked it on the floor, or at Bill. She was throwing herself out of the booster seat and climbing the walls of the booth. To top it off Claire got a bloody nose right there at the table.
As you can imagine my rope was unraveling fast. We just wanted to go to one nice dinner. Why were my normally well behaved kids acting like a pack of wild hyenas?
"We just can't have nice things." I said to Bill as I burst out laughing. He responded with something equally as funny and we laughed. How could I not laugh? We had officially hit that point on vacation where the kids are so tired that everything causes a meltdown and all they need is a good nights sleep. We cleaned our stuff up from the table, and went back to the hotel. On our way back, I reveled in the fact that I had now experienced another parenting moment. An important milestone. And I thanked God for giving me the humor to enjoy it.
I of course, having gone to Frankenmuth as a kid wanted to go to the Chicken dinner and walk around in the little shops for a few hours to do some window shopping. Our second day there we dragged the kids out of the pool and all got dressed and went into downtown. The event started off a little rough because the baby was so tired and she kept attempting to crawl out of her stroller. After about 40 minutes of window shopping we decided just to go to dinner because the kids were starting to whine and the baby was hungry.
I have to admit in a perfect world, I would have made it to all the shops and made my kids try the chocolate cheese which tastes terrible. Alas, the kids had different plans so we went straight to dinner.
At dinner the seams started to unravel. Samantha began to cry. She cried at the drop of a hat. If she didn't like what was brought to the table she cried, if a crayon fell on the floor she was distraught, if Phebe even looked at her she had tears streaming down her face. Phebe added to the fun by having an attitude about chicken. If the chicken even dared to touch her plate, she would.... I don't know what would have actually happened if the chicken touched her plate. Claire of course, seized the opportunity to add to the fun. She grabbed anything within a 3 foot radius and chucked it on the floor, or at Bill. She was throwing herself out of the booster seat and climbing the walls of the booth. To top it off Claire got a bloody nose right there at the table.
As you can imagine my rope was unraveling fast. We just wanted to go to one nice dinner. Why were my normally well behaved kids acting like a pack of wild hyenas?
"We just can't have nice things." I said to Bill as I burst out laughing. He responded with something equally as funny and we laughed. How could I not laugh? We had officially hit that point on vacation where the kids are so tired that everything causes a meltdown and all they need is a good nights sleep. We cleaned our stuff up from the table, and went back to the hotel. On our way back, I reveled in the fact that I had now experienced another parenting moment. An important milestone. And I thanked God for giving me the humor to enjoy it.
Kudos for taking that moment in stride; I know how hard that can be at times! I've had to change my expectations of family vacations for this time in my life. They are no longer for "rest and relaxation" but rather for spending time together as a family and enjoying each other's company. It seems you've come to the same conclusion! Awesomesauce. :O)
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