Last week we surprised the boys {and Mabrey too but I doubt she had a clue} with a staycation. HH took Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off from work so we had a 5-day weekend all together.
Monday I scrubbed down and swept up the house. Tuesday I ran my errands for the week, got groceries and finished up all the dirty laundry. That left the rest of the week open for me to fully enjoy the staycation. I had this card waiting on the kitchen island for the boys Wednesday morning. Layne read the card aloud to Everett. They were ecstatic. Everett kept saying, ‘We’re on stay-buh-cation!’ What was on the fridge, you ask?
Why the schedule, of course. {HH purposefully overused the exclamation point. Everything’s more fun with an exclamation point! The more, the better!!!!!!!} HH and I decided it would be much easier for us to plan the staycation ahead of time instead of asking Layne and Everett what they wanted to do each morning. Early on in the summer, I had both boys make a list of things they’d like to do this summer. We picked many of them to do over the staycation. It made us feel not so bad about saying no to vacationing in New Zealand or Hawaii – both of which were on their want lists. Sorry, guys. Remember we just had a baby and mama quit her job?
Here are some pics from our adventures. I didn’t take as many as I would have liked but maybe that was a good thing. I was fully focused on our family instead of getting the perfect shot. It was nice.
We were so proud of the kids at the water park. Layne passed the swimming test which required swimming a full length of the pool and then treading water for one minute. He got a green wristband deeming him capable of swimming without a parent. He wore it with pride. He swam in every pool, rode every water slide. Even the really tall one that HH and I were a little skeered of. Everett wanted to do everything. No fear in that kid. Sadly, he wasn’t tall enough for the slides. Mabrey enjoyed the baby pool, some nude sunbathing and even a nap. She did so great.
On ‘make your own sundae’ night, we went dairy free. Chocolate frozen dessert {made from coconut milk} + blended frozen strawberries {oops!} bananas + a few dollops of Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter + sliced strawberries = dairy free heaven. The boys didn’t even notice it wasn’t a real sundae. Neither did I.
We hit up the local BMX track so Layne and Everett could ride their bikes. At first, HH had to help them over some of the steeper hills but by the end of our visit both of them were completing the track on their own. It was crazy hot that day but the heat didn’t stop them from riding for an hour plus. They were dirty and sweaty afterwards. Just how boys should be. Mabrey and I watched and cheered them on from the air-conditioned car. HH took his shirt off at one point and I was reminded that I have a pretty hot hubby.
At Scene 75 {basically a huge indoor arcade/small indoor amusement park}, once again, someone was too small to ride. This time it was the spinning bumper cars. {HH is in the background top right in the blue t-shirt looking over at Everett on the sidelines.} Maybe next year kiddo. I discovered why I never hang out in arcades. They’re loud, obnoxious, ugly, dirty, ADD-inducing and a waste of money. Not my cup of tea. But the boys had fun and that’s all that mattered.
Other non-stay-buh-cation-related events happened as well.
Mabrey turned four months old. When she’s laid onto her back, she immediately rolls to her belly now. Then gets mad after a few minutes because she can’t figure out how to roll back. She’s sporting a nice bald spot. The girl rubs her head back-and-forth when she sleeps. I keep finding stray hairs in her crib.
Everett’s love of costumes has reached an all new high. Like home decor, he prefers a mixed aesthetic as opposed to the matchy-matchy look. I call this his karate-pirate-ninja-surgeon look. He’s totally serious too. The headband, face mask and belt had to be put on just so. And I had to hold him up to look in the bathroom mirror at his reflection to which he stated, ‘perfect.’
I just realized I didn’t get a good pic of Layne! That’s probably because he’s too old, too cool for his mama to take pictures of. Just today he let the dentist know he is too old for stickers.
Or he’s always twenty steps ahead of me. I’m usually lagging {I just had to ask HH what word I was thinking of for that…for some reason ‘lacking’ was coming to mind but I knew that wasn’t it…before I could explain my ‘what word am I thinking of?’ question, HH quickly answered ‘penis!’ He’s not your typical engineer. He has a good sense of humor.} okay, where was I? Oh, yes. I’m usually lagging {not penis} behind with Mabrey in tow. I can’t keep up with those boys. Good thing school starts next week.
HH and I enjoy surprises if you haven’t noticed. {Hello. #3 is a girl! Still can’t get over that one.} Surprising the kids with a stay-buh-cation made it more fun. Have you ever tried a staycation before? Or a surprise one at that? They are the epitome of DIY vacations. Am I right?
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images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
DIY, family life, kid-friendly