I don't want anyone to think this vacation has been a breeze. That's the thing that no one tells you when you become a parent, that even the fun things can be a lot of work. Bad attitudes and temper tantrums pack themselves right into your suitcase next to your underwear, and often multiply in a new environment. Add into that not enough sleep on account of a new environment, and a vacation can turn into an absolute nightmare.
The kids have been pretty good, considering. Neko is a champ at going out and about. She happily walks next to the stroller while Shep and Ellery ride, with hardly a complaint. But gift shops, they are her Achilles heel. I think most of our tantrums have been about the purchase of things, mostly where we say "no" and then she hurls her body to the ground like she's received a life-threatening injury. Shep just gets angry about Mystery Things, like tonight he wanted to say goodnight to the Rote Lights. And, no, he doesn't mean the road lights or the rope lights or anything else that might make even the slightest bit of sense. But we went to the window and waved goodbye to lots of things and hoped we would wave in the general direction of the Rote Lights so we could all just go to bed. Ellery? She just wants to get in the stroller and go somewhere. Now. Now! NOW!
So, you know, they've all got their things going on. And Tom and I are just tired.
Today the kids started waking up at 5:30am. We managed to keep most people in bed for a while, but by 6:30am it was hopeless. We're in an apartment, so we're trying to be extra-quiet in the morning, but our kids don't do quiet well.
We wandered out to find a Starbucks, and then settled in at another park we had found (minus water feature). It was clearly exactly what the kids needed—undirected, unfocused play. We stayed there for nearly two hours, and hour of which Neko and Shep played and pretended with each other without Tom or I interceding.
After playtime, the kids seemed refreshed, so we headed back to the apartment to pick up the bikes and head to the Adler Planetarium. The material was pretty much over the kids' heads, but the ride there and back was fantastic and the food was the best I've ever seen at a museum.
After Shep and Ellery napped, we made a quick dinner at home, and then headed to the local coffee shop for ice cream and a pit stop at the park with the water. This is where I become acutely aware that we live in the country, as I watch my children strip off their clothes and carelessly roll about on the ground as all the other moms and dads stand by their Bugaboos with a slight look of horror.
This has been by far my favorite day so far. We've slowed it down a bit and given ourselves a chance to breathe. I think it even felt like…vacation.