Harry's first vacation...

So on Friday I packed a suitcase and told the boys we were going on our first family vacation with Harry. How exciting! Yep, told the kids to pack their little rolling suitcases and hop in the car so we could drive to our destination...40 miles away! Hey, to 4 & 6 year old, THAT qualifies as a vacation!

Devin travels alot for work, and offered us a free hotel stay at a really nice Marriott property about 5 minutes from where Mike's new office is located, in Lincoln, RI, so of course we took her up on it. To the boys, this was an ADVENTURE. For us, it was a break from everyday life, and a chance to relax. Levi had the day off on Friday so he drove us there, so we wouldn't end up with two cars, since Mike was meeting us when he got off work. By 12:30 we were on our way. Skip of course immediately wanted to know if there was a pool - which there was, and whether we'd swim - which we would. Harry on the other hand, was clueless. We got a REALLy nice room - I think because she's a platinum card holder, and it was perfect for our little escape. Skip, Mike & I often did mini-vacations like this, before we had to pour all our money into funding the adoption costs that just kept mounting, so Skip was happy to be returning to the life we once had! How crazy is that? Anyway, Harry was VERY excited when he checked out our new digs. He took one look at the two queen sized beds and claimed one for him, the other for Skip. I have no idea where he thought WE would sleep! Once unpacked the boys played in the room with Levi for a few hours while I got the chance to spend the afternoon ALONE! Yippee! It felt SO strange driving in a car that quiet! I even got to listen to MY radio station, rather than the 101 Kids songs DVD! Now how cool is that?

Since I didn't want to turn this free "vacation" into a costly one, I brought a crock pot of fresh stew with us, and left it simmering while I was gone all afternoon. Mike had met me, and we actually got to spend an hour alone together too! Bonus! When we returned to the hotel, the boys were excited and hungry. We ate our dinner, then to the boys disappointment they said goodbye to Levi. Their disappointment was short-lived however, since it was pool time. Skip was thrilled, and Harry was again, clueless. There was hardly anyone in the pool, so easing Harry into it was not so tough. He tends to be intimidated by crowds of people he doesn't know (which is just about everyone - but, we're widening his circle!) so we were glad there weren't too many screaming kids to distract him. It did take him a little while to get into the pool, and when he did, he was wearing just about all the flotation devices that would fit on him, but nonetheless, he got it. At first he just wanted to stand on the steps and splash, but after watching Skip swim around, he was a bit intrigued. By the end of the night he was swimming the length of the pool! He wasn't keen on the hottub - which was no surprise since he doesn't like/enjoy really warm baths like the rest of do. Ironically, the hottub we have on our back deck has a leak, so we haven't been able to you that for the past 6 months, otherwise, we may have already coaxed him into it. Skip LOVES it, and normally he and Mike are in it 4 or 5 nites a week. As for me, I only enjoy it in winter. When it's hot OUT, I don't like hot IN (as "in" the hottub).

After the pool we showered the boys in the room and then gave the a snack, and tucked them in for the night. Since it was a special occasion we let them watch TV til they drifted off to sleep. With all the swimming it didn't take long. Harry was insistent, before he got into bed though, that he sleep on th left side of the bed and that I slept on the right side of the other bed, "near him". He's beginning to experience some issues with being away from me, but I'm figuring that's a good thing for the most part, since he's learning that I AM HIS MOTHER, and he's likin' that!
Skip, as usual was up at 7:00. Actually, 7:01 to be exact. I don't know how he does it, but his internal clocks goes off at 7:00 almost every day. UGH! We did "splurge" on the breakfast buffet in the lobby. We'd stayed at this hotel before and knew it is excellent. Mike & I had full breakfasts, but the boys only picked, so the woman only charged Mike & I, and let the kids slide. After breakfast it was more swimming for Mike & the boys. I got to go to the gym and workout for almost an hour! When I met the guys at the pool, Mike took some time for himself and had a nice LONG soak in the hottub while I played in the pool. Harry was getting much more confident, and just before we left he decided he wanted to jump in like Skip:
Since we'd planned on late check-out, once our morning swimming was over we headed back to the room for showers and lunch. I had brought home-made Italian wraps and fresh fruit with us as well, so it worked out pretty well. The boys watched a little bit of cartoons while we packed up, and we headed for home early afternoon. Harry is already asking to "sweem" again in the "pood", he enjoyed it so much. Since we were so close, Mike brought us all by the office and gave us a tour. I kept telling Harry "Poppa's work", so when I tell him each morning that Poppa is "workin", he might have something of a better idea of where that "workin" thing is....

On the way home, both boys passed out pretty quickly - always an extra bonus. We just about got home and unpacked, and Mike's son Jason came by to meet his new little brother. He brought his daughter Abby with him, so it was a double treat! Abby has gotten so big since we saw her last! She will be having her second birthday already, hard to believe!
I must say Harry LOVED his cousin (I know, technically Abby is his neice, but we take the logical route where those matters are concerned!) Funny thing is, we have spent the past week concentrating on teaching him "Harry Holmes" rather than " 'arry Gomes" and just when he seems to be saying it correctly, we introduce him to his cousin Abby. He must have figured that since 'arry is Harry, then Abby MUST be Habby, and that is what he called her. The two had a ton of fun together and he was sad when it was time for her to leave. Now when he sees her picture on the wall, he announces "Habby!"

Tryin' to coax him in...

Now he's got the hang of it...

On his own...

"Look at me"

LOVE this shot of Skip, "spitting" water...

Happy to sit OUTSIDE the hottub.

All showered, and snackin' before bed.

Ready for bed (I know I was!)

Didn't take long!

More fun in the morning.

Clownin' around.

Outside the Marriott

Heading to the truck, suitcase in tow.

This trip was a thrumbs up!

Sittin' in Poppa's office.

Harry and Jay.

Cousins; Harry, Abby & Skip.

Neither would confess to being responsible for putting the dog in the cart!

Playing with Habby

Abby gets a ride on her Daddy's back.