Spring Break!!! I'd only been counting down the days for weeks. A trip to the sunshine with only play and exploration with my boys on the agenda just could not come soon enough! And it was such a blast.
Last year, on our
couples trip to St. George, Utah, Bron and I determined that we wanted to take our boys down there during Spring Break 2018. We knew they'd enjoy swimming and exploring and possibly even biking around the unique red rock. The idea sounded so fun! Reality, however, proved to be a mixed bag. If I'm being honest, our week long family vacation in St. George had its fair share of stress and crazy and a few heated words, but ultimately, I think fun and good memories won out. I mean, I'd totally do it again! Above all, the sunshine just felt good.
So to keep things real and make sure I didn't forget what traveling with three little boys was really like, I kept an ongoing list on my phone of our daily "un-adventrues" in St. George, Utah.
Daily Un-Adventures to Remember While Vacationing with Kids:
1. Conrad screamed for an entire hour straight on our drive just because he was angry about being strapped into his car seat. He would not be deterred by any amount of food or toys. He was simply just plain pissed. So we turned up the radio.
2. I swore Conrad was going to fall to his death because his little head and body could fit through the railing outside our second story condo we rented. Bummer. It meant that when we were outside on the patio, I couldn't relax. It also meant that the doors had to remain closed at all times when we were inside the condo = no fresh Spring breeze!
3. I insisted on bringing a baby gate to keep Conrad out of the kitchen. I also brought his booster seat for eating, or to basically keep him from toppling off the chair and onto the tile. Third time mom instincts are da bomb! Bringing those extra items really made our lives in the condo ten times easier.
4
. Tyke didn't come on vacation with us. It meant I was the one who had to clean up all the leftover food droppings around Conrad's seat. I really missed the dog!
5. Levi threw up three times our first night there. He soiled three beds. The good news is that there were two sets of bunk beds in the bedroom he and Jed were sharing, so Levi just moved from one bed to the next throughout the night. The other sweet silver lining is that there was a washer and dryer inside the condo with a Costco sized container of laundry soap.
6. Another night, Jed threw up twice and took out two beds! You guys, one of my least favorite jobs is putting sheets on bunk beds and I did it so many times while on vacation. Ugh.
7. While I left the boys alone to change into my swimming suit, Jed and Levi began wrestling. Jed split the skin on his forehead clean open just above his eye. Bron "fixed" it with super glue and a butterfly bandage.
8. We kept wondering why the air conditioning wouldn't stay on. Oh, it's because every time Levi ran down the hallway, he twisted the Nest thermometer! Little stink.
9. One of our older sons had a poop accident at the park.
10. Conrad was cutting not one, not two, but THREE teeth! No wonder he was cranky.
11. The chant heard on repeat by Jed and Levi: "I farted. It tickled. So I did it again." Honestly, it made me giggle.
12. Poor Conrad was nearly eaten alive by red ants! Okay, that's an exaggeration. He was playing in some red dirt before one of our hikes and when I placed him in the backpack carrier, he began to scream and cry. That's when I noticed a red ant underneath his chin. I quickly swiped off the offending ant and assumed that was it. But a minute into our hike, Conrad was still acting uncomfortable. I immediately knew he had ants in his pants! So my friends Shelly and Amy helped me strip Conrad down completely naked to get rid of probably a dozen of those pesky little bugs. Poor baby was in tears.
13. The boys took off on their bikes and had so much fun riding around the condominium complex that we lost them!
14. We waited in line to enter Zion's National Park for 90 minutes with a 16 month old. It one word, it was torture. I have never in my life seen that place so packed with people! It was actually disappointing because, for me, the crowds took away from the sheer grandeur of the place. Jed and Levi weren't impressed either. Oh well. Just another one of those parenting flops. You know, the ones where you are so excited to show your child this awesome thing but the experience falls flat on its face. Yeah, that's pretty much what happened in Zion's on Sunday.
15. Jed whined and cried all through his very first mountain bike ride. He could physically do it, the problem was all in his head. So we turned around and went back to the truck. Fortunately, Jed turned his attitude around and made his second trail ride a true success! It was a proud moment for both Bron and me and a confidence booster for Jed that he really can do whatever hard things he puts his mind to!
16. Jed had an allergic reaction to something! To this day I still have no idea what it was. All I remember is looking over and noticing that his entire face seemed swollen! Luckily, (and probably not luck at all) I felt impressed to pack some children's Benadryl.
