Is a relaxing beach vaca possible?

Much like I explained yesterday, a year can make a big difference! Friday we leave for our second year going up to Michigan between school and camp. My very generous aunt and uncle give us their summer house as a getaway. And last year, (you can read about it here) it wasn’t quite the getaway I had expected.

First of all, Gabby was just over a year old and not walking. The majority of her interests a year ago were in the electrical outlets, souvenir valuables my aunt and uncle have collected or the dog’s food/water bowls. Needless to say, there was a lot of “no, don’t touch that” and “stop, don’t play with that” going on during our stay. This year, however, Gabby is a full on person. She has an attention span (a short one but an attention span nonetheless) for her toys and books.

Another major challenge last year was that both kids were ambivalent about the beach. Gabby was not the biggest fan of sand, Drew didn’t see how sand could entertain you in the slightest and both were not interested in the water. This year, however, it has all changed. The idea of a never-ending sandbox is Drew’s dream come true. Despite hating swim classes, he’s thrilled with the opportunity to show off his mad skills. And Gabby can be amused for a solid six seconds trying to dig to China. Progress.

Last year, with Gabby’s new diagnosis of ALLERGIES, I spent a lot of time cooking and preparing foods. This year, I’m doing some of that ahead of time. I don’t think that it will change the fact that I’ll still be doing loads of laundry, setting up and cleaning up meals and pretty much being a slave to my family…but that’s the job description so if I thought I would get a vacation away from that, then I need to think again!

As I am cooking, baking, packing and strategizing, I’m feeling a ton more optimistic. It’ll be nice to get out of dodge. And the good news about adding to our family in the future is that its possible this trip will never be easier than it is this year. So I better enjoy the relaxing world of two kids over the age of two while it lasts. It’ll be interesting to see how optimistic I’ll be about the same trip next year…that is if we are invited back after this one 🙂