The Suite Life

Here I am. I'm sitting in a hotel suite on the Iowa/Illinois border. I'm waiting for my kids to go to sleep in the other room. I want to take a a nice hot tub. My hubby is out at a meet and greet dinner. We are in the last leg of our little get-away.

Monday through last Thursday was fairly busy. Friday was too in that I had to pack up for this little trip of ours. However, additionally, some friends called and were having issues with their home and asked if they could stay at ours while we were gone. I had no problem with that what-so-ever. However, I didn't want the place looking like a tornado hit it - the way it usually looks after we pack up to leave. So Friday went from a somewhat busy day to a little nutty busy day - but it's all good. And really - our house was available since we were heading out of town - so why not let it be used?

We hit the road Friday evening and God blessed up with an amazingly easy trip. Probably the best one since we've taken it with children. There were no construction or traffic issues (even in Chicago). The kids ate, slept, & stayed dry well. Marc had no real issues with tiredness, so I got to sleep. Which, when there is an hour time change and our kids are now up at 6am... I need my sleep.

Saturday, we just hung around their house in the morning and visited. After naps, however, Grandma and Grandpa threw Andrew and AJ a birthday party, complete with noise makers, party hats, and birthday cake! They then took us to Toys R Us where the kids got to pick out a birthday gift. They both chose Coast Guard tub toys - Andrew a plane and AJ a boat. We came home for a nice roast dinner.



Sunday was little busier with church in the morning. We got taken to Red Lobster for lunch which is a always a treat for this mama who usually dines on blue box mac and cheese with hot dogs. After naps, all but Marc headed back to church for a "Taste of the Nations" event where we got to sample some fine cuisine (or load up on sweets - depending on which table you hover).

Then Grandpa took us all to see his buffalo. We thought maybe we wouldn't get to see them after our first pass, but the Lord heard our cry and low and behold the buffalo appeared (I really don't see how we all could have missed them the first pass) and we got a good look at them. Marc got a chance to visit his buddies that he doesn't see often. Hi guys! (yes, he does have a wife and children... we are not made up. I'll work on an updated family photo for you.)

This morning, we got up and packed up and after lunch, we headed to the hotel. Marc has a training all day tomorrow with a meet and greet dinner tonight. (He just called and it looks like it going to be a late one.) Anyway - since he had his family with him, the hotel bumped us up to a suite free of charge, which is SO nice! I don't have to blog in the hall, waiting for the kids to fall asleep.

Tonight, the boys and I ordered pizza. They got to take a tub with their new tub toys and we had a bedtime snack of hot chocolate and animal crackers. I'm really not sure what we are going to do all day tomorrow. The hotel does have a pool, but it's not a kiddy one and I'm not going to try to handle two boys by myself in 3ft of water.

Nope, we will probably take our time at the continental breakfast, watch a little Playhouse Disney, take another tub, grab lunch somewhere and pray we can get a late checkout that will at least get us through naps (truly a miracle). Then we will pack up (if haven't gotten kicked out of the hotel already) and kill time in Walmart or Target or McDonald's or a park... I'm really not sure. The boys need shoes desperately - so I am leaning toward a Walmart trip.

Once Marc is done with training, we will hit the road, grabbing dinner on the way, and head home. (ok, I just gave you more information than you ever wanted to know - can you tell I'm bored?) All right, it's been a little while since Andrew has gotten back out of bed... I think it might be safe to take a soak. I'm off to shrivel myself.