This summer, we have been intentional about keeping it pretty low key since we basically still have a newborn baby (he is already almost 3 months!). While most of our summer days have looked like just hanging at home by the pool or watching dad surf at the beach, we did want to have a couple nights to get away to a new location. We chose to go to Palm Springs to celebrate Lance’s 27th birthday! While it was VERY hot (110 degrees hot); it was the perfect little getaway for our new family of 4!
The trip started off with a bit of a meltdown, not by the baby, but our 3-year old when we discovered that he got gum stuck in his hair. You’re probably thinking, of course that’s what happens when you give gum to a 3-year old, but Hudson usually does a good job with it and likes chewing it when he practices baseball. Even though he usually does fine with it and spits it out when he is done, I am deeply regretting that we ever introduced him to the concept of gum. It has definitely been a pain and is something he asks for constantly. If I could go back in time, I would make sure that he never even knew that gum even existed. Anyways, can’t do that, but I do hope to get this gum situation under control soon.
Back to the gum in the hair. Hudson started screaming because he was pulling on his stuck watermelon gum and it was hurting his hair. I tried pulling it out too, but no luck. We ended up finding out we had a small pair of scissors in our first aid kit, so when we stopped to see the Cabazon Dinosaurs, Lance gave H a little hair cut. A minor hiccup, but in the whole scheme of things not a big deal.
The dinosaurs quickly distracted us all from the gum incident. We made it a quick stop because it was SO hot, but Hudson LOVED seeing both the green and pink dinosaurs up close and personal.
The rest of the trip actually went super smoothly. It was a really nice time away with just the 4 of us. We really did not do much besides hang at the pool, escape back to our villa for AC, and go out for nice dinners. Lance and I actually stayed at this same resort almost exactly 5 years ago to celebrate our 1st year anniversary. We chose to stay back at the Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas because it has an awesome water slide that we knew H would love. I can specifically remember being here 5 years ago and thinking how this would be the perfect place to stay with kids. And it was. H was basically on the water slide on repeat! There also was a little kid pool that was 1 foot deep that we would just sit in with Thatcher to keep him cool. We got into a good little rhythm of just spending a couple hours by the pool and then heading back to our room to cool off and rest.
On our first night (Lance’s birthday) we ate dinner at Hibachi, a teppan grill restaurant. It was so fun to watch Hudson’s pure amazement when the chef made a huge flame over the grill. “Woah!” said Hudson in awe. After dinner, the boys picked up a dairy-free cheesecake at the grocery store and we sang to Lance and ate the whole cheesecake together back in our room. On our second evening, we had another delicious dinner at Tommy Bahama’s. I am still dreaming about that pina colada. And I’m pretty sure Hudson is still dreaming about his ice cream sundae. Thatcher slept the whole time and Hudson was well-behaved at the table, which actually made for an enjoyable dinner out! It was funny to reflect about the last time we were at this very same restaurant. Hudson was just 4-months old and I was still not in the best place postpartum as we were still having a lot of breastfeeding challenges. I remember taking crying Hudson into the bathroom stall desperately trying to get him to nurse. Not the most fun. This time around, I felt so much more calm. Hudson and I were again back in the bathroom, but this time around he was going to the bathroom by himself. So many changes a few years bring.
Overall, it was a really nice couple days away. It made me so thankful for my boys. Thatcher is such a mellow baby and has really made it possible to enjoy our time out and about! Lance and I have recently been especially reflective because it was exactly a year ago that we were going through the devastation of miscarriage. A year ago we were mourning. This year we were able to really celebrate all the Lord has brought us through.
This Mama Needs Grace 