Hammock Beach

From my lack of a post until just now, you can probably guess that Irene did indeed cooperate for us and we were able to go to the beach for the weekend.  Apologies to all of those who weren't so lucky to escape Irene.  Anyway, Duncan had to be up there (there being Hammock Beach in Palm Coast, FL) on Friday morning for 10 o'clock.  Since we couldn't check in until 4 o'clock, I didn't want to be up there all day with no room to go to so Duncan hitched a ride a while I didn't end up leaving with the kids (still feels weird saying "kids" rather than "girls") until about 2:30.  I had Duncan put the girls seats in recline mode so they could nap on the way up.  Calleigh immediately complained about this fact when she sat down but wouldn't you know, within about five minutes she was sawing logs...a fact that would come back to haunt us at about 10:30 that evening.  The drive is only about an hour and a half and it went by quickly - - except for about the last 20 minutes during which Brady cried pretty much the whole time.  I wanted to put his binky back in which would probably would have shut him up but I figured contorting myself into a position to do so while driving 70 MPH down the highway wouldn't be a good idea.  It rained a little on the way but when we got there, the sun was out and was much nicer than I had anticipated.  Irene had really done very little (she was off the coast several hundred miles but I had thought there would be a lot more rain).

The resort was awesome and one of the very first things I appreciated about it was that it was a cash-less resort.  When I pulled in, they offered to valet park the van and bring stuff in for me but I had no cash for a tip so I declined.  That's when they told me that they didn't accept tips at all there.  They had a bell men carry all our stuff in (and then they carried it all in again a little bit later when I got back from Publix with groceries) and then out again when we left.  That sure made it easier to say the least.  Our room was on the sixth floor and had a beautiful view of the ocean and then also the pools.  The first thing Aubree said when we walked in and looked around was "Where's the kitchen?"  The "kitchen" in fact, was hidden behind two cabinet doors and consisted of a tiny fridge, microwave, stove top, and sink.  It wasn't much but it did allow us to eat all our meals in our room rather than having to eat out.  Our room was a suite in that it had a separate sitting room from the bedroom but it was all connected with no door so we were all together.  I'm very glad that we had a bunch of practice sleeping together in Nova Scotia because it didn't phase me much.

We hit up the pools right away.  Their website says they have a "91,000 square foot water pavilion" and indeed, it was very impressive.  They had one pool that had a sandy beach like area next to it so that our pool of choice so that Aubree could play in the sand with the beach toys.  They also had a water slide that both girls really loved.  You were supposed to be 48 inches tall to go on it alone but they didn't seem to care that Calleigh was only 41 inches so she ended up riding that water slide probably like 30 times, at least.  Aubree even loved it riding on Duncan's lap.  I went with her once but it was going so fast that by the time we got to the end I was in the prone position and when I hit the water, it all went up my nose (I couldn't hold it because I was holding Aubree, trying to prevent her from going under).  So I was one and done on that one.  Besides the water slide, Calleigh was happy to just be in the pools, playing with all the other kids, of which there were many.

One of the many pools

Waterslide

Lazy river 

We had been in the pool for quite awhile at one point and then went back up to our room.  I asked Calleigh if she needed to go to the bathroom and she said no.  It had been a long time since she had gone so I asked her if she had gone in the pool.  She got a big smile on her face and said "yes."  I told her that was something we should only tell our family but nobody else.  She says "So it's okay to tell you, Daddy, Aubree, and Brady but no one else?"  I said, yes, nobody else.  Meanwhile, Aubree was sitting listening to this whole exchange.  Fast forward a few hours and we're with a bunch of people from Duncan's work.  One of them is this girl London, who is six, and is the daughter of one of Duncan's colleagues.  Aubree is sitting on her lap and I see Aubree get close to London's ear and whisper, "Calleigh peed in the pool."  So much for it being confidential.

Saturday night they served dinner to all of us there for the weekend.  There was about 150 people which was made up of the leaders (managers, directors, VP's) of the IT department and their families.  The meal was supposed to be outside but the bugs were so bad (we had gone down to the beach a little after sunset on Friday night to see the massive waves and I had gotten bitten up and down my legs after only five minutes) that they moved it into a ballroom.  After the meal, they had a few skits (one of which Duncan was in) and then people got up and sang, they had a hula hoop contest, and lots of other little things.  Right as we were trying to leave, since it was now 9:30, they had a limbo contest for all the kids.  Calleigh and Aubree didn't quite get the concept as they just ducked underneath the lowered bar.  They were so oblivious.

Daddy won these for his skit

The sleeping went decently. Since Calleigh had the nap on Friday afternoon, she would not go to sleep.  Duncan and I were both trying to sleep ourselves and she was still going strong.  She finally succumbed.  Brady slept in his swing, which we had brought, and woke up around 5.  I brought him in bed with us and then Aubree woke up shortly thereafter so it was the four of us in the bed for the last few hours.  Saturday night went much better and only Brady came into our bed but not until 6.  As with many hotels, there was a big heavy curtain covering the windows and it really throws you off as to what time it is when you don't have the light coming in.    

We had to check out at noon today but we still enjoyed lots of time there before and after that.  We left at 2:00 and Aubree and Brady slept the whole way back.  Thankfully, Calleigh did not.

One thing that sticks out in my mind from the weekend was Duncan showing everyone Brady.  The exchange would always go like this...Duncan brings Brady up to one of his female colleagues.  The colleague sees Brady and immediately states, "He looks just like you."  And then they proceed to say "He's so cute.  He's just so adorable."  And Duncan pipes in, "Yes, he is, isn't he?  Isn't he so good looking?"  Of course, then the colleague realizes that they've, in a way, stated that Duncan is so cute and adorable and we all get a big chuckle.  Must be nice to have a kid look just like you!

The view from our room.

The view looking to the left.

The girls ate breakfast on the deck.

Working on his tan.  I just love that big toe.

He doesn't like to be pale.

You weren't allowed to bring in food to the pool area (they wanted you to buy their expensive food) so we had lunch today out on the lawn.

If I had been there without kids, I would have spent some time in these chairs overlooking the ocean.

Things happened last week leading up to our weekend but I have no recollection of them.  Oh, it's all coming back to me.  On Wednesday I went to the dentist for a cleaning while Grandma took on all three kids.  I had fed Brady right before I left for my 10:30 appointment but he was half asleep through it all and didn't seem to eat too much.  I put him in the swing when I left and then I was so worried that he would wake up hungry and be bawling.  Since I've been too lazy to pump and give him a bottle, there is no option other than me for him to eat.  I rushed home as fast as I could but it was probably about 12:15 (he had last eaten at 9:30).  I opened the front door and there he was...still in the swing, sleeping, just as I had left him.  He hadn't even woken up!

Thursday we went into Duncan's work for lunch.  I hadn't been there in ages.  My true purpose, though, was to meet up with my friend Treva from my department.  I hadn't seen her in quite awhile and it's too far for her to come to my house for lunch and it's too much of a pain to go to the cafe at the hospital with the three kids so Duncan's giant office was a great alternative.  It was a very nice visit especially since Duncan paraded the girls around the building for about half the time and I got to visit in near solitude.

Well, I'm going to stick a fork in this post.  Things to do before I rest.  On a closing note, here's a little cute thing from Aubree.  I got out of the shower the other day and Calleigh started looking at my c-section scar.  She tells Aubree that they had been in my belly but then came out.  Aubree walks around me once as if looking for something and then asks "Where's the door?"