It’s the Little Things: Our First Family Vacation

But remember how I told you about Charlotte being sick all last week with some horrendous virus that the doctor really couldn’t figure out? Well, on Friday morning, the hubs’ birthday no less, she made a come-back and was fever-free after having a high fever for three whole days. Hallelujerrr (in my best Madea voice). Was she completely out of the woods and back to her happy, peppy self? Probably not. (And by probably not, I mean no.) But fever-free in this mama’s eyes only meant that we had the go-ahead to pack up our bags and head out of town for bright, sunshiny days and resume our plans as scheduled. Mom of the year over here.

With a loaded down Tahoe, and a cranky toddler in tow, we dropped off Chapman and were off to the races early that Friday. San Antonio is a three-hour trip from our part of Houston, and we all know that road trips with toddlers are filled with sheer joy. I always sit in the back with her to keep the peace. However, Charlotte decided that she needed to cry from the top of her lungs for a full two hours during the drive there and boycott her much needed nap. Because she’s the queen. Duh. We did get about twenty-minutes worth of quiet thanks to Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the iPad. “Hot dog!” She lost interest fairly quickly though. After stopping right after she had finally fallen asleep for a hot minute, she of course woke up because she sleeps through nothing in the car, and up she was, still cranky as ever. I made the very nutritional decision to feed her a Subway sandwich from a gas station, because I had failed to plan out a lunch for the trip besides the tried and true snacks. Homegirl wanted a meal, so a meal she got. 

Watching her beloved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

After arriving with our (mine and MJ’s) hair standing on end, we were ready to get the fun started. I was so happy to see my mommy there waiting for us after what I had endured during the road trip. Once MJ checked us in, we toured some of the resort and basked in its beauty. The day was hot, but since it was already 3 p.m., we figured hanging out by the pool with Miss Cranky Pants probably wasn’t the best idea. We really didn’t have any set plans for the day, which came as a shocker to my mom because usually we’re the planner-type family. Since we were just going with the flow, we opted for the mall instead of the pool. Not too shabby of a start. 


Before we headed to the mall, we took plenty of pictures and we let Charlotte take a quick cat-nap. 

from our room’s balcony…my loves

La Cantera Mall is a big, outdoor mall, filled with fabulous stores and restaurants. It was only just a tad hot outside, but we endured. I needed to take advantage of this mall time because I had a few things to return and a few things I needed to look at to purchase. Of course, my little tyrant did not want to cooperate. Not only did she not want to sit in her stroller (I guess I don’t blame her since she had just spent 3 hours strapped down in the car), but she wanted to be held and carried the entire time. We also decided that we needed to eat an early dinner during the hour where you most certainly can find The Golden Girls as your dinner guests. As soon as we sat down at our table, Little Miss decided that she needed to have the nastiest dirty diaper right before dinner. I love how MJ hands her off to me when she wreaks of poo. Moms for the win. Once our food arrived, she was done with any semblance of good graces. I scarfed down what little I could, and then off I went to keep her calm as the real dinner crowd started to trickle in. It was a woosah kind of day. However, I did get to finish most of my margarita, so it wasn’t all that bad. We were celebrating my hubs’ birthday after all and being together on our first family vacation. It’s the little things.


That evening my mom told us to go out and have some alone time. My mother, the angel. We decided to go to Maggiano’s since it was close by, but being a Friday night on a busy holiday weekend, we thought we would have an hour wait. Thankfully, we found a bar table immediately. It’s the little things. We enjoyed a nice dinner and dessert, and then my uncle who just moved to the area joined us.

snapped from my iPhone

The next day, we enjoyed a wonderful buffet breakfast at one of the resort’s restaurants. So wonderful that Charlotte had her appetite back and stuffed down anything and everything she could get her hands on. However, her little tummy couldn’t keep up. And just like that, MJ earned his wings as Char decided that she needed to throw everything up…on him. The Griswolds had arrived! Good thing we were done eating. Again, it’s the little things. 

After breakfast, we let Charlotte take a short nap and got ready for the pool. I had brought her a little floating device, a hat, a bathing suit coverup, and a new suit that she had received for her birthday. She was ready to go. After she woke up, it was off we went down to the massive pool. The only thing that was missing was the sun and heat. (Really, Texas?  It’s the end of May. Get it together.) The water was absolutely freezing, almost unbearable. Had there been sun, it would have been perfect, but there was overcast and lots of scattered light showers. Yes, we sat out there as it showered. Griswolds yet again. But we still had smiles and laughs. That equals a win in my book. 

After our failed attempt at swimming and getting a tan, we headed back up to the room so Charliebear could take a nap and MJ could try out the resort’s golf course. My mom went to hang out with her brother, the same one who had joined MJ and me after dinner Friday night, and MJ’s own brother met him at the golf course. It was so great to have them join us on our mini-vacation.  Charlotte, meanwhile, was so tired from all that we had going on and fell asleep on my shoulder as soon as everyone left the room. Sleeping on my shoulder is unheard of these days, so I soaked it all in. (I tried snapping a picture, but it didn’t really work out.) She slept for an hour solid which was awesome compared to the 30 minute naps she had been taking while there. You see, Charlotte is used to napping in her very dark room with her sound machine on. And you can’t really do that when you’re in a hotel room unless you have a suite-style set-up, which was not our case. However, we made it work. 

Once she woke up, she was ready to eat again, so we got dressed and met my mom downstairs for dinner at one of the hotel’s restaurants. She still wasn’t her happy, peppy self so it was lots of throwing things on the ground and lots of telling her “no.” At one point after telling her no, she spanked her own wrist, shook her head, and threw her head back laughing. My mom and I just about died. How can you not laugh at that? I’m in trouble. 

That evening once MJ returned from golfing, my mom graciously shooed us out the door again. This time we went and had dinner with MJ’s brother at a pizza place, Grimaldi’s. We hardly ever get to see him, so it was nice to be able to spend time with him. 

Finally, our last morning, we had breakfast at the hotel yet again, and then packed up to leave the resort. We went to visit our uncle before we left and ended up staying at his house on Sunday night. We were just too tired to drive home after a long weekend. (When did two nights become a long weekend?!) This time for dinner, or late lunch if you’re a normal person, we enjoyed Mexican food at Chuy’s. Then the evening was spent relaxing with family and watching movies. Monday morning, we left early to beat the next batch of downpours that we experienced, and the trip home was much more successful. Charlotte actually slept for about an hour of the trip and was a happy camper for the rest of it. Thank the Lord! 

If I were a Negative Nelly, I would have said this first family vacation was a bust with the tantrums, the throw-up, the no-naps, and the rain. But that was all such small stuff. The smiles and the laughs that came with all of those little nuances are what make lasting memories. I loved every minute of our time together as a family. Every single minute. No matter what your family vacations look like, it’s so important to remember why you’re doing it all in the first place: to make memories. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to make them. And my heart is so full of happy ones. It really is the little things. I can’t wait for our next one.