Wednesday, September 27, 2006

San Antonio, etc.

Well, I had fully intended to sit down last night for a good ole blogging session, but that did not happen. Andrew threw up on the way from ballet yesterday evening and again at dinner. I had been suspecting since lunch that he might be coming down with something, but really thought it was looking like cold symptoms. So imagine my surprise at his messy outburst! We got him to bed with little trouble and he slept all night, although I felt like my sleep was not as good - you know, that feeling all night long as if you are waiting for a time bomb to explode. Anyway, this morning the cold symptoms were evident. Nurse said some combo of the stomach and cold going around. Yippee. As the day has progressed, it seems to me the tummy troubles may be over - knock on wood - though we are still being cautious. Say a little prayer for him and the rest of the family. I dread a rampant run of this thing through the house. Thy will be done, Lord, and give me the strength to meet any challenges as they come.

Anyway, I am convinced that Andrew picked up this bug somewhere along the way on our San Antonio trip. I mean, how often does a 16 month old come into contact with 6 different highchairs in a 48 hour period? Despite these nasty germs, our trip was so enjoyable. Last summer we bought two new appliances from Sears and in the deal, we got 2 nights free stay at a Fairfield Inn and Suites. We decided to use them in San Antonio and invited Brian's parents to go along. I spent a lot of time in San Antonio growing up, but had not been there with the kids yet. There is still so much more we could go back and do! We left Friday lunchtime and arrived around 5pm. We took the trolley down to the Riverwalk and ate some dinner at a yummy Mexican food restaurant. The kids especially loved the trolley. The next day we spent touring the Alamo, taking a riverboat ride and going to El Mercado. It was a full day, but lots of fun. The children came home with all sorts of treasures! We were going to attend Sunday Mass at San Fernando Cathedral near the Riverwalk, but then we noticed there was a lovely old Catholic Church right across the street from our hotel. What luck! It was a wonderful Mass. After that we went back, packed up and headed for the zoo. It was cool, overcast and breezy - the perfect day for the zoo! After the zoo we headed home. Nicole said she wanted to stay and we could all agree to a certain degree. We had had so much fun.

Recently we have really enjoyed traveling with the kids. While I can see the value in a husband and wife night away, I don't find myself pining for one. It is such a joy to share these wonderful places with our children - to watch them learn and explore the sights and laugh themselves silly on the trolley! They truly enjoy themselves. I told Brian there are so many places in our beautiful country I want to see. And, you know, I don't want to wait until Brian is retired and the children are grown to start traveling. I want to see these things now, WITH my children in tow and the van packed with every possible thing we own. So much to enjoy, so little time!

3 comments:

Melissa said...

Sounds like you all had a great time! I couldn't agree with you more about traveling with the kids, there is something so precious about enjoying it all with them, seeing it all through their eyes, and watching them having the time of their lives! Here's to many more happy adventures!!!

Mom of boys said...

One of the greatest gifts that my parents gave to us growing up was all of the travel experiences. We really got to see so much! The only trip that I recall my parents taking without us was a cruise for their 10th anniversary! I really want to start taking those kinds of trips with the boys next summer.

Crafty Mom said...

It is funny how some parents can't wait for a night or weekend without kids, and some of us dread it. I am in the dreading column, never having been away from my kids by choice for more than a few hours. Isn't it great to see their reactions.