Family Vacation
We just returned from our vacation where we went to meet Kyle's new family... Darrell (whom we had already met) and the kids (whom we had not met); Zach, Hailey and Hayden... of course we took Zeke along for the trip! We stayed at The Club at Hammock Beach in Palm Coast, Florida... where the accommodations are unbelievable, the service to die for, and the facility itself leaves you with your mouth hanging open. As Hayden said upon arriving, "Wow! Everyone has a TV in their bedroom!!!" The resort is really beautiful.
Zeke and his new cousins hit it off right away. In fact, the only time we had any friction at all was when Zach and Hailey were arguing over whom Zeke would sleep with. (It ended up being Hailey). Don and I instantly became Poppa Don and Grandma Robin to the entire clan and it felt like we had known them all their lives. The last night of our vacation we had planned on going out for dinner but Don and I decided we were too tired (chasing after a four year old wears you out) and chose to stay in. We let the kids vote - Zach, Zeke and Hayden opted to stay in and order room service. Hailey wanted to go with Kyle and Darrell but Darrell said, "all or none," and said the kids would go. Zach said, "no...we came to meet and spend time with Poppa Don and Grandma Robin and Zeke and I want to stay here tonight." OK...granted...he'd already chosen what he wanted for dinner off of the room service menu and he wanted to play on the computer but, hey! Wouldn't that statement melt your heart? We couldn't ask for more beautiful, well mannered, and genuinely sweet grandchildren.
We arrived late on Wednesday and took the kids to dinner. A few Shirley Temples, chocolate milks, ice cream sundaes, and "I don't think I like that" statements later, we took the kids to the beach. It was the first time Zach, Hailey and Hayden had really seen an ocean. We went out around 10:30 or 11 and let them play, roll around in the sand, and make sand angels. When we gave Zeke his bath that night the tub was so full of sand it took 10 minutes to clean the sand out.
For some reason I thought it would be a time for me to sleep late and lounge around, but Don and Darrell were up around 6:30 on Thursday and Friday so they could play golf before the sun took its toll on them, and shortly thereafter three kids were up...anxious to hit the beach. When I say three I mean Zack, Hailey and Zeke...Hayden's like me...he could sleep all day.
The kids couldn't wait to get to the ocean, so off we went. The beach is beautiful but there are rocks and reefs 30 feet, or so, out. Hailey had cuts on her feet, Kyle cut her feet and knee, but Zack and Hayden managed to avoid much damage. Zeke, of course, was afraid of the water so he didn't go in. Zeke has taken swimming lessons but his fear of water had all of the extended family concerned. The only place he's ever felt safe around water was in a bathtub.
After the sand and salt water became too much for the Princess (there are two actually...Kyle and Hailey but I think Hailey has Kyle beat) she decided for the group...it was pool time! The pool setup at Hammock was really well thought out. There's an adults only area on the top level, a kids only area on the bottom level, and a kids only level at the very top with sand...where you just walk from the sand into the pool itself. Oh...and there's the lazy river and 70' water slide... I forgot to mention those.
Didn't take long for Zeke to feel a little out of place. He watched the "big kids" playing in the water - Zach is 12 (he's almost 13...I know...because he told me 200 times), Hailey is 10 and Hayden is 8. He sat for about 20 minutes watching them jump, play, and slide and then...off he went. Before we left he was diving under water to pick up toys, doing cannonballs off the side, swimming underwater, doing belly flops (he almost made a nice dive off the side of the pool one day) and did a flip underwater. On Friday...he actually went into the ocean (holding our hands of course) and loved it! Big...HUGE...accomplishment for him.
For three days we went to the beach, played in the pool, the kids (even Poppa Don, Darrell and Kyle) went down the water slide so many times it was amazing and everyone was having such a good time we ate lunch at the pool every day...no one wanted to leave! Great thing about the trip was we pretty much had the resort to ourselves the first two days and the kids had a blast.
With beautiful weather, spending all day at the pool and beach, Darrell taking the kids to play the 9 hole putting range in the evening, getting to watch TV in your own bedroom, having ice cream sundaes delivered every night from room service, watching dvd's and dancing around the room at midnight following Happy Feet...what more could you ask for.
As for the kids, I cut Hailey's hair (and Kyle's) one afternoon and spent a lot of time listening to her tell me about her life and dreams (she and Zeke slept with me every night) and she's just a special kid. A princess...yes...but rightfully so.
Zach is a child trying to figure out how to be a man...definitely at the in between stage. The child is so loving it is amazing. One night, when Kyle and Darrell had went out to lie on the hammocks...Zach busted through the door to wake us up (me, Hailey and Zeke). The hotel alarm was going off...and I mean going off. Flashing lights in the room and this frightening voice over the speakers..."Emergency...Emergency...evacuate the building immediately. Do not take the elevators...Emergency!" Zach had went to find his Dad and Kyle and when he couldn't locate them he came into my bedroom to get me to help him get everyone out. It was scary...but a false alarm. Zach's a charming hero in my book.
As for Hayden, you just want to hug him to death! He's content doing things by himself...a seriously deep thinker...not much of a talker but my God..........that smile! I won't say he's my favorite but I will say he's the most like me...give us a book, a challenge, or a suduko puzzle and just leave us alone! He was so sweet with Zeke. Zeke is a super hero nut...he's either Spiderman or Batman and Hayden played the villan for Zeke's imaginary battles all day long. Hayden actually wore Zeke out a few times...which isn't easy to do.
Everything was great...couldn't ask for a better time. The only scary things that happened was Kyle almost drowned in a 3 foot deep swimming pool (not kidding...scared the crap outta me) and Darrell almost had a heart attack when he ran up the 11 flights of stairs following the evacuation alarm (not kidding)...but even still...we had a blast!!!
Zeke and his new cousins hit it off right away. In fact, the only time we had any friction at all was when Zach and Hailey were arguing over whom Zeke would sleep with. (It ended up being Hailey). Don and I instantly became Poppa Don and Grandma Robin to the entire clan and it felt like we had known them all their lives. The last night of our vacation we had planned on going out for dinner but Don and I decided we were too tired (chasing after a four year old wears you out) and chose to stay in. We let the kids vote - Zach, Zeke and Hayden opted to stay in and order room service. Hailey wanted to go with Kyle and Darrell but Darrell said, "all or none," and said the kids would go. Zach said, "no...we came to meet and spend time with Poppa Don and Grandma Robin and Zeke and I want to stay here tonight." OK...granted...he'd already chosen what he wanted for dinner off of the room service menu and he wanted to play on the computer but, hey! Wouldn't that statement melt your heart? We couldn't ask for more beautiful, well mannered, and genuinely sweet grandchildren.
We arrived late on Wednesday and took the kids to dinner. A few Shirley Temples, chocolate milks, ice cream sundaes, and "I don't think I like that" statements later, we took the kids to the beach. It was the first time Zach, Hailey and Hayden had really seen an ocean. We went out around 10:30 or 11 and let them play, roll around in the sand, and make sand angels. When we gave Zeke his bath that night the tub was so full of sand it took 10 minutes to clean the sand out.
For some reason I thought it would be a time for me to sleep late and lounge around, but Don and Darrell were up around 6:30 on Thursday and Friday so they could play golf before the sun took its toll on them, and shortly thereafter three kids were up...anxious to hit the beach. When I say three I mean Zack, Hailey and Zeke...Hayden's like me...he could sleep all day.
The kids couldn't wait to get to the ocean, so off we went. The beach is beautiful but there are rocks and reefs 30 feet, or so, out. Hailey had cuts on her feet, Kyle cut her feet and knee, but Zack and Hayden managed to avoid much damage. Zeke, of course, was afraid of the water so he didn't go in. Zeke has taken swimming lessons but his fear of water had all of the extended family concerned. The only place he's ever felt safe around water was in a bathtub.
After the sand and salt water became too much for the Princess (there are two actually...Kyle and Hailey but I think Hailey has Kyle beat) she decided for the group...it was pool time! The pool setup at Hammock was really well thought out. There's an adults only area on the top level, a kids only area on the bottom level, and a kids only level at the very top with sand...where you just walk from the sand into the pool itself. Oh...and there's the lazy river and 70' water slide... I forgot to mention those.
Didn't take long for Zeke to feel a little out of place. He watched the "big kids" playing in the water - Zach is 12 (he's almost 13...I know...because he told me 200 times), Hailey is 10 and Hayden is 8. He sat for about 20 minutes watching them jump, play, and slide and then...off he went. Before we left he was diving under water to pick up toys, doing cannonballs off the side, swimming underwater, doing belly flops (he almost made a nice dive off the side of the pool one day) and did a flip underwater. On Friday...he actually went into the ocean (holding our hands of course) and loved it! Big...HUGE...accomplishment for him.
For three days we went to the beach, played in the pool, the kids (even Poppa Don, Darrell and Kyle) went down the water slide so many times it was amazing and everyone was having such a good time we ate lunch at the pool every day...no one wanted to leave! Great thing about the trip was we pretty much had the resort to ourselves the first two days and the kids had a blast.
With beautiful weather, spending all day at the pool and beach, Darrell taking the kids to play the 9 hole putting range in the evening, getting to watch TV in your own bedroom, having ice cream sundaes delivered every night from room service, watching dvd's and dancing around the room at midnight following Happy Feet...what more could you ask for.
As for the kids, I cut Hailey's hair (and Kyle's) one afternoon and spent a lot of time listening to her tell me about her life and dreams (she and Zeke slept with me every night) and she's just a special kid. A princess...yes...but rightfully so.
Zach is a child trying to figure out how to be a man...definitely at the in between stage. The child is so loving it is amazing. One night, when Kyle and Darrell had went out to lie on the hammocks...Zach busted through the door to wake us up (me, Hailey and Zeke). The hotel alarm was going off...and I mean going off. Flashing lights in the room and this frightening voice over the speakers..."Emergency...Emergency...evacuate the building immediately. Do not take the elevators...Emergency!" Zach had went to find his Dad and Kyle and when he couldn't locate them he came into my bedroom to get me to help him get everyone out. It was scary...but a false alarm. Zach's a charming hero in my book.
As for Hayden, you just want to hug him to death! He's content doing things by himself...a seriously deep thinker...not much of a talker but my God..........that smile! I won't say he's my favorite but I will say he's the most like me...give us a book, a challenge, or a suduko puzzle and just leave us alone! He was so sweet with Zeke. Zeke is a super hero nut...he's either Spiderman or Batman and Hayden played the villan for Zeke's imaginary battles all day long. Hayden actually wore Zeke out a few times...which isn't easy to do.
Everything was great...couldn't ask for a better time. The only scary things that happened was Kyle almost drowned in a 3 foot deep swimming pool (not kidding...scared the crap outta me) and Darrell almost had a heart attack when he ran up the 11 flights of stairs following the evacuation alarm (not kidding)...but even still...we had a blast!!!
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