Waterslide Moments

This was a highlight of our weekend at the Palm Coast—going down the waterslide with Sky. Lots of family time with Adam’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law was another highlight.

The lowlight of the weekend was the extended temper tantrum Sky threw at the beach. She normally loves playing in the waves and building sand castles, but for whatever reason she changed her mind on Sunday and wanted everyone to head to the pool. (In her defense, the pool set-up there is spectacular. Especially the waterslide.) Still, we’d done a day at the pool and the rest of us wanted time at the beach. Adam and I weren’t sure what to do since she was in full blown two-year-old mode and no words seemed to reach her. In my head I could hear my mom saying, “Children don’t set the agenda,” so we stayed down by the ocean as planned. Sky never did give in to the fun at the beach, but after lunch at the condo and a nap with Grammy and Grandpa she was back to her cheery little self.

A “vacation with little ones” is a funny combination of words. Because my family lives far away, we’ve done lots of traveling with our kids and they tend to struggle when we’re not at home. For the most part they stay up late, wake up during the night, and start the day early. They usually cling to us at first and Sky will ask repeatedly, “When are we going back to our brown house?” But taking trips as a family is still worth it. I love the extra family time. And there is something therapeutic about being out of the routine, no matter how challenging it is for babies and toddlers. My photos and videos don’t usually tell the full story, since they only capture the fun stuff. But I’m okay with that. In August we’re driving 20 hours each way to spend two weeks at my Mom’s house on Lake Michigan. I know there will be temper tantrums and sleepless nights and one very messy Forrester. But I bet there will be waterslide moments too, and lots of conversations with my mom, brothers and sisters. I’m ready to start packing now.