A Family First
For the first time since ‘lil q was born, we took a vacation. And by vacation I mean, just us, our family, somewhere that wasn’t a friend or family’s house, with no purpose other than to take a trip. Call us daft, but we chose the beach in February. In reality, the beach, in a
beach town, in the winter is a great time for a quiet vacation. Seats at a restaurant, empty beaches, no crush of other tourists. Of course the big question is always the weather, but that’s always an issue.
As some know, ‘lil q spent the first week of her life in a condo overlooking the Pacific Ocean compliments of her grandparents. She didn’t get to go to beach or play in the water, but she did get to hear it and she can say she ‘saw’ it I suppose. So this trip she got to see the Atlantic Ocean. In less than 18 months she’s seen two oceans, flown four times and been to twice as many states. At least when she’s older she can’t say we kept her isolated.
One of the nice things about the beach in the winter is the availability of places to stay – nice places, with lots of room. We ended up with a four bedroom house that allowed us to bring the dog, a block from the beach for less than most hotel rooms. But more memorable is that this was our first vacation as a family, our little family. There have been and will be more extended family vacations, and those are just as important, but for us, this trip will always be special.
There are more pictures under the Photos tab, under Family Vacation.
this was a really lovely blog to read. I understand totally what you mean about the family vacation. My son, his dad and I went on a trip to Newfoundland when he was coming up for five and I will never, ever forget it. It was a real adventure just for the three of us. You have a beautiful family and baby Q is totally adorable, just like you two
Thanks Nephy. Given the adventure your life has been that must have been some trip 😉 Your son is lucky to have such a wonderful person for a parent.
Family vacations are the best. My kids are now grown and they love to talk about those trips and the places we went. We’re still taking vacations together, just not every time, and it really reinforces that we’re a family. Your family is on the best of tracks!
Every so often we do something like this and we realize despite what we’ve been told by the right, we ARE a family just like every other family. She’ll never know anything different so to her, we’ll always be normal, or at least as normal as he and I can be. 😛
We’ve been dragging our kids around the country and around the world since they were born. It makes them more well-rounded people, but it’s also made for some of our best memories. Each of them mentions our trips on an almost daily basis, and they are always game for going anywhere–even the teenager. 🙂 Also, I think off-season trips are often the best ones.
I hope ‘lil q has the same reaction as your children. From the pictures you posted on the chat, they did seem happy in Venice. 🙂
I used to take my children camping – when it came to putting up that tent the four of us were like a well-oiled machine! The camping spots we chose were often near the sea – both north and south of where we live. Even now, years later, we often recount stories and laugh over some of our adventures from those holidays.
You pics of the ocean brought back some great memories – thanks!
Yup, that’s how it is in my family. Those ‘dreaded’ family outings have left permanent memories we all look back on fondly. Trying to do family vacations now is SO much harder with my siblings and I having kids, and jobs and the like. But ‘lil q will have many with us to remember when she’s older.