It might not have been Disneyland, but they talked about it all week before we left the house. My kids were enthralled by the idea of staying at a hotel for the first time (that they could remember, anyway). Earlier in the week we had told them that we would be visiting their cousins. At first they were disappointed when I told them we would not be staying at their house, but when I told them the hotel had a pool and breakfast the next day, they were suddenly on pins and needles in anticipation.

We checked in to the Fairfield Inn in Simpsonville, SC on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. Rain threatened but the kids would not be dissuaded. After settling into the hotel room (which included the kids moving ALL their clothes into the dressers) we got into our swimsuits and headed downstairs. We had the pool to ourselves. The kids were so excited and got rid of their floaties really quick. They splashed around for a good bit and I even jumped in (so cold!) after a while. Once we were done we headed upstairs to the room and got changed to go to dinner with family. That is when the rain started.

 

That night we got ready to sleep 5 people in the same room. Oh boy! We made a couple of trips to the ice machine so we could have cold drinks by the bed. We had left our travel bed for the baby at home, but fortunately the hotel helped us by providing one.The two older kids were excited to share the pull out couch. They watched some “hotel TV” and then we settled in for the night.

 

The next morning we slept in a little and wandered down for breakfast. Corbin got waffles, Zoie had cereal, and there were no fights. It was glorious! Now, you may think this was all a little bit silly, but to the kids it was a grand adventure. And that’s what life is about, right? Making those memories so that we can look back on them fondly and know why we truly love our family.