DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Family Holiday!!!!!! I was so excited and ready to head to sunshine, sand and surf.  We went to the Hard Rock in Dominican Republic and it was AWESOME!!!!

 

   We went with great friends the "Azzi's" and it was great our kids get along great, we get along great and it ROCKED! (See what I did there, he he) your mom is so clever.  We left Wednesday morning and headed to the airport bright and early.  It was super cold and it was nice to be leaving winter gear and heading to flip flop weather. 

The kids were great on the plane and the plane trip was dare I say almost relaxing.  We packed their backpacks full of fun things.  Like our mini finger puppets, these coloring books that only used water (they were beyond a huge hit and kept them entertained for honestly about 2 hours) they were neat because when they dried they could color them all over again.  Abbie fell asleep and we had a spare seat so she got to lay down.  We were at the back of the plane and it came in handy.  When we arrived we got to exit down the back and into that glorious warm sun!! Love the picture of the kids coming down the stairs with their little backpacks.


We rode the bus to the resort and could see that our kids were fading fast.  Poor Mason kept bobbing his head, got our rooms and could not wait to head to the beach

The sand felt amazing and Abbie's biggest complaint was when we took her out of the water.  The kids loved playing in the sand and the minute the sun hit Alin and I, you could visibly see us start to relax.  There were so many fun things about our trip, I loved the sound, sight and feel of the ocean.  There is nothing more therapeutic than that.  Warm sand between your toes, kids giggling and playing, content in the sand.  Swimming in the pools, not having to cook (YAHHHH) or do dishes.  The Hard Rock was an amazing resort it had a lot of shops, arcade (imagine Alin's delight) free ice cream (which the kids had every night) kids club, shows.  It was really geared to families and there where lots of activities to keep little ones busy.  We went to a show one night with Barney, Thomas the Train, Angelina Ballerina (which was the first time I'd heard of her, but Daniela really liked her) Bob the Builder and it was fun for the kids to sing and dance around.  After the show they got to go up on the stage and meet the characters.  We also went to a meet and greet with them at breakfast one morning.  Our days consisted of waking up, going to the buffet and heading to the beach, occasionally a nap on the chairs (the kids not us, darn)

Dad, Daniela (snoozing) and those little lumps on the chairs beside them are Abbie and Mason.  Nothing like the ocean waves, warm sand and ocean air to have them sleeping like babies.  It was so nice and relaxing and a week was really to short...but I was glad to get to go at all. 

 The kid crew playing with their trucks while we finished eating

 Abbie and Ella they were so cute together

One day we watched all the little's while Richard and Amanda went to the spa and then they watched our kiddos while we went.  Honestly these kids get along so well

The whole kid crew, Mason, Ella, Daniela, Tristan and Abbie

I actually love holiday with other people (that you get along with) we are fairly easy going so everyone does their own thing and then meet up at certain parts of the day.  The Azzi's were amazing and it was so fun.  Richard was sick for the first part (enough he had to see a Dr. there and Amanda was such a trooper since I know how tired you can get when your pregnant) So I was worried they weren't having fun, but the nicest compliment was when we were heading home on the bus they told us that we were super easy to travel with and they had a great time...even easier than there last holiday with family shhhhhhh. 

I need to talk about the spa, in one word OUT OF THIS WORLD okay so that's 4 words but in my entire life I have never been to anything like that.  It was massive and when you walked in it was literally like walking into another world.  Pools of water, plants, couches, waterfalls everywhere.  They took Alin and I, gave us warm neck wraps to relax and water while we waited for our massages.  They took us into a room, the smell, the warmth, the music honestly made you relax instantly.  It was such a surreal moment.  In fact while the were massaging me a thousand thoughts were running thru my mind.  I am super uncomfortable with my body right now, it is large...actually huge and does in no way resemble the body I used to have.  I am working on losing the baby weight but it is slow going.  While I'm still nursing it feels almost impossible.  While she was rubbing away I was embarrassed of myself, and in reality I don't do much of anything for myself, my days are full of watching little ones 24/7 and even when I've been trying to exercise I usually have 10 min before someone needs me now or is crawling over me, I can't remember the last time I looked in the mirror to apply makeup, its always put on while I'm in the car and basically I felt like I haven't gotten to do anything for myself since becoming a mom...don't get me wrong I love being a mom, I was made to be a mom and a wife but somewhere along the way I lost me.  It's hard to feel good when you don't feel happy with yourself.  Anyway as she was massaging me it was like she was rubbing those feelings right out of me.  I started to focus on what this amazing body can do and has done.  This body carried 3 beautiful babies, full term even when it wasn't able to keep any food down.  This body was able to nurse 3 babies and still provides enough milk for Abbie.  I know this is a blessing as so many of my friends have struggled with keeping their milk or being able to become pregnant.  This body functions on about 3 hours of sleep a night and generally is fairly cheerful.  This body can carry kids, hug and kiss, run around with them.  This body is amazing.  So I have a bit of weight to lose, okay a lot 60 lbs to be exact but that will come in due time.  As she kept massaging tears of gratitude escaped, acceptance and love for myself and my family and especially my husband.  It was just the break we needed, so right there with my head down on the massage table tears flowed while these thoughts went thru my mind and then they turned to my husband, my rock, my best friend, the love of my life, he is always so loving, kind and tells me I'm beautiful even when I don't believe it myself.  My dear girls your dad has set an example of what you should look for in a husband, and Mason the type of husband you should be.  So when we got back to the room I looked at Amanda, walked over to her, and full on hugged her, thanking her so much for watching our kids while Alin and I had some alone time.

The two of us

 Some of the cute pictures that I can't resist, Abbie doing a sand slide.  I love this picture of Daniela, and then Daniela with Mason, and Dad being a cushion.  Makes my heart happy