The Tatum Family: VACATION!

Two weeks ago Tim and I decided to take our first family vacation for my 30th birthday and just to celebrate being a family. Two weeks to some might seem like planning, but this is considered spontaneous in our family. Once it was booked we were so excited. This was our first family vacation ever. Hannah got in the spirit too. I don’t think she totally knew what vacation meant, but she went around telling strangers that she had to get her toes painted for her vacation. Then the terrible San Diego fires hit. On the news all you saw was San Diego up in flames. I apologize in advance for sounding completely selfish here, but to speak honestly I was super bummed that the air on our trip might be all ashy and smoky. Since pretty much we were planning on being outside the whole time. Tim and I rarely splurge on things like this so I just wanted it to be perfect. Driving down the 5 on Friday was interesting. By then I think the fires were for the most part considered ‘contained’ however about every 5-10 miles you would see another huge fire. Luckily for us, San Diego is huge and our destination was about 60 miles from any fire. We arrived at Paradise Point Resort around 2:30. It was a hotel I remembered staying in with my brother and mom. We chose it because I remembered how nice it was to just open your doors right to the sand and I thought this would be easy for the kids to play and parents to ‘relax’ (I use that term loosely.)The resort did not disappoint. In the words of Hannah “It’s my favorite hotel.” And your only, but who’s counting. In all seriousness we had the best time ever and made memories that I honestly think I will cherish forever. I don’t want to bore my readers with every little detail, so feel free to stop reading and just look at the pictures, but keeping in mind the point of this blog is for Hannah and Jack to have memories of their childhood, so I am going to document quite a bit.

So like I said, we arrived at 2:30 and Hannah was so excited to get the ‘special key’ to her ‘new home.’ We let her open the door each time we went in, which surprisingly is just too much fun. We all instantly ran out the back door and took in the beauty of the view. Yes! It was everything I was hoping for. A huge grass area for the kids to crawl and play followed by the sand and the bay. It was a perfect combo because Hannah loves the beach, but Jack eats the sand, so the grass was shady and ideal for him. He LOVED the freedom to crawl all over. We instantly put on our suits and headed off to the main pool. We all swam, Jack got about 3,000 compliments on his cuteness, Hannah played Ariel and loved how there was a waterfall in the pool she could put her head under. Hannah is a great swimmer this year. She still wears floaties for safety, but she kicks hard, ducks under, and floats on her back. We then headed to the Mexican cantina and sat outside so we could wear our suits. Hannah made nice with the bartender who gave her a huge cup of duck food to use for the whole weekend. (Enter one of Hannah’s favorite memories from her whole trip). There are ducks all over the resort in the ponds, but a little duck family (Mommy, Daddy, and two brand new babies) lived right by the Mexican restaurant. Hannah fed the family food and was in Heaven. Dinner that night was awesome. After dinner we decided to watch the sunset and have a bonfire. The pits circle the property so it was very close to our room. Hannah sat down in her chair next to the pit and said “This is a beautiful evening.” We did smore’s which ended in all four of us being completely sticky but happy. The kids got a quick bath in the huge tub and then went to sleep. Hannah was so excited by the huge tub and the huge bed. She slept with Tim and I and we lucked out with Jack. I figured we would just be quiet for him, but the walk in closet was so large, we turned it into his own room so it worked out great. As the kids slept, Tim and I played cards outside on the patio and enjoyed the scenery.

Day 2, Happy Birthday to Mommy. Jack and Daddy went for an early morning walk and brought back coffee. Hannah made me a card jumped in bed and said “Happy Mother’s Day!” Close, I’ll take it. We spent the morning flying our kite, playing soccer, building sand castles and exploring. We headed back to the pool and had dinner. After dinner we fed the ducks in the pond and climbed this 70 foot tower in the center of the resort. I was actually a little afraid to be up that high with two small kids, but Hannah of course thought she was Rapunzel so we had to climb it. She loved it and the view from the top was good too. We had so much fun the night before on the beach that we decided to repeat it. So after dinner back to the bonfire pits for more s’mores and watching the sunset. Only this time, Hannah and Daddy surprised Mommy by belting out the “Happy Birthday” song on the beach. This was one of my all time favorite memories of the trip because they looked so happy singing, we were having fun, and in the moment I just felt really truly blessed.

The third day, Hannah couldn’t wait to get out to the beach to fly our kite again, so we hit the sand early. And let me tell you by day three, Hannah and I had the kite down. Huge improvement over day one. In fact, we met some nice neighbors who were basically laughing at us day one, by day three, that thing practically flew itself. We played baseball on the grass, did some painting, and yep, headed back to the pool. After lunch we check out and then of coarse had to go feed our duck friends one last time before we left. This day at the pond, we saw a Crane (which Hannah loved learning about this new animal). She also informed the grown man next to us that the Daddy’s are Mallards. Swung by the gift shop and we were out.

Hannah says her favorite memories are:
• The big bed
• Flying the kite
• Feeding the ducks
• Dinner at the Mexican Restaurant
• Marshmellows
Swimming

My favorite moments were spent watching the kids play on the grass and sand. It was just true joy. Jack crawling and climbing everywhere. He looked so cute and happy. I absolutely loved flying the kite everyday with Hannah. We spent hours together walking the beach with that kite, talking and laughing. I also loved swimming and when Hannah and Tim sang to me on the sand. My funniest moment was when Jack pee peed on Daddy right during our family photo op (Swimmy diaper malfunction). When we left, I looked out our patio window and cried. Yep, not afraid to admit it. I just felt like I would always have images of that grass area and the kids happy faces. It was a happy cry and I am so glad we made these memories as a family. We will be back. After all, the duck family misses us.

We took the most amazing photos. In my mind you need all 150 to really tell the story, but here are some of my favorites. We will save the 150 for my scrapbooking.

Our View