So the last full day of our lovely family vacation. We thought we would keep Olivia out of camp for the day and spend some time by the pool/beach. Whatever she wanted. So we had a lazy morning, sleeping in till 7:45. Woohoo! We got ready for breakfast and headed out.
After breakfast we dropped off William at camp. He was ten times more happier there than spending the morning playing at the beach. It just wasn’t his thing. No guilt there. Once we dropped him off, we asked Olivia what she wanted to do. Beach or pool? She wanted pool. So we took her to the children’s waterpark only to find that they were fixing a pump on the splash pad and we had to wait and an hour to open. Not good – our morning was wasting away. So we decided to head to the pool that had a large kiddie pool for Olivia.
When we got there, she ran to the pool. Even though the waters were frigid she walked right in. She was in her element. We quickly took our chairs close to the pool as many families starting to gather around the pool. The morning was going to look clear and hot. We unpacked our stuff, lay out our towels and off Olivia went. The great thing about this pool was we didn’t have to go in with her. We could just watch her safely by our loungers and she could swim and splash in safety as the water was no more that 2 feet. It was a perfect pool for Olivia.
After splashing around by herself she wanted to go in the big pool. Sigh. So Papa finished his coffee and went to the big pool with Olivia. There she could totally duck her head into the water and practice her swimming skills. She was in heaven. You could totally see that she was more comfortable in the pool than in the sea. She could open her mouth and her eyes without the saltiness.
As they were swimming, Papa decided to head up to the swim up bar and order a drink. We are proud to say that Olivia had her first STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI – virgin that is. Hahahhaha. She loved it. Why not, it’s just cold, fruity, and sugary. Hahahhaha. So they would take a sip, then swim down the pool to the other end. Then Olivia would say “ I want my DAIQUIRI” and swim back. It was hilarious. Sigh, what next.
After our swim in the pool, she was shivering because although the air was warm it was windy and the water was cold. So we took her out to have a small snack. She had her own lounger and just lay there enjoying the sun. I think she was actually really tired because she turned around and closed her eyes and was pretty quiet for awhile. Gotta love swimming.
Soon it was going to be time for lunch. Olivia had the option of eating lunch with us and heading to the beach OR lunch with her friends at camp and stay for the afternoon. Much to our disappointment, she chose camp. So we dropped her off, constantly asking her if she was sure. :0P When we got here, she ran into the room with the other kids and didn’t look back. Okay then.....
We went for lunch and then headed to the beach. We might have been on the beach for about 30 minutes relaxing when it became more gusty and dark clouds loomed. It was going to rain. It started off very light, but then got a bit harder. Luckily we were under a cabana so we were relatively dry but a bit cold. We thought it would pass quickly but it didn’t. We ended up abandoning our cabana and headed back to our room. Luckily our new room was so amazing that we didn’t’ mind. Thank goodness the kids were at camp, because there would have been nothing to do in the room. Even we got bored after an hour (which we started to pack and get everything ready anyways so it was okay). We decided to brave the rain and wrapped ourselves with beach towels and ventured out in the POURING rain now – stopping in at little shops along the way. We headed towards the French pavilion to get an afternoon snack before we picked up the kids.
By the time we reached the kids, the rain started to let up and the sun was trying to come out. The kids were happy to see us and were in such a good mood. Yes, even William. We headed back to our room for some quiet time before dinner. Tonight was going to be a special night! We went for an early dinner at Mario’s which was the perfect family dinner experience –with Sesame characters all over the walls and small chairs and tables for the kids to eat. It was great.
After a great dinner – no tantrums and good eating – we headed back to the room for baths. We had a surprise for the kids coming at 8pm! After baths, we had some quiet time on the bed reading books and playing, when all of a sudden the DOORBELL rang (yes, our room has a doorbell).
Olivia and Papa opened the door and there stood ELMO! What was Elmo doing in our room at 8pm at night! Well…. He wanted to wish Olivia and William a very good night! The look on Olivia’s face when she opened the door was priceless. She was speechless. Hahahhaha
We invited Elmo into our room and we all said hello. William said hello from afar. Hahahha. Then he sat down on the daybed and we got ready to read a bedtime story – with Elmo. Olivia bravely sat beside Elmo and let him wrap his arms around her as they got ready to read a story. It was a priceless magical moment. As Elmo’s “friend” read the story, Olivia was constantly checking to gage our reactions. It was like, “What the heck is going on? This is aweome!”. Hahahhahahah She participated in the story and knew all the Sesame characters. Everyone was impressed. Yes, my daughter has a very good memory. During this time, William sat comfortably on the bed watching what was going on. He didn’t’ want to be part of that scene, even though he was waving at Elmo all the time. He’s still too young. hahahhaha
After the story, Elmo gave Olivia and William and very special surprise – an Ernie and Bert puppet. Both kids were so happy. Then it was time for ELMO bedtime stretches. Hilarious! There was Olivia coping everything Elmo was doing. After the stretches, it was time for tuck in time. We made Olivia lie down in the day bed, Elmo and “friend” sang a lullaby (Twinkle Twinkle), and he pulled up her blanket and gave her a hug and a kiss goodnight. Then that was it. All in all it took 20 minutes, but we know this memory will last forever. What an awesome experience!
We said our goodbyes and off they went. It took Miss Olivia another 45 minutes to settle down and really go to sleep, but it was all worth it. It was a perfect end to this wonderful family vacation. Back to reality tomorrow, but memories will continue on strong for the next couple of months. Thank you Papa for this family vacation. So many memories, so many good times, and so much love and laughter on this trip. Till the next time…
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