Jackson does what he does best in the car - sleep - while Jimmy stayed occupied with my sunglasses and his iPod loaded with all his Disney favorites.
When we arrived, we enjoyed lunch at Wahoo's and then headed to the hotel to check in. Jimmy and I were excited because we decided to stay on Town Lake and we knew the boys would have a blast looking at the water and walking along the paths. When we got up to the room, you would have thought it was Disney World all over again. The boys spent a good amount of time jumping on the king bed and running around the room, pressing their noses against the window and looking down at bustling Austin below.
After playing in the room, we headed for our first walk along the lake. The boys were able to see dogs, runners, bikers, other kids and even a few of Austin's finest "characters." The weather was perfect. The walk got us all hungry so we hopped in the car and drove up to The Oasis on Lake Travis for dinner.
With bellies full and the sun setting on the horizon, we started our journey back. Jimmy and I decided to venture into a few neighborhoods nestled in the hills and we fell in love with what we were seeing. Before we knew it, we were daydreaming about packing up the house and moving to Austin, leaving no regrets behind. We know it will be a few years before we can even think of doing anything like that, but if we had to move, I think Austin would be the first place we went.
We topped off the night with ice cream at Amy's Ice Cream and that's about where the perfect family vacation ended. We fought Jimmy for a few hours when we got back to the hotel room to get him to go to sleep (he never sleeps in our bed at home, so sleeping with us at the hotel was a double bonus - new place AND sleeping with Mommy and Daddy). Jackson was overtired and fought sleep for quite a bit as well. After trying everything I could think of to get the kids to sleep, Jackson finally gave in and passed out. I was in the middle of telling Jimmy a bedtime story when he finally dozed to sleep, tucked right at my side and leaving very little room for pregnant Mommy to sleep. I fidgeted for a bit to move him and when I finally got comfortable I fell asleep, but it was short lived. Jackson woke up in the wee hours of the morning scared out of his mind. He wasn't sure where he was and from the feel of his rock hard tummy, I knew he was also struggling with a tummy ache. I picked him up and comforted him for a bit, but when I tried to put him back down he gripped around my neck so tight I knew he wouldn't sleep anywhere but beside me on the bed. I was wrong. He wouldn't sleep anywhere except ON me on the bed. To be more precise, on my face. He fell asleep right on top of my face, cheek to cheek, and if I dared move him he would fuss. A few hours later I decided I couldn't sleep that way so I gently rolled him on to the bed and when he outstretched his arm, guess who he found next to him? Big brother. That excited the little guy so he jolted awake and went right on about his task of waking up little Jimmy. Just as the sun was rising we were all up, crowded in our bed.
Both boys battled stomach aches for the rest of the morning, but when we were able to muster enough strength out of them for breakfast we ended up trekking for what felt like miles to find a decent meal. I mean trekking, people. Uphill. I love Austin, but at that moment, decaf coffee in hand, sweat beading on my forehead, heart racing, I was not so in love. A few hours later, I ended up with some awful form of food poisoning and couldn't bear the thought of doing anything except climbing into bed and going to sleep. Jimmy was sweet enough to take the boys on their own little Father-Sons adventure while I slept for a good part of the afternoon. When I woke up, I was scared to eat, and honestly had no desire to, but I felt well enough to accompany the family to Iron Works BBQ and then sit with them on the grass to see the bats fly out from underneath the Congress bridge.
After two days without regularly scheduled naps (and like I've said, my kids LOVE schedules) we were back in the hotel room with sleepy boys. Jackson fell asleep as soon as we put him in the crib, and Jimmy was out just moments after. I found myself still battling with the food poisoning a bit, but my stomach let up just enough for me to get a decent night's rest.
The next morning we scrambled to pack, check out and get to church on time. I was so excited to attend Austin Stone because I listen to the sermons online all the time. Easter service was to take place at the Frank Erwin Center, and when we walked into the building we realized kids were all going to be in separate play areas. The boys usually attend church with us, so this was going to be a new experience for all of us. The staff were all so friendly, helpful and reassuring, that when we walked away from the play area where we left Jackson and Jimmy, we knew they would be ok. And ok they were.
The service was breathtaking. I cried. I laughed. I cried some more. Really, words cannot explain it, but it was exactly what I dreamt it would be - and so much more. I was so moved by the large crowd gathered to worship together I often got goosebumps when I looked around. Time seemed to stand still and I felt as if I could sit there all day and listen to Matt preach. Before we knew it, we were headed to get the boys, who had done superb with the other kids. They didn't even cry or fuss when they realized we were gone! The car ride home made me nervous because I wasn't sure how my stomach would do, but I dozed off for a bit and was able to make it to my parents' house for Easter dinner with both sides of the family. Bouts of the sickness struck throughout the rest of the day, and I realized that any 15 week baby bump I was getting seemed to be going away. One neighbor was scared to ask how the pregnancy was going because she wasn't sure if I was still pregnant based on how I looked. So, needless to say, there's really no 15 week picture because there's really nothing there - yet. But as soon as it comes back, and I know it won't take long, I'll be posting a picture for all to see. Just a few more weeks until we find out if it's a boy or a girl!
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