Papi's Day

We are in Lake Tahoe. It is the first time here for all three of us, Roque, Greyson and myself. Thanks to the generosity of my dear friend, Martina, we found ourselves with an all-accommodations paid getaway to Incline Village, one of the more exclusive areas here, so we've been told. We almost couldn't make this trip because of a mysterious stomach virus Greyson caught that caused him to wake up two nights before our departure date, with vomiting and a horrible rash. Truly, whatever it was, the Lord healed him and protected us, because since that night, there have been no symptoms of his illness on his part or ours. Hallelujah! Thank you to all our dear friends for praying.

The drive here was pain-free, other than the fact that Greyson only napped for 45 min in the car, a far cry from his usual two hours. My child has never been a car sleeper. I had hoped that that would change, but apparently it hasn't. Still, he woke up cheery and despite a meltdown in the later afternoon from general over-stimulation and fatigue, our baby boy slept 12 straight hours his first night here. Not a peep from him even when we put him down, no disorientated wailing in the middle of the night to deal with. For a first night in a new place, that exceeded my wildest expectations.

When Greyson woke up, I told him it was Papi's day today, and all day he kept saying, "Happy Papi Day!" We spent Father's Day exploring the area. We rode a gondola all the way to the top of a mountain and back, enjoying insanely gorgeous views of snow-tipped mountains and what looked like thousands of picture perfect Christmas trees. We had lunch out, came home for a nap, and upon waking, drove down to King's Beach where Greyson played in the sand, at the playground, and with the water faucets used for washing off after beach play. Greyson experienced his first taste of chocolate ice cream. It was hilarious watching him trying to use his tongue in a way he wasn't used to. We had to teach him how to lick productively, it was so cute. After a quiet dinner at home, Grey had a bath, ran around singing along with his Music Together CD, and then went straight to bed. All was delightful.









We feel triumphant in that we have finally found the kind of family vacation we can do. It gives me hope that I can still travel with my child, and enjoy a restful time. Choosing a road trip over a plane ride makes all the difference in the world. With the flexibility we had with luggage, I could bring every single imaginable item to recreate Greyson's world here. I brought his instruments, his bath toys, his pillow and even Mama Woolly. And yet, breaking out of your routine makes you realize how little you can live with. Things seem so much simpler here. I'm not sure if it's because I feel am more relaxed, or if it's the clear Tahoe air, but somehow, even the monotonous tasks of cooking, cleaning and diaper changing feel so easy here. Of course, having the best father in the world around all the time doesn't hurt.