Down south routines with novelty book ends

Day 4 - Punta Cana

Fun fact about our little family on trips, I'm always the last one to go to sleep but often get up with everyone else. This means most times I'm operating on less sleep which can lead to more headaches but there's no way around it as I have a strong desire to document these little daily adventures in a friendly and consumable way as my hope is that my kids can rediscover their childhood through my heart and eyes. They bring us such joy and happiness I hope that this small sacrifice in some way pays them back for all they've given us.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming! The night was the most uneventful night so far. Both kids coughed but not enough to disturb them for too long. When you go to bed last morning comes quick for you. Sophie and my buddy planned to hit the gym for 6am this time and sadly as she was leaving Wesley was awake. My hope was that a late bedtime would translate into a later wake up but that was not to be. That's ok, we roll with the punches.

I pick up my little boy and he's ecstatic to be in my arms. He leans his head on my shoulder for a hard press in as he squeezes his arms on my shoulders. Closest to a hug as he can give. He's so affectionate, we love it. I bring him to Sophie's bed as Lola is still sleeping in ours and I don't want to disturb her. My plan is as follows. Gentle rocking and tapping on the back in upright position with gradual decline into sleeping ceddy pose.

To my surprise it kind of works. I say kind of cause a minute after striking the pose Lola wakes up from a bad dream calling for me. I whisper to her to come to me in the other bed but to no avail. So we migrate to be beside her which allows her to find peace and calm once more.

Wesley needs more comforting and convincing, he occilates from states of calm to states of perpetual motion until eventually I have no choice to get up. Lola reads the room and joins us. We start prepping for the day ahead with frequent play interruptions. When Sophie comes back all her happy to see her, the kids are already at the window to greet her.

She showers, we dress, we pack, we leave. Our friends opt for a lazy and slow morning so we head out to try yet another buffet option. We try to hit up the pharmacy on the way for some needed supplies but it's not open yet. At the buffet we find yummy options for all. Lola and I gourge ourselves on pancakes and crepes doused with a heavy serving of Nutella. Wesley who hasn't been eating lots devours watermelon in what I can only describe as barbarous.

By the time we finish eating out friends have eaten and secured long chairs by our main go to pool. We jettison from the buffet and hit the kiddy place on the way to the pool to secure a cute little push car for Wesley which he himself spotted and asked for yesterday. When I was feeding him by the kiddie pool he kept pointing off to the right towards nothing near me. Then he would follow that up by pointing at himself. When I followed the path of his finger there were two of these cars there.

I got up and asked the parents where they got them and was happy to learn the resort supplies them. However when I went to get one they were all out so today when they opened at 9am we were there and due to our strategic planning the car was ours for the day. He was so happy with this thing all day and everyone wanted to push him in it. Every once in a while he would do the car sound too… so cute.

Once at the pool we creamed up our pale skin, except for Sophie's back… that's pretty red. And into the pool we went. Our morning of fun, water and splashing turned into lunchtime and we were back at the buffet dining on a variety of tasty options. Prior to coming to lunch we discussed the possibility of trying for a nap today before heading to the beach so after we finished eating we headed back to our rooms for a small siesta. Wesley had already fallen asleep in the stroller as he was basically sleeping at the table as he struggled to drink his milk while his mind and soul drifted to and from unconsciousness.

So all we had left was to convince a 3 year old to follow her little brother’s example. As we rolled the stroller into our room however Wesley woke up. We desperately tried to get both to sleep but neither of them were buying what we had to sell. This was much to our dismay as Sophie and I were probably the most excited about an afternoon nap.

Sophie did manage to get Wesley to rest a bit while Lola got some tablet time, this allowed us to rest our heads on the pillow but Wesley ended our dreams. Sophie says she did manage to sleep a bit but I did not. My friend’s daughter had fallen asleep 20 mins ago so el playa wasn't within reach. This is when I suggested we try out Sophie's new love in life: pickleball.

So we got ready and hit the courts with mom's rackets and balls. It was sadly in direct sunlight but undeterred we played. Mommy explained all the rules and we got a few volleys in before our friends joined us for a doubles match. The heat however was the true winner as we resigned before anyone collapsed.

Sophie had spotted a mini put course in the shade so we tried that next. Lola proceeded to play by placing the ball next to the hole and pushing it in. Then she'd proclaim “I win!!!” She gets all this from her mother who also enjoys cheating at games :p

Before boredom sets in the girls decide that we would skip the beach today and head back to the pool. As we pull into the pool area Lola spots a big ass inflatable unicorn resting beside this group of people. With zero hesitation she grabs it by the tail and starts walking away. Sophie and I react with abject horror and tell her to put it back but the kind older lady sitting beside turns to us and says she can have it… our jaws dropped. Turns out someone's vacation ended so rather than bringing it home they left it for others to enjoy. This is a trait Lola gets from her mom. All the great things in life are for the taking, you just have to be willing to try. You'll get shot down plenty but sometimes you'll win. Today Lola won and I love that for her

So we spent the next hour pushing a big ass unicorn around the pool. Wesley even got to try it and he was all smiles. We then proceeded to give it back to the pool. Lola was willing and accepting of this move. We spent more time with the kids in and out of the water but our dinner reservations was quickly arriving so my friends left to get ready. This was when some kind of Zumba class started on steps. Lola started dancing on all the steps like she was alone on the resort. After a few songs however we also had to get ready.

Tonight was a steakhouse dinner. The restaurant was by the beach, we got seats looking out at the water and the breeze kept us company. I went with the salmon steak which I regretted, fish is never good when it tastes fishy. This was around the time my head started to hurt. Wesley reached his bedtime but refused to accept it so he and I shared a number of wonderful daddy and son moments. He tried to feed me his very chewed fry repeatedly. He kissed me on the lips with his open mouth and he tried to steal my glasses.

The night saw fit to bring us lots of rain, thankfully we were covered. This was nearing dessert time. The girls decided to get up and dance to the music. They would also run out into the rain and then quickly back in under cover. After dessert we walked back home under a light drizzle. We said our goodnights and headed back to our rooms for bedtime.

Sophie lulled Wesley to sleep while I set Lola up with the tablet to finish her movie that she started earlier. She decided to go into mommy's bed so I assumed she would end up going to bed with her but to my surprise she came back to ours. I was once more caressed with an arm bear hug and sleep came quickly for her.

I reminisced about our day and cherished the wonderful and simple moments we created together. We might escape the drab routine of life back home for some heat and a new set of routines here but time seems to slow here and our time together feels deeper and more meaningful. I feel like I am here for them fully as they are for me. I feel like my gratefulness setting is ramped up to 100 and my heart is overflowing with warmth and love.

I love you Sophie, Lola and Wesley. Thanks for making my life so wonderful.

Life is so beautiful!

January 27, 2025