4th of July Gaylord Staycation

Our first summer together is one I will never forget! Getting to experience all of your firsts as a family while soaking up the sun and watching him splash + kick around in the water has been priceless.

I guess when you become parents, everything you do is either thorughly planned out or super last minute. Alec and I have been finding ourselves in the super last minute phase because it is honestly too hard to plan too far in advance. Whether it be a new skill he's learning, a sleep regression, or new schedule, it's hard to keep up with all the changes. So after doing our monthly finances meeting, we decided to book a quick weekend getaway stay at the Gaylord Texan for the 4th of July.

This is actually super special to me because growing up my family would do this every so often, for holidays or long weekends. Now getting to take my little family to do the same thing is so bittersweet. We actually took Weston to the Gaylord at Christmastime but just to walk around and see all of the decorations, not to stay the night.

So on Friday, July 5th, we packed up the car and drove to Grapevine. Since they have a "newer" waterpark at the resort, we wanted to take advantage of our stay so we showed up around noon, not expecting our room to be ready. Lucky for us however, it was! After Alec checked us in, we quickly dropped our bags in the room, and headed for the shuttle to take us to the waterpark.

On our drive over, it had started to rain which really cleared out the park, again lucky for us! We had the pick of the litter when it came to seats + shade which is a double win for a family of redheads. Once lathered in sunscreen, we all hopped in the pool for an afternoon dip. Shortly after we arrived, it was time for Weston's afternoon nap. So we popped him in the stroller for a quick snooze while mom and dad enjoyed some refreshing pool-side beverages.

After Weston woke up, we gave him his bottle then headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We had made early reservations at Zepole (our favorite italian restaurant) but sadly missed it. Quickly having to pivot and getting close to Weston's bedtime, we decided to put our name down at the Riverwalk restaurant instead. While we waited for a table to become available, we decided to walk around the resort, exploring the shops and taking in the beautiful scenery. Once our table was finally ready, Weston started showing signs that he was ready for bed. So unfortunately Alec had to take him back to the room to get ready for bed while I ate dinner alone and then we switched. Definitely not the most ideal situation but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Once Alec finished his dinner and paid the tab, he met me on the balcony of our hotel room where we acted like stowaways while our baby slept inside. It was one of the funniest experiences of our lives but we made the most of it playing Catan and enjoying some red wine. Luckily we had a room with an indoor balcony so we were able to sit inside the airconditioning while still feeling like we were outside. If you live in Texas you know what a luxury this is in the middle of summer! We also had a stunning sunset view which made for a beautiful + romantic evening!

The next morning we woke up nice and early and decided to do a little more indoor site-seeing, before making our way to the breakfast to-go cafe. There we grabbed some coffees, patries, and found Grandpa Tom who was joining us for day 2 at the resort! It is always nice to have an extra set of hands from a grandparent and a little break for mom and dad. I'm not sure who was more excited Wes Wes, Grandpa, or Alec and I but overall we were one happy group.

Luckily the weather that Saturday, July 6th was perfect so we knew we needed to head to the waterpark at open to snag some good seats again!

Once we all finished our breakfast + coffee, we went back to our room to finish packing up before dropping off our bags at the bellhop and getting on the trolley. After finding the perfect spot in the shade, we all took a swim and enjoyed the morning sun! It was such a beautiful day to spend at the waterpark just hanging out and splashing around. When it was time for Weston's first nap of the day, grandpa Tom took over watchin duty while Alec and I enjoyed floating the lazy river. It was so nice getting to relax, catch some rays, and just talk without a baby on either of our hips. After Weston woke up we decided to pack our bags and head back to the hotel for a quick lunch before heading home. It was starting to get a little too hot for pookie and very crowded so it felt like our sign to go!

At the start of the summer we were nervous about how Weston would do in the water (he used to hate baths) but he really came out of his shell. This kid is not afraid of diving head first into the pool, gulping the water down, or splashing it all over his face! We are so grateful for our adventurous little ray of sunshine and feel so blessed to hold his childhood in our hands.

XO,

The Stegalls