The sound of sleepy tears awoke me this morning at four thirty am, coming from Violet’s bedroom. I hopped out of bed and went to her bedroom, and found her crying. Inconsolable for a few moments and still half-asleep, she was upset because Mom and Dad were going on vacation without her.
This is the kid that was devastated for a solid seven hours when Olivia went away to camp for the weekend. The kid that cried the entire way home from the West End to Sherwood Park, and I mean sobbed, because Olivia was going to camp and she wasn’t going to be home for two whole nights. How was she going to manage nine nights when Jamie and I take off to Europe next week on an adults only (okay, plus a baby because nursing) vacation?
I spent the next hour and a half, awake in bed, searching for flights, seriously considering changing our own flights and paying triple the amount that we paid for our flights during an incredible seat sale from Edmonton to Amsterdam, to bring along these small people - and was mad at myself for letting Jamie talk me into not bringing them in the first place. I considered cancelling our flights, taking the credit minus the penalty and just booking a trip to a white sandy beach with the kids, rather than waiting until later in the spring.
Then, as is usually the case, Jamie woke up, talked some sense into me, reminded me she would be fine - and Violet woke up. She walked into our bedroom, asked where the iPad was, and didn’t remember a thing from the night before.
I breathed a sigh of relief, and reminded myself how much fun they’re going to have with their grandparents. That we’re so fortunate to have such a supportive family, close-by.
She will be fine. I know she’ll be fine. She’s got an incredible set of grandparents close-by that offered to keep the kids when our arrangements for childcare fell through, instead of doing the second week, they’re doing the full vacation. A set of grandparents that have kept the kids for countless weekends away, like the last working weekend Jamie and I were out of town and the girls went to Rogers Place for the Family Skate at Rogers Place (which is a really cool contest hosted by Boston Pizza, enter next year!). Boston Pizza and the Edmonton Oilers partnered to bring the third-ever NHLer For Day to the new arena, bringing families even closer to the Edmonton Oilers. The kids visited the event, with their uncle, and spent the day getting glitter tattoos, their faces painted and skating on the arena ice!
So, whether it’s bringing the kids to events when we’re out of town, keeping the kids for the weekend, or keeping them for two weeks, making us lasagnas - I can put away the iPad and stop searching through Google Flights to add the kids on to the trip, they’re in good hands. Great hands.
This post has been brought to you by Boston Pizza’s, NHLer for a Day Contest. All opinions are my own.
