Family Vacation

This last week we took our family vacation to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic! It was SO great :) Leading up to it, I was very nervous about...well...everything. Were the girls going to scream the entire flight? Would they adjust to the lack of schedule there? Would they sleep in this new environment, would I have enough snacks and food for them? Would they get sick from the food/water, would they like the beach/pool? The list went on and on....
Turns out...there was absolutely nothing to worry about. The girls were AMAZING! They handled everything so well and had SO much fun! They were so happy and joyful (most of the time!) and really seemed to love EVERYTHING about the trip!
The other thing I was worried about was whether I would be able to relax. I mean, I was still going to have to take care of the kids the entire time, cut their food, change their diapers, wash their bottles, get them dressed, get up early in the morning with them, and all the other things i have to do every day at home. So, would it really be a "vacation" for me? Guess what...it was! Not only did I have amazing help from my in-laws, but I realized that doing all that stuff is so a part of me now, that i don't really see it as a "chore" anymore. I coached field hockey with my good friend Jodi before the girls were born. I can remember many times wondering how after a long cold practice on a Saturday morning, or a rainy practice on a Friday afternoon, or basically any "uncomfortable" cold or wet practice, how she could go home and take care of three little boys. I would jump in my car, crank the heat and go home to a hot shower and curl up in bed. How in the world could she go home, skip all that, and take care of her kids?? I just couldn't imagine how she could do it. However, this trip made me realize how she did it (other than the fact that she is an amazing mom!!!)...you just don't even think about it. These kids bring so much joy to my life, that I actually find happiness in caring for them. I don't think about what I am "missing out on." At the resort where we were staying, they had all kinds of activities I would have LOVED to take part in...beach volleyball, pool volleyball, other games, simply laying out in the sun, etc. However, I didn't even miss them one bit. I loved taking care of my babies, seeing the joy they had playing in the sand on the beach in the afternoon, or the puddles and rocks on our morning walks. I never thought about what I was missing out on, just how much fun it was to see these babies discover, play, and learn :) OK, enough of that sappiness! On to the vacation. We took over 400 pictures!! I am not going to post ALL of them, but I do have a ton that I love, so you'll be seeing a lot!! I am going to split each post up by day since I probably wont have time to do it all at once. Hopefully I'll be able to get all this done in the next few days!!! Happy belated Thanksgiving by the way :) We have so much to be Thankful for at the Paredes house!!!