We left Destin early to allow for some playtime in Memphis to break up the long drive...and ended up finding a hotel on Memphis for the night. Not the original plan, but the baby was DONE being in the car, and the rest of us just weren't ready to go back to reality. We visited the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel and arrived right before closing. We toured the outside and had our own lesson on Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights Movement.
Next stop: The Duck March at the Peabody Hotel.
Every morning the Peabody hotel rolls out the red carpet and parades their resident ducks off the elevator to the fountain in the lobby. And every evening, they are escorted the same fashion back up to their fancy habitat on the roof for the night. The ducks were adorable, but living in Arkansas with pet chickens has certainly taken the novelty out of seeing this type of wildlife up close in action. We were more impressed with the grand hotel.
The rooftop view was clear and beautiful.
We thought the late 1920's tile floor upstairs was fascinating.
Our favorite was this fancy older lady playing piano in the lobby. She was glamorous, animated and energetic and very entertaining!
For dinner, we just grabbed pizza and pasta to go from Pizza Hut and took it to our hotel room in Germantown. Aaron took the little ones out to explore hotel amenities and eat in the common room and Reese, Quincy and I settled in to watch the General Women's Broadcast on Aaron's phone, which seemed to be the only device able to get a strong enough wifi signal to stream the meeting. Q took notes on the complimentary hotel notepad and the boys brough us cookies when they came back. It was different from routine, but still a special experience.
At 9pm the children reminded us we had
promised to take them swimming. Aaron was exhausted from driving all day so I volunteered as tribute while he stayed back with Sloane.
Of course it wasn't until
after two diaper blowouts and baths that we realized we had zero clean diapers left! I guess that's what happens when you extend your vacation and extra 2 days! Aaron went to the store and I used Corbin's underwear and a hotel hand towel to fashion a cloth diaper for Sloane to protect the hotel carpets from a poop disaster. It was pretty funny.
What wasn't funny was not sleeping that night. We have officially outgrown the single hotel room. Big time. The kids had a really tough time falling asleep, and out littles have finally grown past the size where they are comfortable sleeping 3 in a queen bed. Corbin no longer enjoys the makeshift "bed" from the armhair and bench, and Sloane just cried all night. I knewaaron needed to sleep so he could drive the next day, so the boys ended up in bed with him, and I floated between rocking Sloane in the armchair and the foot of Reese and Quincy's bed. Q kicked me hard enough in the face that I just gave up and moved to the floor while Sloane crawled around on me. I don't say this to complain, but to immortalize the awful sleepless night and remind Aaron and I to pay up and get two rooms next time. It sooo wasn't worth the money saved to cram together! Not the best way to "end" a family vacation, but luckily, Easter Morning gave plenty of redemption and we finished on a high note.
1 comment:
We've had a lot of trial and error with the hotel room thing. Here's what I've found. Tip #1: Always get a room with a sofa bed. After you've pulled out the bed, use the extra cushions to make a bed on the floor. Tip #2: Residence Inns are a great option for bigger rooms. Often the 2 bedroom room is cheaper than getting two separate rooms (and good luck getting them adjoining). And even a 1 bedroom at residence inn is pretty spacious. Tip #3: Pick up a child size cot for $20 at Walmart (by the carseats). It is the size of a toddler bed and collapses up small. Insta-bed on road trips and way easier than an air mattress!
Families with kids can still travel! Don't let them get you down!
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