A Dreamy Long Weekend in Bahrain

We finally got the girls' iqamas back last week and multi-entry/exit visas.  They both have Kenna's picture on them still, but at least this time they have their correct names so we're gonna let that slide!  We've been in Kingdom since the beginning of January so we were itching to get out of here!  Glenn did some research and booked us a family suite at the Gulf Hotel.  It was so dreamy.  Right downtown, around the corner from some delicious restaurants.  Our suite had a huge living room, a little kitchen, and two bedrooms each with their own bathroom.  It was perfect and still way cheaper than the Sofitel where we stayed last time.  Glenn took Sunday off of work so we had a nice long weekend.  We left on Friday morning early after his 17 mile training run and made record time over the causeway.  We were in Bahrain in an hour.  We went straight to the souk for a bit to see if we could find a couple things, which we didn't, then we went to the mall, got some lunch at Fuddruckers, and Glenn took the boys to play in the kids play place while I went to do some shopping with the girls.  It didn't take me long to realize that, while they have dressing rooms in Bahrain (bless them), they don't have handicapped dressing rooms which means that I can't fit in any of them with the stroller.  So I made my little pile of clothes, handed them to the dressing room attendant, and then went outside the store with my two crying little babies to wait for Glenn to swap me so I could go try stuff on.  It was pretty depressing realizing what size I am right now.  But the girls, as always, have wonderful timing.  Every time I would get sad one of them would fuss and need to be held. And they'd calm down in my arms and remind me that they are my little miracles.  My two little angel babies.  I am SO lucky to have them and they are worth all the mess that my body is right now.  As long as I'm making an effort to get my body back into shape, I've got to cut myself some slack because these two babies are so worth it.  

After a bit of shopping we checked into our hotel, did a little exploring, and then walked around the corner to Coco's.  It was a teensy little restaurant.  It was a bit of a treacherous walk along a busy street with construction on the sidewalk, very fast cars, and a very tired little boy who didn't want to obey or hold hands.  Then we sat at our table and I had to nurse the babies under my cover, eliciting some very curious and shocked looks from the table of Arab men next to us.  But then our food arrived.  The boys ate their food without too much complaining.  Glenn and I shared two of the most delicious dishes I've had since we arrived in Kingdom.  And we sat there, each holding a baby while we ate with one hand and Glenn and I looked at each other and smiled.  We're doing it.  We're vacationing in a foreign country with four kids, including two infants.  whew.  There were several moments like that over the weekend.  We were constantly reminded that we had to keep our expectations low and our pace slow but as long as we did that, we didn't stress out.  We didn't snip at each other or at our kids.  We played and had so much fun as a family and we came home so refreshed.  It's been a stressful month in the Kingdom and we really needed a little getaway to remind us why we live here and recharge us for another month.

The next morning we got up, fed the girls while the boys sat on our bed watching Arab Disney Junior.  It was bizarre and I was surprised how different it was.  Our favorite moment was a little commercial promoting healthy lifestyles and it said, "Next time your family goes for a walk, try riding your bike instead of taking the car."  HA!  Glenn and I looked at each other and just busted up.  This place is so bizarre.

We had a really yummy breakfast at the buffet in the hotel.  Tate loved the french toast and waffles, Finny at a huge plate of fruit.  Then we went to the pool.  

It was awesome.  They had this huge pool with a swim up bar, a little cave, and just tons of room.  We had it to ourselves much of the time.  They had a cool kiddie pool up some stairs as well but the water was pretty cold that boys did not like it at all so we spent hours in this pool together.  It was pretty amazing to be at a big pool with our two boys and be able to be so hands off.  Tate is able to swim all the way across it without any trouble at all.  Finny had so much fun just playing on the stairs and when he wanted to venture further out he put on some arm floaties and was just fine on his own too.  Of course, they weren't really on their own much.  Glenn and I took turns playing with them or sitting with the girls.  Usually one of both of the babies were a little fussy and wanted to be held and then when they were ready to eat Glenn and I both got out and fed them and then one of us would get back in the pool with the boys. It was bliss.  So fun.

The girls were happy too.

This kiddo is such a little fish.  He loves the water and going all the way under doesn't bother him one little bit.

Glenn with his little fishy boys.

Me and the girls snuggling up.

Glenn's turn with his little girlies.

Kenna needed a bit of a talking to.

Finn loved wearing his goggles.  Sometimes they kept the water out.  Sometimes not.  We played "buried treasure" and hid a coin on the bottom of the steps and took turns finding it.

What a handsome man I have.  No wonder my kids are so good looking.

Tate and Finn love when Glenn throws them across the pool.  They really get high in the air and they are so happy.

We ordered lunch and ate by the pool.  The boys were thrilled with the sword toothpicks that came in my sandwich and used them to eat the rest of their lunch.

After a couple of hours at the pool we were all exhausted and pretty sunburned even though we used sunscreen.  We went inside and put Finn and the girls down for a nap while we read Harry Potter to Tate and let him watch a little TV.  After a couple of hours we got Finn up and headed to the mall again.  I did a bit more shopping, didn't find anything but we made an effort.  Then we ate some dinner and went to Cinderella.  Again, I was pretty nervous about taking our four kids including two infants to a movie theatre but they all behaved SO incredibly well.  The boys were exhausted from our morning in the pool.  Tate was enthralled with the story and Finn, who usually can't sit still for a movie for the life of him, just sat quietly and watched as well.  And the girls slept through the whole thing.  It was so great.  Another moment where Glenn and I looked at each other and thought, "we got this."

Glenn and I had an interesting moment of realization in the movie.  During THE moment where Cinderella comes down the stairs in her gorgeous ball gown and the prince sees her and walks toward her and they start to dance, all the Arab women around us had their phones out recording the moment and taking pictures of the prince's face.  It hit me that these women will never have a Cinderella moment.  They'll never wear a prom dress and see their date's eyes when he sees how pretty she is.  She'll never have that moment when her groom looks up and sees her for the first time in her gorgeous wedding dress.  There are so many little girl dream moments of romance that these women who will wear an abaya for their entire lives, will never experience.  That is SO SAD to me!  I hadn't thought before about how many little moments of life these women will never have.

After the movie we took our very tired boys home and put them to bed.  Sunday morning we packed up and took our things downstairs, hit the buffet again and then went out to the pool.  The boys loved the koi ponds that we encountered on our way down to the pool.  They could have just watched them all day and been as happy as can be.

We spent another long morning playing in the pool and getting thoroughly worn out.  It was such bliss.

We ordered lunch again by the pool and then gathered everything up to get ready to go.  Tate helped feed baby Taryn while we were getting our stuff together and it was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.  I love my kids.

We got everyone dressed and then drove home and had a slow paced, short evening together and then an early bedtime as both of the boys were exhausted.  

Wow.  What a dreamy weekend.  I feel like my soul is recharged.  It's seriously hard to explain how much I needed that break.  To do nothing but snuggle my babies, play with my boys, love and parent together with my husband.  It was so wonderful.  I'm still nervous for our trip to London.  It will be an entirely different type of vacation and we'll be doing it with four very young kiddos.  But I feel less nervous after this weekend.  And obviously, we'll have more help because Mallory and Aubry will be there, which I'm so thrilled about.  What a great life.