desert island

We're in the car right now, heading back on the seemingly interminable drive back from the desert. Luke is exhausted and cranky; Zach is picking up a second wind after demolishing nearly every morsel of food in sight at dinner. Some brief tidbits from the trip;

Zach, upon first walking into the massive lobby of the hotel/resort: "What...a nice...airport!"

Luke, after jumping into one of the hotel pools: "Let's pretend this is my house, and it's flooded, and all of these people are here for a big party!"

Tori Spelling, at our hotel pool: Nothing more to say on that, except she was there and we saw her.

Dave and I are looking at this trip as sort of a milestone in our family life: It's our first real trip without a "baby." Sure, we had a stroller but we barely used it, if only to have Zach push it himself. But we had two bed-sleeping kids who were both able to talk and express their (strong) opinions and preferences throughout the trip. (Pool- good. Application of sunscreen - bad. Tiny desert bunny rabbits seen roaming the grounds - good. Leaving - bad.)

We love renting a house in the desert and it's always much better at least to have separate sleeping quarters and a kitchen, but we may soon be in a position where this hotel is the kind of place we need to stay with kids. Think seven pools, ping-pong, foosball, a sixty-foot water slide, and (most important for Luke the Extrovert), new people to meet.

Did I mention the water slide? We didn't even go on it the first day but once Dave got Luke started, Zach had to go, and soon it was a family obsession. Of course Luke the cautious one would never go by himself, while Zach was ready to go without hesitation. (Luke's cast was never once an issue, by the way). But for Luke at least, whooshing down the little tube fueled countless superhero fantasies. More than once we'd come out of the water at the end and he'd be yelling, "Fight the crime! Fight the crime!"

Would anyone believe just how fierce and fearless Zach is? He is 30 pounds of solid muscle, as anyone who has seen him holding his legs straight out on the hanging bars will tell you). At the pool, he has no problem jumping straight into the water (yikes) and he practices willingly dunking himself and then popping his head up, saying, "Zach - water dog." He is not just ready to swim, he's ready to take off and leave the rest of us in the dust.

Looks like we're pulling into town so I'll stop for now. Time to unpack this mess of a car and put some lotion on our dry, parched skin.