Alone Time

Tony's dad won a 2 night stay in Kansas City, which he generously offered to us. Tony and I haven't had any true alone time in over 2 years, and since Hayden is stable enough; we jumped on the opportunity. The thought of leaving my boys made my heartache and put a huge lump in my throat, but we knew we really needed some time together. It's been scary to hear on the news (because of the Jon and Kate breakup) that the divorce rate for parents of multiples is 50%. I've read that the divorce rate for parents of handicapped children is 80%. How scary! Yet, another good reason for some time alone. Tony's parents stayed at our house with the boys. My mom came over to help out. My Dad and Step-Mom took the dog for the weekend. Keeping up with Nicholas is enough to consume all of one person's time and completely wear one out. I like to think that he is on the go all the time because he is doing things for Hayden.

Friday night we checked into our hotel and changed to go to dinner at the Hereford House. The prize package came with a nice gift certificate to the restaurant, Worlds of Fun tickets,and tickets to the Royals game. It was so nice to be able to order whatever we wanted. We started off with a wonderful appetizer, grilled shrimp wrapped in bacon dipped in a horseradish sauce that was similar to cocktail sauce. Of course, we both ordered steak for dinner. We were stuffed at the time, so we ordered dessert to go. Luckily, the hotel room had a mini-fridge and microwave. Even though we were stuffed and could barely move, we couldn't pass up some time in the hot tub. It felt amazing. I wish we had one at home. The bigger Hayden gets, the crankier my back is going to get. Right now, he's like lifting a 23lb newborn. We watched the news and went to bed. It was weird not to have anyone else to worry about, or any schedules to stick to, and...no puke to clean up before bedtime. Even though it was weird, it also felt like we were back to "normal." Maybe that's because we were together for 7 years before we were blessed with twins.

The next morning we arrived at Tony's favorite breakfast place, the Waffle House, at 9am, so we could get to Worlds of Fun when it opened at 10am. We had been to the Waffle House about 8 years ago and I thought it was gross then. He insisted it was what I ordered, a breakfast sandwich. I thought I'd be safe ordering that. So, for him, I tried it again. Yes, it was still disgusting! I even ordered something different. The plastic cup my Coke was served in looked older than me. I couldn't handle more than a couple of sips. Again, Tony thought his was fabulous. Too weird. We usually agree on food. I am soooo thankful that there is not a Waffle House in Iowa!

We spent about 3 hours at Worlds of Fun. I am willing to ride very few of the rides. My stomach can't handle them anymore. I felt bad for Tony since he loves to ride rollercoasters. On our last trip to KC, he told me that if I rode the Mamba with him once, then he would never ask me to ride another ride again. Back then, I must have known that we'd be together since I took him up on it. It's one promise he made to me that I will never let him forget. I thought about riding one with him, but I was afraid that I would feel horrible the rest of the day and I didn't want to chance it. On a few rides, he ended up sitting by a guy who also had a wife who didn't ride rides either. It was way past lunchtime, so we headed off to lunch. Tony has heard a lot about Jack Stack BBQ, so we decided to give it a try. The service was great. The food was good, but Tony makes better BBQ.

We were able to sneak in a half hour nap before we had to leave for the
Royals game. The new park is very nice. We came at just the right time, since it was the first weekend that the new Royals Hall of Fame was open. The weather was absolutely perfect for a baseball game. It was great to just sit outside and do nothing and enjoy a baseball game. It had been 25 years since my last Royals game. Back when it was George Brett, Dan Quisenberry, and Frank White. The game just wasn't the same without one of my childhood heroes, George Brett. The line was long to get into the Hall of Fame, but I didn't want to regret not going, so we decided to wait. George Brett's pine tar bat was really neat to see. The World Series trophy and rings were also there. We were still full from lunch, so we didn't eat any dinner. By the time the game was over, we were hungry so we stopped at a Mexican restaurant by our hotel for a bite before heading back to the hotel. As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about how today was probably the only day this year that I didn't have to clean up vomit since it was the only full day of Hayden's life I hadn't been with him. Yes, the thought brought tears to my eyes.

The next morning, I think we intended to sleep in longer, but I think we both missed the boys. We packed up, stopped for gas, and our road trip indulgence, Starbucks, and headed home. We arrived home early Sunday afternoon to reports of two very good little boys and grandparents that had a wonderful time. We are so blessed to have had the chance to spend some time together, just the two of us. It really made me realize how much I miss my husband and how little quality time we spend are able to spend together as a couple. More importantly, it made me want to find more ways to sneak in some time together on the rare night we are home together. Thank you to all 3 sets of grandparents who made this possible and took such great care of Hayden, Nicholas,and Katie. Our time away was more enjoyable knowing that we didn't have to worry about any of them for even one second.