Vacay at The Bartlett Resort

We are back from our long 2 week stay at the Bartlett Resort. Can you tell why we felt like we were at a resort?

Isn't the inlaw's new digs swanky? It was our first time visiting their new house. They recently finished a backyard overhaul and it's beautiful.

The afternoon we arrived, they were hosting a wedding in their yard for some friends. My mother-in-law asked if I would snap a few picts for the bride and groom as a favor, so I will be posting those on Funfetti soon.



The flights went well with the kiddos. No tears even, except for about 2 minutes when Kensington was trying to, ummm, use the bathroom (she has been a bit backed up for the majority of her life and while changing less diapers is very nice as a mom, it is also very sad to watch her get all worked up every 3 days when she finally has to go). Enough potty talk. Here's how the heiress travels:

She totally was hooked up and plugged in with a new season of Babar, lots of Polly Pockets, treats, animals, playdoh, and everything you could think of. Something I invested in was a push pop. Major hit.
We did lots in Santa Barbara. I didn't take many pictures because I just enjoyed the moments. Here are some highlights:

The Zoo - before we even made it into the gates, Amaryllis freaked out when she saw this elephant bench and just had to sit on it and look at the parking lot for a bit.




A park everyday - the weather was awesome. My favorite was a park on the beach, and there is sand vollyball, a skate park, and after a ride on the carousel we went down the pier to the candy shop.

Lots of fine dining - here we are at a cute little grill while Amaryllis chased the birds (that little speck on the horizon is her).


The Beach: Every morning Grandpappy and Amaryllis would take Jake surfing. I was told that Grandpappy would draw stuff in the sand (elephants probably) and Amaryllis would "decorate" them with seaweed, shells, sticks, etc. On the way home they usually stopped at the bakery. I never knew I liked maple bars until they brought one too many home. Who would've thought this late in life I would barely discover maple bars? Anyways, Jake got his bday/christmas present early. I'm not sure if I'm the love of his life anymore.

Birthday shopping - you'll never find a better shopping partner than my MIL. They have lots of small boutique style stores there that aren't out here. Yes, we even found this:
Montecito - Even though I've been to Santa Barbara a lot, I have never been to the Montecito section so we took a drive up the Riveria (the houses carved into the side of the mountain) and then saw all the HUGE mansions. I didn't see Oprah when we were on her street though, but I was looking. Haha, Jake said Stedman wouldn't have let me in the house anyways. They were mostly surrounded by tall shrubs and gates, but dang these estates are massive.

Pool, spa and playtime - So long as Amaryllis wasn't terrorizing the sick dog Mollie, she was pretty mellow. We had our fair share of normal 2 yr old tantrums and tears. I never judge other people's kids when they are traveling and hope people allow me the same courtesy :) The 3 hr time change alone was crazy, plus lots of treats and a barely-there structured schedule can complicate things. Luckily Grandma K hooked her up with toys (which I have since hidden and will be wrapping and reusing for Christmas--evil mom that I am).

Tea Parties - Grandma K got Amaryllis a tea set so we had many a tea party on the lawn or in the hot tub.

Now on to Kensington--world's happiest baby.


The highlight for her was really a lowlight I suppose. We all got a sinus cold (remember, we never fly without catching something or other!). It was somewhat minor for everybody and we're still recovering.

However, when I went to get KenziBear up from her nap she just sounded horrible and wheezing, gasping for breath. But she was happy and smiling so it was confusing to me. I don't know a lot, but through all my Little House on the Prairie, Steel Magnolia, and Anne of Green Gables watching, I do know what croup is. And when you hear your baby with that distinct sounding seal barking cough, it isn't a good time to be mom. But through the whole ordeal here is what I'm grateful for: my inlaws have a pediatrician friend who was awesome and took us to her clinic even though she wasn't working that day. After a breathing treatment, she recommended a trip to the ER to get a steroid shot that would help reduce swelling in the throat and larynx because the worse was yet to come (croup gets worse at night and peaks at day 2 or 3). She called ahead, we waltzed into the ER and hardly waited at all (anyone who has ever been to the ER knows that is a miracle itself!) and got the shot. Kensington was flirting with all the doctors and they were all wondering how she could be so smiley while she was wheezing and sputtering.



So yes, not without some minor drama but all in all a fun trip!