Back in March Barker asked one of my friends to plan a girl's trip for me as a surprise on his Spring 'light' week of Soccer Shots, (he gets 1 week that's not crazy busy, weather permitting, each of the 4 seasons, meaning he could be free enough to watch the kids that week)... but he's not so good at keeping secrets so he told me.
I was so excited!
But then no one wanted to go anywhere.
And I was bummed.
So I told him he'd just have to suck it up and take me someplace himself.
A few days later I come home from working out and he tells me he's booked a cabin in Hot Springs for Spring Break/Easter!
True, it's not relaxing like a kid free girl's trip but our kids love visiting new places so I was excited. He told me to invite my dad and pack.
We were scheduled to head to DFW on good Friday for an epic 80's themed birthday party, then travel to my dad's that night for Spring Break. But my girl's trip turning into a Spring Break trip meant we had to head 5 or 6 hours in the opposite direction. I was a bit nervous about making Arden be in a car seat that long.
So we went to the kid's early morning soccer games we would have missed, and I captured this sweet sister moment.
Arden and Audrey just adore each other. I'm sure Audrey's willingness to share her snacks doesn't hurt.
Then we were on the way to Hot Springs!
Barker rented a cabin right on a lake with this adorable paddle boat. The kids couldn't wait to take it for a spin. These geese were just as excited to see us.
Arden was not so thrilled we took the bigs for a spin first.
So she had a turn as well.
In Hot Springs we visited all kinds of fun places like an aquarium that let this massive guy scoot around.
These two were into it.
Arden, not so much.
Audrey's favorite bit of the trip was our stop at the quartz quarry!
Audrey is all about digging for rocks. Always has been. I remembered to pack their crummiest clothes for this excursion but forgot their wellies on the back porch, so I ran into a dollar store and bought Audrey, Hudson, Pop and Barker each a pair of throw away tennis shoes they could destroy in the muddy quarry. I stayed in the car while Arden napped. I may or may not have also found some cookies at the dollar store that kept me company while Arden slept in the car.
The kids filled their bags with stones and enjoyed playing in the mud. Hudson loved the big trucks moving dirt. Barker took a few pictures on his phone but I can't find them now unfortunately.
After the dig, since Arden had already napped in the car, we visited a place with go karts, an arcade, mini golf and bumper boats.
Hud is driving. You can't see his head but he's there and was very serious. I realized Barker was trying to catch us, to slam into us or pass us I'm sure, so we had to put the pedal to the metal.
Arden missed us while we were having fun on the go karts without her.
It's hard being little.
Especially when you think you're big and your family just leaves you out of all the fun stuff.
Like bumper boats.
Again Barker's competitiveness couldn't be put on hold. Ugh.
As soon as we got on the boats I told him not to spray us, as we had our phones on us.
I know his faces.
He had zero plans of following my orders.
We were forced to retaliate.
He even shot poor Arden with water, as she was waving from the deck with Pop.
But little sister finally had her fun when we went into the arcade, soaking wet.
She and Huddie did a lot of dancing.
And drove a lot of cars.
Hud Muffin won a ton of tickets!
Team Barker,
World Whack-a-Mole champions!
That form ; )
It was a lot of fun.
We also hit up the Mid America Science Museum.
It was fantastic.
So many hands on activities for the kids to do.
My favorite was an homage to miners and the rock quarries of Arkansas. They had an indoor mine replica. I was shocked at how dark and confining it was. I'm not sure how often adults and children alike flip out once they're inside in the dark. It was crazy. Ropes, tubes, slides, stairs, etc. So fun. My kids loved it, which surprised me.
Again, Arden had to wait on the bigs to finish the mine.
And then there was the tree house.
I knew they'd love this tree house. It was amazing. So beautiful.
The height didn't bother them a bit.
our fab five
They also spent a lot of time building mountains and lakes with this rice box. Except for Arden, who straight up took a tumble off the stool when i leaned over to put my bag in the stroller. Mom of the year.
The museum is a must for anyone traveling to Hot Springs with kids.
We stayed for a few hours but could have stayed all day if the little one didn't still need nap time. It was really nice. And I'm pretty picky when it comes to museums. My favorite is the San Antonio Children's Museum. So any museum has to live up to that one, not an easy task.
Back at the cabin the kids did a lot of fishing.
Well, they did a lot of casting.
They never caught anything.
I'm not so sure there are many fish that live there. The water was so very clean and clear and I never saw a single fish anywhere near our dock. But they didn't care. They were just happy to use their poles and was I thrilled they were able to spend so much time with their Daddy.
me and my girls
We grilled some at the cabin, however we also visited a ton of nice restaurants including this German spot, Steinhaus Keller.
The kids danced on the stage and my dad and husband ate their weight in schnitzel and spaetzle. If we go back we'll def make a stop there.
It was a big hit.
Another day Barker and I spent hours upon hours at the Quapaw Bathhouse.
It was the most wonderful afternoon.
We got the works. Whatever you could have done, we did. Private hot springs detox baths, messages, you name it we got it. I even made Barker get a facial with me! ha! We left there on cloud nine.
Then we made our way to this cool brewery for a drink and appetizer.
And swung in a neat little toy store to pick up something new for the kids.
We had the best time in Hot Springs for our on a whim Spring Break.
My husband is a real gem for always coming up with the best surprises. And I'm glad my dad was willing to tag along which allowed the kids some time with their best friend, and Barker and I to have some kid free fun there.
I'm a lucky, lucky girl.
