real R&R

Planning a surprise overnight stay at The Peninsula for Justin and I to celebrate our 5th Anniversary early was a little sneaky, I admit. Also, a tad selfish because this Wednesday the girls and I leave for 6 weeks of R&R (rest and recuperation) and that name is clearly a misnomer when it comes to families with small children. The flight alone around the world with the girls will put me in a nuthouse before I even get to our R&R destination. This night away at the Pen with my husband is more R&R that I'll get the entire 6 weeks in the States, hands down.

Anyhow, I told Justin that I had planned something for Friday night and asked him to please come home early from work that day? When our driver dropped him off at the Pen (only a few minutes from our house) and handed him a key card I think my husband was definitely caught by surprise. We had a beautiful room and here's the kicker... we were all alone! The luxury of being alone together for the entire evening, night, and next morning was so wonderful and relaxing. With children, it's so easy to forget what it feels like to be alone as a couple. At first we weren't sure what to do with ourselves, but it didn't take us long to relax and just enjoy the quiet stillness. We drank wine, had dinner, enjoyed a massage, ordered room service, and slept the entire night uninterupted by crying babies. Sleeping in until 7:30AM was glorious. Even better was just laying in bed with no breakfast to make, diapers to change, dishes to do, or dogs to walk. We took showers in peace, stuffed ourselves at the breakfast buffet, and left the hotel thoroughly rejuvenated. It's amazing how just a little time alone with some extra rest can make one feel human again. I love my husband and it was such a nice way to celebrate our anniversary this year.

I won't leave out the fact that it took me exactly 80 minutes of sitting in the hotel before I was missing and worrying about my baby girls. Or the fact that we called Cora at home a couple of times to check on how things were going. We talked about Addie and Bella during dinner and couldn't wait to get home to them the next day. Being a couple and enjoying one another is amazing, a wonderful reminder of how much we love one another and why we got married in the first place. Without the girls we are awesome. My husband is my favorite person in this world and i am so lucky to have him. We really are good together

But...WITH our girls we are a family and it's better than awesome by a factor of a million. We would never trade having our children and being a family for any amount of relaxing mornings and quiet dinners. We agreed that we gladly give up 364 days of being alone to have our children in our lives. That one day alone is pretty amazing though. That's all we needed.

The hotel is the prettiest in Manila and known for it's amazing lobby. High tea at the Pen is the place to be. Seriously awesome scones. The caramel tea is my favorite. I was in love with our bathroom. The wine. Nothing special but tasted great on a Friday afternoon (I started before Justin even arrived).After dinner, stuffed with Thai food-cause we can't seem to get enough Asian cuisine.