Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

This summer we stayed at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess for a two night family staycation. If there's one hotel that's fantastic for families, and even more so families with young kids, it's the Princess! Our four year old remembered our stay from the previous summer, so he was really excited to be staying at the Princess again. He loves just about any hotel, but he especially loves all of the fun that the Scottsdale Princess offers.

#BestSummerEver :: our 4 year old took this shot

We have been making a tradition of visiting the Princess every year for their Christmas at the Princess celebration. You don't have to be a hotel guest to visit, but you do pay a fee to park and enjoy the event. It's fantastic, and it's something we look forward to every year. After learning about their summer event, I decided we needed to stay and make another little family tradition and make the most of the Arizona summer heat.

last summer :: wrangling toddlers in the Sonoran Splash pool

Summer at the Princess offers everything from "dive-in movies" and fireworks to poolside glow parties and nature walks. After our stay the previous year, I had entered their 30 year anniversary sweepstakes to try and win a free night stay. Lo and behold, I was one of their 30 winners, so we obviously used our free night stay for another summer staycation at this incredible resort. I had been waiting to use our certificate for summertime, because they have tons of great activities and things for families and kids this time of year. You cannot be bored with all there is to do at the Princess!

working on our fishing skills

Our kids are four and two, but they really enjoy the resort and everything we do there. There are activities for every age. This year we took advantage of fishing in the ponds on resort property. We had lots of nibbles but no catches. Our kids love the "dive-in movies" by the pool. They set up a huge inflatable screen by the Sunset Beach pool and play movies on select nights in the evenings. They pause the movie for a fireworks show on some nights as well! Our kids love this so much, and the Sunset Beach pool has a sandy area that's great for little ones to dig and play while watching the movie.

fireworks and a "dive-in movie" by the Sunset Beach pool

Our free night stay included a resort credit, so we spent it at a restaurant on property one night. We splurged at Hacienda, and we ordered their delicious guacamole sampler, margaritas, and delicious entrees too. The kids were well behaved all through dinner, so it really felt like vacation. Ha!

last year :: our Sunset Beach room

We stayed in the Sunset Beach rooms both years, because they're the closest to the pool with the movies. It's a trek across their property to get to different pools and restaurants, so with little ones we love being near the pool with the movies so we can make a quick exit and get to bed when they get too tired. We did utilize the pool shuttle one afternoon, when it was just too hot to walk far with little ones, because the Sonoran Splash pool is a bit of a walk from the Sunset beach rooms.

All in all, we just love the Princess! Fairmont does a great job taking care of families with young children too. They do details so well. We look forward to continuing our traditions at the Princess.

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Let me know....

Have you ever visited or stayed at the Princess?

What's your favorite thing about the resort?

Making Sacrifices for Gains

Comparing life before and after kids is like comparing apples and oranges. They are two entirely different animals, or seasons of life, and there's no way to really explain it. There are so many parts of life that are more fulfilling with kids, but there are also parts that are not as enjoyable as life pre-kids. Making sacrifices for those you love is becoming more a part of who we are thanks to having children. They really have a way of changing your life like that.

Raising two tiny humans, who are part of you, makes you reflect and realize what is really important in life. Family, relationships, people, and bringing up the next generation are so overwhelmingly important. You find that past priorities change and bend, much like the seasons change. You find that you will sacrifice things you used to find important for something much more important.

There were days when we would travel more freely. I know we'll do that again. There were also days when I poured more time and energy into this little blog of mine. I figure there will probably come a day when I'll do more of that too. I'm not sad for what I'm missing out on, because I'm so thankful for the two amazing kids we have that it's become easy to overlook what we no longer have. I'm learning, sometimes slowly, that our long term gains are going to be so much better than any short term sacrifices we have to make.

If you have a goal, you typically don't reach it right away. Working towards that goal most likely involves giving up some things here and there to reach it. You might sacrifice your time, money, or freedoms for something that you ultimately feel is worth your sacrificing in the end. Having kids, you'll sacrifice a lot of things that are near and dear to you, because you hope that the payout will be far greater. Great things don't typically develop overnight. They take time.

Raising kids feels a lot like this. We keep making sacrifices to hopefully see long term gains. You sacrifice the freedom of your day to get them their naps and keep their little brains growing & developing the way they need. You sacrifice your sleep, because they need your love & need you to nurse them through the night. You sacrifice your sanity at times, because you can't get through a day without a toddler meltdown or someone screaming over a toy that was taken from them. You sacrifice your money to keep them clothed and fed. Great things don't happen overnight, so you keep sacrificing knowing that you're doing something important.

There are so many things you sacrifice as a parent mainly because you love your kids. We make sacrifices for who and what we love.