Kevin Costner Vacations With Kids Following Child Support Verdict

Divorce drama or not, Kevin Costner is making the most of his time with his kids!

While he and his now-estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, sort out the legal problems surrounding their divorce process, the actor has reportedly snagged some quality time with their three children — Grace, Hayes, and Cayden. The time together comes soon after the "Waterworld" star was ordered to pay a monthly child support fee of $129K to Baumgartner, who filed for divorce in May.

A "pre-planned" getaway with his daughter and two sons prevented Costner from appearing in court on Wednesday, July 12, court documents reviewed by PEOPLE have claimed. As it turned out, the "Yellowstone" actor had scheduled a trip to British Columbia, Canada, with the teens months before the court date was adjourned recently.

Regarding the screen star and Baumgartner's joint custody of the teens and why they were spending time with their famous father without supervision, the former's legal team noted in the papers:

"The children are teenagers and may come and go between his home and Christine's home once she finds a new residence."

This update comes a couple of days after it was pointed out that a judge had temporarily approved Baumgartner's request to receive $129,755 monthly in child support.

While her former husband is also mandated to pay $100,000 in forensic costs and $200,000 in attorney's fees, both parties must disburse 50% towards their children's health care expenses, sports, and extracurricular activities. 

The legal docs regarding the ruling further mentioned that these payments should be made on the "first of each month" with "credit for sums paid between July 1 and July 12." Baumgartner had initially asked to be paid $248,000 monthly in child support or "in the alternative, at the guideline rate of $217,300 per month, payable on the first day of each month."

The bag designer also wanted Costner to bear the entire cost of their kids' sports, extracurricular activities, health care expenses, and private school tuition, which the "Yellowstone" star quickly refuted.

In his filing, he had declared that his ex-wife's $248,000 child support solicitation included over $100,000 that the German-American planned to use for her cosmetic surgery fees. The father-of-seven also wrote in the docs that the $51,940 he currently pays monthly was reasonable enough for child support. 

Before Costner took his solo trip with his kids, Baumgartner had gone on her own vacation earlier this month. Per The Blast, the Cat Bag Couture creator was sighted with her luggage and a cup of coffee as she arrived at the LAX airport, ready to take a break from the dramatic divorce proceedings.

The time away could not have come better as she was slated to appear in court this week to contest the terms of her prenuptial agreement with the "Let Me Be The One" singer. It also came after she expressed displeasure over how the actor broke the news of their split to their children.

In case you missed it, the "How Deep the Water Runs" musician had fashioned Grace, Cayden, and Hayes with the information during a ten-minute Zoom call he made from a film set in Las Vegas. Not only did this mean that Costner had deviated from Baumgartner's original plan to tell the trio together and in person, but it also frustrated and disappointed her. 

In legal documents that she filed, the 49-year-old  addressed the occurrence, emphasizing that she had expressed her concerns about the kids finding out about the divorce from an outsider to the film producer. She claimed to have also included multiple articles highlighting the significance of presenting a united front when discussing such a sensitive matter with their offspring. 

Unfortunately, Costner did not share her sentiments to make the best of the situation and brushed her worries aside. Baumgartner then asserted that the "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" actor "insisted that he had the right to tell them that we were getting divorced 'first' and tell them privately" without her go-ahead, knowledge, or presence.

"The children's welfare has always been my highest priority, and I was concerned they would find out about the divorce before Kevin and I could tell them. It was important for me that we tell the children in person and together," she explained in the papers.