This break was fantastic ... I didn't make any time to blog because I was far too busy enjoying my children. I know, though, that if I don't take the time to relive some of the little moments via this blog, I'm going be kicking myself later. So, bear with me as I recount our joyful time as a family. Kayleigh and Benjamin began their countdown to Disney World nearly a month ago. So, for 22 days, they faithfully removed post it notes from the windows by the table. Each night at supper we'd talk about Disney World, what we were going to do, and things we could look forward to. I snapped a few photos the morning we were leaving as they removed their very last post it notes. I think their little faces say it all.
We were planning to leave around 4:00 because Kayleigh had a field trip at pre-school that morning. So, Steve took Kayleigh to the fire station, and I took Benjamin along as we dropped off Rafael at "his babysitter's house." Both kids were SUPER tired from their morning excursions, so contrary to plan, we let them take a post-lunch nap. I had been thinking they'd nap late in the car, but they NEEDED it before 4. So, right after nap, they were basically whisked into the loaded van and our journey began:
They were SPECTACULAR! Seriously, beyond belief. They knocked down the first 2.5 hours without a problem (and with NO MEDIA!!!). By supper, they were excited enough that we could take a quick pit stop and eat in the car. So, we barely stopped for 20 minutes before our scheduled "pajama" rest area. It was now somewhere around 9:00, and we put their jammies and slippers on and FINALLY (5 hours into the trip) started their first movie. We watched Cars, after which they fell right asleep and managed to let us truck on through until around 3:30 a.m. We made great time and JUST cleared Atlanta when Benjamin woke up. When I asked him what was wrong he said, "need to get OUT! OUT please, OUT!" Since we had managed to drive almost 12 straight hours without a stretch/run break for the kids, we decided this was a very reasonable request. In addition, we were in GA and the weather was mid-60's. We pulled over at a gas station for a little stretch break ... and this is what we got:
After our little dance party (the music was on at Sonic, so we really did have about a 30 minute dance session ... it got pretty crazy. Daddy was busting some moves I've never seen before!), we loaded back into the car, started another movie (yup, the other Cars movie) and then held on until breakfast. We couldn't find a play area, so I was the shameful mom who let her kids run on a booth ... yup, I did ... and I didn't really feel bad about it either. They were a little noisy, but so full of glee - I just couldn't resist. About this time, we learned that we couldn't get into our rental until 4:00 p.m. We were scheduled to arrive in Orlando, at the going rate, at about 10:30 a.m.! So, we took it very slow for the rest of trip, stopping for lots of snacks and running breaks. Clearly, Benjamin enjoyed these little escapades:
My mom and the INCREDIBLE owners we were renting from worked it out so that we could access the house around 2:00 instead of 4:00. So, after a very LONG play session at Chick-fil-a, we headed on over to the house. It didn't take long for the kids to realize what was in the backyard ... (and Mommy had anticipated this!!) So, I pulled out their beach bag and they got right to swimming. I was not too far behind them, but it was a treat to unpack and set up without 4 extra helping hands.
After a quick swim, the kids went down for a short nap and then Grandpa and Grandma came!! (They had had some adventures with their travels as well!!! But fortunately, they also arrived EARLIER than anticipated). We had ordered a pizza and the kids were basically too tired to eat, so Steve and I enjoyed it by ourselves. All of us turned in for an early bedtime - and were excited about the beautiful home we had - and all of the fun ahead of us.