To Florida Once More
Overconfident from our successful drive to Florida over Christmas, a few weeks ago Andrew and I decided to make the journey again, this time for a week during Lucia's spring break from preschool. It was a much easier trip this time, planning-wise, without the endless Christmas luggage; and we felt like we kind of decided to do the trip on the spur of the moment, or as spur-like as one can be when traveling with two kids.
On the way down, we stopped for a barbeque lunch, where both girls revealed a love of fried chicken legs, and we spent the night in a hotel, just as we did last time. This was a total fiasco. We got there right at bedtime, but the girls hadn't yet had dinner; and there were no cribs left. I made the girls dinner (we'd brought food in a cooler) while Andrew went out to find a Walmart and buy a crib. Then the novelty and excitement of sharing a room was just too much for Lucia and Greta to handle, and they didn't go to sleep until after ten, and only after we moved Lucia into the extra bed in our room. Greta was up at five; Lucia at four-thirty; we got hardly any sleep at all. Not a success.
But we made it, and we had a wonderful week. We all went to church on Easter: Lucia did well; Greta had to be taken out when she wouldn't stop singing "Let It Go." The girls were thrilled with their Easter baskets (Magiclip Anna and Elsa, a Disney Fairy doll, Frozen coloring book, large purple plush Peep bunny) and loved doing an egg hunt. We went to the beach three days in a row; celebrated Andrew's dad's birthday; saw lots of baby cousin T. The girls loved playing outside in sundresses, spotting lizards, building sandcastles, splashing in the ocean. Sharing a room was still a challenge--their renditions of Frozen songs went on long after they were supposed to be asleep--but for the most part they adapted.
On the way back, we decided not to waste our money on a hotel room--instead, we decided to drive straight through to New Jersey. The girls were amenable travelers, but at a certain point--after they'd fallen asleep, when we still had hours to go--it was just Too. Much. Driving. We'd lost time trying to find a lunch place (though a great BBQ buffet redeemed the detour, and the girls both ate two fried chicken legs). We made endless bathroom stops. When we got home it was after 2:00am, and we felt sub-human. It took all of us a week to recover. I don't think we'll be doing that again.
On the way down, we stopped for a barbeque lunch, where both girls revealed a love of fried chicken legs, and we spent the night in a hotel, just as we did last time. This was a total fiasco. We got there right at bedtime, but the girls hadn't yet had dinner; and there were no cribs left. I made the girls dinner (we'd brought food in a cooler) while Andrew went out to find a Walmart and buy a crib. Then the novelty and excitement of sharing a room was just too much for Lucia and Greta to handle, and they didn't go to sleep until after ten, and only after we moved Lucia into the extra bed in our room. Greta was up at five; Lucia at four-thirty; we got hardly any sleep at all. Not a success.
But we made it, and we had a wonderful week. We all went to church on Easter: Lucia did well; Greta had to be taken out when she wouldn't stop singing "Let It Go." The girls were thrilled with their Easter baskets (Magiclip Anna and Elsa, a Disney Fairy doll, Frozen coloring book, large purple plush Peep bunny) and loved doing an egg hunt. We went to the beach three days in a row; celebrated Andrew's dad's birthday; saw lots of baby cousin T. The girls loved playing outside in sundresses, spotting lizards, building sandcastles, splashing in the ocean. Sharing a room was still a challenge--their renditions of Frozen songs went on long after they were supposed to be asleep--but for the most part they adapted.
On the way back, we decided not to waste our money on a hotel room--instead, we decided to drive straight through to New Jersey. The girls were amenable travelers, but at a certain point--after they'd fallen asleep, when we still had hours to go--it was just Too. Much. Driving. We'd lost time trying to find a lunch place (though a great BBQ buffet redeemed the detour, and the girls both ate two fried chicken legs). We made endless bathroom stops. When we got home it was after 2:00am, and we felt sub-human. It took all of us a week to recover. I don't think we'll be doing that again.
Comments