I
spent so much time making our summer plans that it’s hard to believe
it’s all behind us. This summer was definitely our busiest one so far,
and I
think most of my friends and family think I’m crazy traveling so much
with the kids . . . we were only home nine days out of the whole
summer. As crazy and busy as it was, it was the best adventure we’ve
had as a family. It meant so much to Mike and me that
the kids got to spend time on both sides of the country.
After
the first half of our summer plans ended, we relished our beds, our
pets and our friends and neighbors for the nine days we were home before
flying
to Florida. Mike was in London for seven out of the nine days we were
home, so I felt like a chicken running around with its head cut off
trying to catch up with what I had missed/neglected the first five weeks
of summer while simultaneously trying to pack/prepare
for our 36 days in Florida. Mike got home late the night before the
morning we were set to depart. Thankfully, the stars aligned and I got
everything done before we left for the airport. Our return flight home
was a couple of days before Noah started the
fourth grade, so I knew I had to be extra prepared before we left.
The
highlights of our time in Florida would vary depending on who you
asked. I think Noah, Amelia and Max (once he warmed up to the sand)
would say
“the beach,” I would say “the sunsets,” and I think Mike would say
“having my family to come home to after work each night” and “not
getting on a plane for several weeks.” The one thing we would all agree
on was how much we LOVED Disney World!
The
house we were renting was half a mile from the beach, so we would bike
there almost every morning and then again at sunset. I bought a bike
trailer
that I pulled behind my beach cruiser in which Max and Amelia could
ride, while Noah would ride his bike alongside me. Mike’s office was
also only about a mile away and on the days when it wasn’t raining or he
wasn’t wearing a suit, he was able to bike to
work as well. The beach was great for the kids, because there were
always families with young kids on vacation who were also looking for
playmates.
Mike
and I went on a two-hour sunset cruise. We had such a good time that
we did it again the following week. Living on the coast in Florida was
heaven
for me because I LOVE seafood; believe me, I definitely had my share.
You think I would have been tired of it, but we had swordfish at home
our first night back in Texas.
Mike
and I had only been to Disney World once when we were younger, so I
think we were as excited as the kids to get to go for five days. We
cashed
in some of Mike’s Hilton points and stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek
in downtown Disney – it’s an absolutely awesome hotel. They had
shuttles that went to all fours parks every 30 minutes, as well as a
lazy river, three pools, and a water slide, plus some
pretty “delicious” restaurants. I would highly recommend this lodging
site for anyone who is planning a Disney World trip.
On
our first day there, Amelia talked us in to buying her a princess
autograph book. We only got Ariel’s signature that day after waiting
for 45 minutes,
so my hopes of getting many more signatures was pretty low. However,
by the end of Day #4, we had ALL the princesses’ signatures plus those
of a few bonus characters. As much as Noah loves the rides, Amelia
loves meeting her favorite characters. Max got
to meet Chip & Dale, and when he saw them, he immediately yelled
“Puppies!” and ran up to them and gave them hugs and kisses. We
literally had to pry him away, something he was not too happy about.
I
was worried about how Max would hold up for five days there, but he
really impressed us. He took two naps a day (usually two hours or so)
and just
enjoyed sitting in his stroller while taking in all there was to see.
In terms of the rides we took them on, Max seemed to have no fear, while
Amelia would be burying her face in our chests.
