We had the chance to get away as a family for 10 whole days. It was WONDERFUL! As usual, the events are best told by the pictures:
Going away for 10 days takes lots and lots of packing and preparation. Much of it was done while Caleb was at preschool. These two sweeties kept occupied by playing together. Tea parties seem to be a favorite way to pass the time while Mommy is busy packing.
Our journey started on a Wednesday evening. We planned to drive about 5 or 6 hours and then stop for the night in a hotel. The kids did well during this part of the drive. The novelty of all the new toys, snacks, dvds, etc. kept them occupied until we got to the hotel.
After we camped in a hotel for the night, we were up bright and early on Thursday morning to continue the longer part of our trip. We spent about 9 hours that day traveling from Lexington, KY to Fayetteville, NC (where Great Aunt Denise lives). The weather was perfect for driving and the scenery along the route was breathtaking. We truly enjoyed the drive and the kids did fairly well. The two older kids had enough to keep them busy. Joel was a bit more demanding, but did quite well for his first very long trip. The end of the trip got a bit tougher because the kiddos were all quite tired, but thankfully they all ended up taking naps!
We enjoyed two days of time with Great Aunt Denise at her house. The kids loved playing outside on her beautiful wooded lot. It was their first time getting to run free outside after a long, cold winter stuck inside! While playing outside, the kids fell in love with Aunt D's cat, Pretty Kitty. They were heartbroken to realize that we will never have a cat due to Mommy's allergies. We also enjoyed plenty of yummy meals and treats....she sure wasn't going to let us leave hungry! When we weren't hanging out at Aunt D's house, we spent time visiting Great Grandma Ruth. It was so special to see the kids meet their Great Grandma. They also enjoyed visiting with Great Grandma Ruth's roommate, Miss King. At one point, Leah asked, "When are we going back to see Miss King and the Queen?"!
After two days of tearing apart Aunt Denise's house, we packed up and hit the road yet again. This time, the drive was only about 5 hours and the kids were so excited because they knew they were heading to the beach! When we got to Tybee Island (in Georgia) the kids immediately headed to the beach to play. Caleb loved it and Leah was absolutely wild. The last time she'd been to the beach was as a young toddler and she screamed the whole time, so it was a pleasant surprise to see her enjoying it so much!
We celebrated Easter morning with the kids. They checked out their Easter baskets and then hunted for eggs in the condo. We took the two older kids to a church service at one of the churches on the island. It was quite different from church at home, but still a great way to celebrate the holiday.
The weather during our first few days was much better than the last half of the trip. We squeezed in as much outside time as we could. They enjoyed swimming in the pool and playing at the awesome park across the street from our condo.
We also did quite a bit of sightseeing while we were on our trip. There is so much history in the Savannah area. One morning we walked to the historic lighthouse on the island. Caleb and Leah toughed it out and climbed all the way to the top with us. We also made a trip to Fort Pulaski. Caleb was especially fascinated by everything there. His only knowledge of a fort is the type made from blankets and chairs in the basement, so a giant fort with real cannons blew his mind! Another morning was spent touring Savannah. We walked around for a bit, took a carriage ride, ate a delicious lunch, and of course stopped at the most famous ice cream shop in Savannah. It is a beautiful city with so much charm and history. We were lucky enough to sneak out for a night and go on a date in Savannah (thank you Grandpa, Grandma, and TiTi). Our final adventures in Georgia included a trip to the marine animal museum on the island and also a trip to an Air Force museum (Caleb went with Grandpa, TiTi, and Daddy while the rest stayed back to pack). We managed to squeeze in a lot during our week there and made the most of the unseasonably cold, rainy weather!
Overall, it was a great trip filled with lots of memories. The kids are so lucky to have extended family that love them dearly. From the spoiling of Aunt Denise to the cuddles with Grandma to the quality time with TiTi and the fun with Grandpa, these kiddos had a blast. It was a long drive home, but after such a busy week, we all needed the trip to decompress and get ready for life returning to normal!
(this pic just sums up the joy the kids...and parents...felt by having so much extra attention all week)
