How did it come about:
Grandma and Papa have a timeshare in Kissemee, Fl which is right outside of Disney World. They own a week in May when the temperatures are perfect, the sun is always shining, and the crowds are low at the parks. This just so happens to fall during SOL testing time which doesn't fare too well for me even though I don't teach an SOL grade. For this reason and the sheer magnitude of leaving a week's worth of sub plans Chris and I had not been to Florida with his family since we were engaged...crazy! So we couldn't put it off another year and decided to go. In the midst of all the planning and preparing at home and at school I would have said I'm never doing this again, but now I can't wait to go back and just wish it was easier to take a week off while school is in session. Grandma and Papa had so many weeks saved up that we were able to make the trip a huge family event.
Who went along:
Grandma and Papa
Nana and Grandad
Aunt Vic, Uncle Troy, and Wesley
Mimi (Aunt Vic's mom), Wesley's Grandaddy,Wesley's Uncles Nathan and Greg plus Greg's girlfriend, Michelle
We each had our own units which was really nice because we all had plenty of space. All the kids were able to have their own rooms (Hannah and Owen shared a room). Nana and Grandad were in a unit above us and everyone else was spread out between two buildings that were close together at the resort. We had plenty of time hanging out together at the parks and at the pool.
Getting There:
About half of the group flew to Florida on Saturday, May 11th while half of us drove. After much deliberation we decided to drive. I didn't think that either way was going to be easy, but I thought we could make a road trip fun. So we rented a Suburban (affectionately called our vacation car or cacation car by Owen), loaded up, and drove with my parents to Savannah, Ga. We left on Friday, May 10th around 8am. We stopped for coffee and lunch on the way down. Chris found a playground close to the interstate for Hannah and Owen to burn off some energy and we didn't stop again until we got to Savannah around 5pm. I was prepared and ready for the worst and so Hannah and Owen were awesome little troopers in the car. They never cried, complained, or fought getting in the car seat after a stop and they never once said they wanted to get out. I can't explain how blown away I was by how they behaved. I had baskets of new toys made for each of them. I had wrapped everything in Mickey and Minnie paper so whenever I felt like they needed something new, a reward, or a distraction my mom and I would hand them something to open from their basket. It was exciting and fun and kept them easily entertained. They also had trays that fit on their car seats so they could color, draw, use stickers, and play with matchbox cars. Some of the toys in the baskets were: magnetic dress up dolls, lacing cards, color wonder markers and Disney coloring sheets, puzzles, preschool workbooks, Mickey and Minnie books, and a few other things. I also had a bunch of new movies, but the Suburban we rented had no entertainment system. So yes, my 2 years olds made it 8 hours in a car with no movies, but we did play on our Kindle and my phone. It was really great to have my parents along for the trip because my mom rode next to Owen and I rode next Hannah. Owen was on one row and Hannah on another. My mom helped dole out presents, snacks, and food. They were also a big help when we stopped getting in and out of the car and taking care of diapering and food needs. It was my hope that after lunch Hannah and Owen would nap as usual and they did so beautifully. In fact, they pretty much slept from Lumberton almost all the way into Savannah so they slept for about 3 hours of the trip which was amazing! They were so excited and talked about all the different things they saw out of the window. Owen commented on every type of truck we passed and asked, "what ______ dewey (doing)?".
The playground we stopped at after lunch...thanks, Daddy!
Owen finds a "fire pole".
Of course Daddy has to burn some energy too and try out this climbing structure.
Mommy's Girl
A Night in Savannah...
While in Savannah we stayed in a Springhill Suites. This was the first time that Hannah and Owen stayed in a hotel and were really aware of their surroundings (they were babies the last time we were in a hotel). We definitely had some funny and interesting moments right from the start. First, the doors to the bathroom and shower area were sliding doors that did not lock so yes, Owen pulled about a thousand tissues from the box and unrolled rolls of toilet paper in addition to leaving mommy little privacy. Owen also managed to turn the shower on while standing in the shower area within the first 5 minutes of being in the hotel room. They also really liked the phone and we were nervous that they would call for help at any minute. While Chris ran down to the car to get a change of clothes Owen managed to open the door to the room (yes, he can open about any doorknob and the lever style are extremely easy and oh, did I mention how fast he is?). Well, in about 2 seconds he squeezed through the opening and was running down the hall. Not a big deal other than the fact that Chris was no where to be found, I had Hannah still in the room, and had no room key close to my hand that could be grabbed! So in seconds I'm trying to figure out how to get Owen back down the hall while not leaving Hannah in the room or getting us locked out. So in my best teacher voice I yelled, "OWEN!" because at that point I could not see him around the around the corner that the door created. He thankfully came running back to me and we learned never to leave the hotel room door unlocked. We also learned that we needed to get out of the hotel quickly and find something to do. So we headed down to the riverfront in search of a place to eat dinner. We ate a great place called Rocks River Modern Grill with open windows to the water. The waitress was so nice and brought Hannah and Owen a plate of crackers to snack on. Chris and I had a delicious bowl of jambalaya and my mom did too. My dad had a sampling of appetizers and we all shared some really good cornbread. Hannah and Owen were great at dinner and enjoyed getting some new gifts that Aunt Debra had sent for the trip. Mini Magna Doodle drawing boards, a doll for Hannah, and matchbox cars for Owen kept them quiet and engaged through dinner. After dinner we walked around by the river and then went to mommy and daddy's favorite ice cream shop...Leopolds!
Owen sits at the table and eats his dinner...what a big boy you have become!
Hannah enjoyed her pink strawberry ice cream at Leopold's.
Mommy had Savannah Smiles made with lemon girl scout cookies.
Nana had a hot fudge sundae and Grandad had honey almond.
Owen had vanilla because we couldn't find anything blue.
Mommy and Owen enjoying our ice cream.
We got a tired Hannah and Owen into bed way past their bedtime. They still sleep in cribs, but not the pack and plays that the hotel could provide so I slept with Owen and Chris slept with Hannah on the sleep sofa. They did well for all the changes in their environment and they were up early and ready to find a new adventure!
We did most of our sight seeing the next morning (Saturday). We enjoyed watching the container ships come up the river and sound their horns. Hannah and Owen loved seeing all the trolleys and horse drawn carriages too. We devoured beignets from Huey's...yum yum and Hannah and Owen were excited to pick out jellybeans from the Savannah Candy Company. After lunch in the car they fell fast asleep and didn't wake up until we were within an hour's proximity to the resort!
Owen makes a mountain for his new matchbox cars on the hotel bed.
This is how two 2 year olds entertain themselves in a hotel.
Who wants a stroller ride?
I love the trees in Savannah with the Spanish moss hanging from their branches. They are everywhere especially in all the little squares that are created in the middle of the streets. The squares are grassy areas with benches, often fountains, and lots of shade.
One of the squares in between streets in Savannah.
Everyone loved watching the huge container ships come right down the river. We would listen for the horn and then watch for them to appear.
Grandad spent part of his morning walking to Starbucks for his favorite treat. He enjoys his coffee while walking down by the river and watching Hannah and Owen play.
Hannah and Owen play before getting back in the car.
Our beignet picnic on the river...
Mommy and Daddy discovered these little delicious things when we were in Savannah over Winter Break many years ago. We've been just waiting to get back to Savannah and get some more. We were excited to share our treat with Hannah and Owen.
This picture makes me laugh...do you see all of our stuffed cheeks?!
After being so good while walking around Savannah, Hannah and Owen get to pick out jellybeans (their favorite treat)! Owen picked out blue, green, and pink. Hannah wanted pink and purple.
No comments:
Post a Comment