First Big Family Vacation!

We took our first big family vacation recently... with four kids under four years old. Yowza!

Actually, everything went remarkably well, all things considered. We drove, so the first day was kind of rough. We arrived at the hotel around midnight and the only way we could get the kids to stop whining about being woken up was to tell them that when we got up to the room they could jump on the bed for two whole minutes. They're not allowed to jump on beds at home, so that was an extra special treat. That and the Froot Loops cereal that was available for breakfast every morning. We never have sugary cereal at home, so it was like they were getting candy for breakfast.

The kids' naps were all messed up for the whole trip, they had a lot of anxiety about sleeping in a new place, and they were less than thrilled about some of the restaurant choices. But, like, I said, over all everything worked out better than expected.

Everywhere we went was pretty much geared toward the kids. An aquarium, a zoo, and other places like that. I picked restaurants that were family-friendly but that also got really good reviews written about them on the internet. I made an itinerary and schedule for the trip and we mostly stuck to it. Mostly.

The kids had so much fun. At one point all of the kids were watching a live animal show and Clark was yelling and clapping, Henry and Elise were oohing and aahing, and Georgia was staring at the animals with her eyes bugging out of her head and I seriously got a little teary-eyed. The kids were all just so happy and I was so thankful that we could take them on this nice vacation and show them cool, interesting stuff.

Even though we picked things that we knew the kids would like, Husband and I had a great time, too. The places we went were definitely attractions that everyone could enjoy. It'll be cool when the kids get older and we can go to historical sights or parks where we can hike, but for now zoos and aquariums are just fine.

It was a wonderful trip. I love to travel, but it's been a while since Husband and I have been able to go anywhere, what with all of the pregnancies and babies and foster kids. I'm seriously a happier person right now, after our vacation.

Time to start planning the next trip!...