Payback

If I thought the first day back from vacation was hard, nothing could have prepared me for yesterday. It was payback time around here! The kids apparently were not thrilled that I took four days for myself, relaxing and enjoying all the things they would also enjoy; the sun, the beach, the pool- so now they are letting me know. Let's just say the girls woke over an hour earlier than usual in the morning and things only nosedived from there. None of them would nap, a certain almost-two-year old hit me in the face, a three year old who has been potty trained for almost a year, pooped in her pants and a certain eight year old threw the biggest fit I have witnessed yet. It was something straight out of a Super Nanny preview. It ended with me, packing up a trash bag of that eight year old's favorite things (everything from his handheld gaming devices to his Pillow-Pet) to put away for long time and him being sent to his room without dinner (before DSS is called he had had a rather large snack before the temper erupted). Not exactly the homecoming I was hoping for. Luckily, the ten year old remained pleasant and helpful throughout this ordeal or I might really have grabbed my still packed suitcase and headed back to the airport hoping to catch the first flight to anywhere. Today things are better; I got an apology card and a big hug from my little man who is now oozing with sweetness, the girls actually asked to go in for their naps, and the almost-two-year-old gave me an unprovoked, "I wuv voo."

Vacation!

We are just getting settled in after our trip to Florida. For the first time in a while this trip felt like a true vacation in every sense of the word. The kids slept great, ate great, got along beautifully and for the first time ever (we've been going for 10 years), we didn't have to pay a visit to the local Urgent Care or Emergency room! We stayed with my parents and Aunt so got spoiled not having to cook or do laundry and the weather couldn't have been better. It was sunny and 86 every. single. day. We couldn't have asked for a better vacation! We would be out of the house and at the beach or playground by 9 and stay there until the kids were ready to move onto the pool. The pool was kept at 90 degrees so we would all swim for hours. The girls got so comfortable swimming with their face in the water, blowing bubbles and jumping off the side. Addie was absolutely fearless in the water and would jump and dunk and come up with a huge smile! The boys had fun playing games, diving for toys and using their new squirt guns. After the morning activities the girls would all nap for a good three hours leaving us time to relax, play Boggle with the boys or go off fishing. I even made my way through a whole book (Sarah's Key, which I would recommend).The boys are quite the anglers and caught their share of the intracoastal's supply of catfish and yellow-tailed snapper. Jameson even managed to reel in a pelican,who was released unharmed! We got out for many great meals where the girls ordered their first "pina koalas" as Ella called them, visited the turtle marine life center, went out for boat ride, and the kids went on a Lion Safari with Nanny and Papa while Jim and I escaped for a mini vacation of our own. We drove down to Miami were we checked into a fabulous hotel, went out for a very nice dinner and relaxed on the beach and drank fruity cocktails. It was perfect!