Great Florida Vacation

This year while the kids were on Spring Break I decided we would go to Florida for the week. I have family there, and before M's birth we went at least once a year to visit. Since M's birth...none. I guess the thought of traveling with three kids was a little overwhelming. I am happy to report however, that the trip was really nice. The 10.5 hour drive there and back wasn't nearly as painful as I was afraid it would be, and overall the kids behaved pretty well. I actually can't wait until we can do it again!!

I stayed with my Aunt which was great and a wonderful way to save money - in fact the most expensive part of the whole trip was the gas. My Aunt's daughter is 21 so she liked having little kids around the house again. She is also pretty laid back so I didn't need to run behind the kids every minute watching what they were doing. The biggest bonus...she has a pool and hot tub...so the kids were VERY happy!

We kept things mostly low key but we we did go to some great places. The Children's Museum, Chuck E Cheese and some great meals out were nice cheap getaways. We went to the beach...because how can you go to Florida and not hit the beach!? I'm glad we went, for the experience, but in the end I think we decided that our family is not cut out for Beach life. The twins LOVED playing in the surf (this was a huge step for K who never went near a body of water before) and M loved playing in the sand. It became apparent however, that my kids do not enjoy the feeling of sand being lodged in all their little body parts. S had a little melt down as we were leaving which resulted in me stripping him naked and showering him down. Good thing the boys isn't bashful.

Another cool visit was a small community aquarium. There the kids were able to touch different ocean critters including sting rays. The kids were even given a chance to feed them, but chickened out at the last moment.

 

Overall it was a great trip. Lots of great time with family. Not a lot of money spent and a wonderful experience for the kids. S, who didn't have much confidence in the water at the beginning of the week, was nearly a fish by the end of the week. K loved the different activities and visiting with her extended family and M loved it all :0)

 

As a special bonus, we were able to meet up with other families who used the same sperm bank we did. Our bank has an online forum, so these are people I have been 'chatting' with for 5+ years. We were able to meet one family one night and me and the mom talked for 3 hours while the kids played. Another day we actually attended a group meet up where there were 5 families there. It was so neat to see the people I had seen grow up in pictures the past few years. 

In the end, I had such a good time and I loved seeing everyone again. We are definitely trying to plan another trip...maybe even later this year. I hope the kids can look back on these trips with the same fondness I do when I think about my childhood :0)