"Vacation Part 2"

Tuesday we split up for a bit. Not ideal, as I wanted to spend all my time with the guys. I had some shopping to do and knew that they would not want to participate. I sent them downtown with passes to a local science museum. I went a totally different direction to get some Christmas shopping done. The first two things I had to do were done in record time, but then I ended up getting lost. D had the GPS with him, so I ended up calling him several times to help me find my way out. Finally, he told me to just sit still and he found me and led me back to where he and the boys were going to have the picnic lunch I packed. The boys all jumped out of the car and ran to give me comforting hugs. Priceless. After lunch I found the mall I was searching for and finished up a few things, while the boys returned to the museum.

Wednesday we spent split up again. D took the boys and my dad back downtown to explore while my mom and I did some shopping. Again, not a very fruitful day and her car died on us, so we didn't get as much done as we would have liked. The boys enjoyed their day so that made me happy.

Thursday we went to Fort Myers to check out another science museum that was included with our pass. Dad joined us. By this point we were all drooping a bit, tired from all the running, we are not accustomed to being on the go like that. I don't plan to get used to it either! The museum wasn't nearly as nice as the one they had been to the days before, there were a few exhibits that they enjoyed but it felt like a long trip for little reward. The boys braved Mom's pool, but not for long. WAY too chilly! We spent most of the evening in, the boys enjoyed playing Wii and Transformers. Near bedtime, we ventured out in search of Christmas lights. We ended up at the beached and the boys got soaked playing the water with their Granni. It was chilly, but they didn't seem to notice.

Friday the weather was looking rather uncooperative, but we snuck in a game of "Alligator Golf" just before it began to pour. This putt putt facility houses live baby alligators, twenty five of them! After the game, the boys were able to feel the critters. They enjoyed this outing. After lunch we returned home to continue packing. I wasn't sure how we would get everything into our vehicle, but the master packer (D) got it done! Special thanks to the space bags that you suck air out of too! Those gave us a bit more space.

Saturday we pulled out around 6:30 a.m. We arrived HOME by 10 p.m, the ground was covered with a blanket of snow. We didn't have any trouble with the car or weather, no on puked and the boys were so good! Thank You, Lord, for such a peaceful trip!

Sunday we woke up and hit the ground running. In about four hours, D and I had put away all the vacation things, two loads of laundry, run the dishwasher, vacuumed the dusty house, brought out our Christmas tree and other decorations, returned empty boxes to the attic and sent the boys out to play in the snow. At 1:30, he left to play basketball and I did a two mile workout. On his way home, he picked up enough groceries to get us through the week. We had a yummy dinner and watched AFV and Extreme Makeover, Home Edition as a family. Sigh, it's so good to be HOME.