Florida Vacation - The drive there.

We set out on our way to Florida at 5:30 Sunday morning. We planned to leave around 3 a.m. but with the delay in getting everything done and packed the night before, we were up too late to be leaving at 3 a.m. The kids did so well; I cannot believe how well they did. They never went back to sleep after being woke up at 5:15 and they each had a 30 minute nap and nothing more throughout the entire drive, and didn't go to bed until around 10:30 that night. What a long day for them (and us)! I just can't get over how well they did with such a long drive and very few stops. It took us 16 hours to get there for what was supposed to be a 12 hour drive without stops. We actually got into Destin around 8:30 but by the time we got to Seacrest Beach and found our condo, it was 9:30. Things aren't too easy to find around there in the dark when in unfamiliar territory.

Our car was packed to the max and our overhead luggage rack storage bin was too. Mamaw and I planned to alternate sitting in the backseat however, Mamaw has been having some recent back trouble so she rode up front the entire time. Thankfully, the long drive wasn't too hard on her back. Craig informed me last minute that I would be doing some driving but that didn't happen so I rode in back the entire time and tended to and entertained the kids. I can't express how exhausting it was to turn around 8,000 times in the 16 hours to entertain them and fetch the toys/food/drinks they dropped. And with our car being so full, it was quite cramped and each time we stopped to get the kids out, most of the stuff had to be moved around so the seat could be moved up to get the girls out of the third row. A road trip I will never forget and will not again do for a very long time....not all at once - breaking it up, yes. :)

Here is Mamaw trying to keep her neck and back comfortable. Not too far into the trip at this point.

Craig driving - and gotta love good ole GPS!
Hannah all happy in her pajamas. And yes, that is a pack n play between her and Whitney.
Little Miss Whitney in her pj's. The poor girls had so much stuff in the floor board at their feet. Luckily though, these carseats sit up pretty high so they still had a decent amount of leg room.
My buddy Tyler sitting beside me in the second row. And there was another pack n play at his feet in the floor board (among other things).

Mamaw sat up in the condo while Craig and I unloaded ALL this stuff we took with us! Thank God for Mamaw! I can't imagine how hard it would have been for one person to do this alone while the other watched the kids. Isn't this crazy?!? For 4 days and 5 nights!! I will be updating each day of our vacation soon so stay tuned...