Family Vacation day 2 & 3: Disney Studios/ Illness/ GatorLand

It’s now the end of day 3 of our vacation and it’s been crazy busy but not entirely in a good way.

With cold temps greeting us again on Tuesday (seriously folks, what is up with this? I thought FL was the land of the sun) we bundled up and surprised the kids with a trip to Disney studios. We thought this would be a great hit with the boys since it has all of their favorite characters: Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Little Einsteins. As we entered the park we saw that an Indiana Jones show was starting in 20 minutes, so we meandered our way over there, the boys nearly jumping out their skin in excitement.

Ashe was jumping out of his skin in terror 5 minutes into the show with all of the loud bangs and explosions. So was Soren, so J took the two younger kids out to wander while Xavier and I watched the entertainment. Zavi walked out with stars in his eyes and pleading for an Inadiana Jones hat so he could be “just like Indie”. Of course, that dream lasted about 15 minutes until he saw a Star Wars lego set in the next area.

J and I started noticing the 2 younger boys were having a harder time this day. It may have been the cold, it may have been the walking, it may have just been too much stimulation. But Soren was whiny and Ashe started his tude about everything, even things we knew he really really liked. Watching the boys cues we decided to keep the next day light for us to recoup (which ultimately was a REALLY good decision as you’ll see soon).

Finding a spot for lunch took a lot of work since everywhere needed reservations except for the most expensive place. Fortunately the food was divine, to was indoors so we warmed up, and the kids were well behaved.

J took Zavi to the Tower of Terror and I took an exhausted Ashe and Soren to wander the park while we waited. Ashe refused to check out the playhouse Disney show, the one thing I knew he would really enjoy. That is when I knew we had to start seriously thinking about calling it a day. I was able to get him interested in the “Honey I shrunk the kids” playground. He fell in love with the giant ant you could ride, and lamented that he wanted an ant for a pet. Soren, was just clingy and done. Once J & Zavi met up with us, Xavier having had  THE TIME OF HIS LIFE on the tower, we  gave the boys 10 more minutes to play then headed to grab a souvenir and then home.

Late that night, Soren woke up crying. When I picked him up he was scalding hot. We had no thermometer though, and had turned the heat on for the first time so I wasn’t sure if it was a full on fever or if his crib was close to a heating vent. I gave him Tylenol and hung out with him in the living room until he got happy again, and he passed out with us in bed.

The next morning he was still hot, and a little fussy but nothing major. He seemed ok enough to go to breakfast but J & I decided to grab a thermometer and Motrin after, just in case.

Character breakfast was both funny and eye opening. When we took zavi here when he was 4 he was NOT happy about the characters. This time around, even knowing Dora would be there (and Zavi makes it crystal clear he thinks Dora is stupid) HE was the one who had a ball with all of the characters and Ashe just did not appreciate life size versions of his favorite toons coming to give him a  high 5. Poor Jimmy Neutron had his feelings hurt when Ashe wouldn’t even give him the time of day. But Soren… ahh Soren. Despite him not feeling too well, he had the best time of all. His eyes nearly popped out of his head with excitement when he saw a lifesize Spongebob and Dora, and was giggling at Squidword and Boots. He showed Boots his prize possession, his blankie.

After breakfast j headed out to grab meds and then Soren fell to pieces. He was so hot by then I decided to give him a bath. J walked in as the bath was filling up so I took Sorens temperature….. and it was 104.9 WITH Tylenol in his system. I went into crisis mode. I had J call our family pediatricians office to tell them all details and ask what to do. I poured Motrin in Sorens mouth then plopped into the bath with him to cool him down a bit. After 20 minutes we got his temp down a mere one degree.

The nurse called back and said to get him to urgent care. She thought it might be either an ear infection or UTI. So we googled pediatric urgent cares nearby (thank goodness for bringing our laptop and WiFi). J raced him to urgent care while I stayed with the boys. Unfortunately the one we found the DR wasn’t in until 2pm so we had to go back. Once seen, we found out Soren had a double ear infection, most likely due to him teething 2 incisros the week before and fluid getting caught and getting infected in his ear canals. Poor kid =(

By that time though the meds were kicking in and he seemed happier. While we waited for his prescription to fill we headed over to Gatorland 10 minutes down the road. From the road, Gatorland looks really silly. You might even pass by it laughing. But inside it was actually a very cool place, and the kids had a lot of fun, even Soren. We wandered around looking at Gators, birds, goats, snakes. We walked through a beautiful swampland where I went crazy with my new camera capturing gorgeous shots of nature at sunset. We watched a gator wrestling show where the guys had a great sense of humor and we learned some cool facts about alligators. We watched them being fed with chicken on a string. 

In the souvenir shop, the boys were enthralled by all of the cool things to touch. Ashe picked something up and yelled out across the entire shop “MOMMY HERE IS SOME WINE FOR YOU!” I thought simultaneously how sweet of him and now I wonder if people here think I’m an alcoholic. Sigh.

And now the boys are sleeping. Soren was so tired tonight I found him trying in vain to put his blankie in his crib by himself so he could conk out. J is resting on the couch reading, and Im going to join him in a few.  We’re debating about plans for tomorrow. We’re supposed to hit my ultimate favorite theme park, Islands of Adventure” but I think that after watching the boys today, I may take Zavi only and let Ashe and Soren rest at the hotel. Ashe will enjoy that because he has been dying to play his DS and resents having to leave it when we go to an adventure. Soren needs his rest. A lot of things at Islands the younger boys wont be able to do so I think logically it will be for the best of all. Im kind of sad about that though. I want to share Islands with all of them, and feel awful that J will miss out. But he insists he’s ok hanging at the hotel. And he has a lot of valid points in that if it were just Zavi and I, we’ll be able to do a lot more than f we had everyone together, and can stay longer. Plus, w e’re going to go to Disneys magic Kingdom at night for the parade and the rides so it will be a long day tomorrow. By having the little ones stay home tomorrow during the day they should be happier at night.

I already have permission to have one margarita at Margaritaville tomorrow if I go, so that’s a perk.

Wish us luck that the family gets better soon and our vacation continues with no more bumps in the road!

Family Vacation Day 1: Kennedy Space Center

I am sitting here on a tiny table in the Nickelodeon hotel, the kids all settled in and chilling, after our first real day of our surprise vacation. 

I have to say, I cant tell if I am impressed or disturbed by how well we were able to pull this whole thing off. sunday afternoon, after surreptitiously packing the van without notice, we told the boys to grab a few essential things for the car to keep them busy because we had a lot of errands to run and we'd be in the car for a long time. No questions were asked (except for occasional pondering out loud on why mom was insisting on bringing the DS chargers). We popped in the car, J & I trying not to giggle too often, kids oblivious, and off we went.

sometimes a DS is a parents BFF

2 hours into the trip we stopped at our first rest stop on the border of SC. Kids still oblivious aside from curious looks from Xavier. While the kids were in the restroom with J I popped out our secret weapon: goody bags filled with fun stuff to keep the boys occupied for hours. I placed them on their seats and joined the fam as we got back in the car. The boys were excited for new things to play with and inside xaviers bag was a card that asked him to read it out loud. The card said instead of toys this year we were going on a christmas adventure and to sit back and enjoy the ride. amazingly enough, after a few questions on our destination, the boys graciously took our answer of  "It's an adventure, just enjoy it!" And they did.

We took stops every 2 hours to stretch, once for dinner (Applebees and the waitress sucked), and by 10 we were in Jacksonville, FL, where we found a hotel for the night. We never told Xavier where we were and made him guess by using his eyes to look for clues. he really got confused when he realized we were in jacksonville. My mom lives in jacksonville NC and he couldnt wrap his head we weren't there.

After a fantastic nights rest ( we were all so exhausted we passed out cold until 8 AM in one room) we jumped in the car again, the boys clueless to our destination. and we headed for.....

The Kennedy Space Center

Our adventure began the moment we started crossing the ocean to the centers island. As we waited for a boat to pass through the drawbridge, I noticed dolphins swimming in the water below us. Lots of them! It was so cool!!!! and then as we crossed over there was a museum with a giant rocket ship out front. the moment xavier laid eyes on it he started singing Hallelujah. At that point, I knew that our decision to stop here was a good choice.

The boys were enraptured the entire time. Xavier was in love with the Hubble telescope, they both adored racing around Rocket garden despite the frigid (yes frigid) temps and insane wind. Ashe went to his first IMAX 3D show. Soren and I had to cut out early with my cough and his whining, but Ashe was in looooove with the 3D aspect, and kept trying to catch the stars in his hands.

Xavier & Ashe looking at images from the Hubble

We checked out the robot scouts that go to different planets, got to walk in a space shuttle, and saw people dressed up as astronauts wandering around. the boys were thrilled, and despite the frigid temps (yes frigid) we had a ball.

After spending the entire day there, we popped back into the car and headed for our hotel, still a secret to the boys. we booked a 5 day stay at the Nickelodean Hotel. we have a kids room with bunk beds, a living room/kitchenette and king size bedroom for us grownups. Our room faces the pool (photo below) and we're right next door to the mall area, filled with food and fun.

Photo courtesy of nickhotel.com

When we pulled up to the hotel Xaviers face just started beaming and Soren went into a frenzy of excitement spotting Spongebob Squarepants and Dora everywhere. we already have a character breakfast reserved for Wed morning. 

And that is the basics of Day 1 of our vacation. The boys still have no clue what else is on the itinerary for the week. they're pretty ok with knowing it's an adventure and roll with that. It's supposed to be cold again tomorrow so J & I are debating on hitting Disney Studios or holding off one day and hitting Downtown Disney instead. we'll see how the morning plays out. and now, I think I'll finish my cup of coffee before it gets cold, throw my feet up, and pass out with a smile on my face. 

The Surprise

When this is posted, we will already have taken off on a big adventure. We're going on a surprise trip. And as of yet (11:35AM on Sunday) the kids have no clue. Lets start taking bets on how long we can keep this a secret.

You see years ago, J and I wanted to take our kids on awesome trips. But the timing has never been decent. We did one trip to Disney for Xavier when I was 8 months pregnant with Ashe, but thats really been it for fun adventures. But this year, the timing is good, the kids are all at an age where they can really enjoy things together, and J & and have planned this for months.

Instead of the normal Christmas gifts that get trashed within weeks, J and I decided for their big present we would take them on a secret adventure. We're leaving today to Florida where we will spend 1 week enjoying ourselves. We're staying at the Nickelodean hotel, and hitting the space center, Sea World, Disney Studios, Islands of Adventure, and a gator park. We'll rub elbows with Spongebob, Patrick, Dora, Darth Vador, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter.





And the kids have no clue.




We packed the car up last night, and we're just finishing up any final touches before we tell the kids to pop in the car, we need to go run a few errands. And then, the waiting game begins. how long will it take for them to know something is up? How long can we take the heat before we crack? My fantasy is to not say a word on specifics but to let them know once the whining reaches a degree I cant bear, that we're going on an adventure. J thinks we'll last 90 minutes.

So stay tuned. I'll try and update as I can. Laptop is packed =)