The kids and I are back! Being gone from June 26th to July 15th is a long amount of time, no matter how old you are. Ian commented a few times to me, once I joined the kids down in FL, that he felt like he lived there permanently.
We have now gotten back into our routine and once again, living la vida loca. My co-conspirator (my mom) and I came up with a crazy idea, over a year ago, and I crossed my fingers and used up a lot of wishes hoping the plan would come to fruition. It involved many layers. Mom and Jim would drive up and take the kids back down with them to FL. Jeff and I would be able to spend some time together without the kids. It was then that I came up with the idea to go to Vegas. Once back from Vegas, I would fly to Orlando and spend a little less than 2 weeks visiting the family and friends with the kids before flying back.
My biggest obstacle was Jeff, who really didn't want the kids gone that long or thought the drive from Burke to Orlando with our 2 kids in the car driven by my mom and stepfather was going to work. He had visions of getting a phone call some time during the 14 hour drive and asking us to come take the kids. No one has ever attempted having Ian and Sam in the car that long before. We had no idea what to expect. We just knew that if it didn't work, it would be a disaster of enormous proportions.
Lo and behold, I am happy to report that my marriage is still in tact, Jeff is still talking to me, and to boot, my mom and stepfather more than survived the road trip. In fact, my mom can not believe how well the kids did. It was even beyond their expectations. The whole time the kids were in my family's care they were rockstars. They ate EVERYTHING put in front of them (none of this, "I don't like it." or "I don't want that."). They went to sleep without any stalling tactics, slept through the night, and furthermore, slept to a reasonable time the next morning. Yes, really! Of course, I am describing Sam here more than Ian. I knew Ian wasn't going to cause any problems. The kids totally went with the flow without me and Jeff around. No matter whose house they slept at (my dad's, my mom's, my sister's, or the 3 different hotels when they drove down and also went to the beach), they adapted beautifully to the new surroundings.
Then, of course, I come to town and before you know it, the Sam I said good-bye to and love unconditionally, came back in full force. She went back to her old tricks and it was refreshing having multiple relatives around as back-up and reinforcement.
I am so happy that this trip went as well as it did. Each year we do this, it will get easier and easier. Although, I think Ian realizes now that he could've easily flown down and not needed to do the 2 day, 14 hour car ride. So we may need to adjust the logistics on next year's trip. However, if it was up to me, I'd rather Sam drive in both directions. Let's just say we are very lucky we didn't get thrown off the plane coming back home. It wasn't pretty and Sam is still not the best to fly with.
Three cheers for my SUPER-HERO mom! Most of my friends couldn't believe she wanted to do this. She is simply amazing. And more thanks and kudos to my dad, stepmom Rita, sister Meghan, sister Lori and brother-in-law Ben, all who pitched in and took over for a few days here and there. What a team! This was definitely a summer vacation that will have the kids smiling for a long time to come.
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