Adventures with Daddy - Day 6

Day 6 – The Drive (reprise)

We were just about on schedule Monday morning. We said our sad goodbye’s and were on the road by 8:10 AM.

I did not know what to expect driving with 2 awake girls in the back all day. Luckily, I was inspired to add some books to their stash of blankets and animals. The books were a big, big hit. They read for hours. Only problem was when books fell onto the floor or someone had a book the other wanted.

Our first stop was a rest area in Osceola National Forest (along I-10) around 11:30 AM. A picnic lunch, some run-around time and bathroom break for all. The girls were very good and stayed in the area around the picnic blanket. They loved all the semi-trucks coming/going. We were back on the road around 1 PM .

Our second stop was a fuel fill-up in Georgia, where the gas is cheap but road construction is awful. There was 30+ miles of 1 lane interstate around Brunswick.

Our third and final stop was Forsyth Park in Savannah around 4 PM. Yes, we returned. I decided to let the girls run around for 90 minutes and then we ate dinner in the Park café. The cafe staff were nice and heated the girls dinner. I purchased dinner there. The food was pretty good…..coffee was even better. It kept me going for the next 5 hours since home was the next stop. I didn't even make a bathroom stop! I will admit I was close to bursting when I pulled into our driveway at 10:45 PM!

As I mentioned, books were a big hit. They’d doze off with a book in their lap. Very cute! The girls also decided they liked Jimmy Buffett. They’d sing and dance in the back when I played his CDs.

An interesting observation about my return trip was the number of comments about how "brave" I was for taking 2 toddlers on a big trip by myself. Young, old, families, other parents, teenage girls, gas station attendants all made comments. Now it is not like I was on my own for 5 days. I had help from Grandma and Grandpa. Also, J&S are good kids and very easy to care for.

Adventures with Daddy - Day 5

Day 5 – All Good Things…

Today was our last day in Florida. Another sunny but windy day. We didn't have to worry about sunburn....windburn was the problem.

We decided to be low key since the next day would be the long, long drive. So, we went to a nearby park. The park had a nice playground. J&S enjoyed themselves on the slides, tire swing, and rocking animals.

I talked with Mom and Dad about parenting approaches. We agreed parents that "hover" too much are annoying. Does a parent really need to climb onto the equipment with their child? After a few hours, we found a nice, sunny spot out of the wind for a picnic. A picnic without seagulls this time!

Then it was back tot he RV for our typical afternoon routine. We tried to put J&S down for a nap, but they were more interested in playing. Again, someone fell trying to climb into the bed. Since no one napped, Mom volunteered to walk them around the RV park to provide more quiet time. Dad and I watched some Canada vs. U.S. hockey and Purdue basketball. The "good guys" lost both games.

Everyone enjoyed another fabulous dinner. The adult men added more Famous Grouse to cap off the night. Otherwise, we went to bed early since I wanted to be on the road by 8 AM. Leaving the house at 8 AM means Dad must wake-up at 6 AM to get his toilette and breakfast finished before the girls woke up.

Adventures with Daddy - Day 4

Day 4 – Fussy!

Maybe it was the cold weather, the rain, the long drive, all the fun they were having, the lack of naps or all of the above, but J&S were FUSSY today.

It was raining, so we went to the GWIZ kids museum. For GWIZ, we had to pay 1 senior citizen admission since we have a membership to the Durham Museum of Life & Science. (A savings of $19 for the penny pinchers out there.) We only saw the indoor exhibits since it was raining; although the outdoor exhibits looked nice. At first I thought J&S would be too young for the museum. I was wrong (and it wasn’t the first and won’t be the last time). The fact J&S enjoyed themselves is a testament to the quality of the museum. Jacqueline particularly enjoyed learning about centrifugal force. Sophie enjoyed the plasma arc glass ball. The grandparents and I enjoyed ourselves too.

Because it was raining, GWIZ became very crowded about 30 minutes after we arrived. Soon after, J&S started to melt into globs of crying, screaming baby. I had to play “Dad” and suggested we just take the kids back to the RV for a quiet lunch and (hopefully) a nap. Grandpa was constantly trying to keep both J&S awake during the 30 minute drive back to the RV. He succeeded. J&S ate lunch then went down for nap easily.

Dad took advantage of nap time and went to a coffee shop for faster internet so he could do some work. Yes, working on a big proposal while on “vacation” stinks but has to be done. Dad also asked me to pick up some beer while I was out. I bought myself some Scotch while out too.

J&S woke while I was gone, but Grandpa and Grandma had a good time reading books and playing with puzzles. The sky cleared during nap, so we ventured outside to play before dinner. J&S had to master the RV stairs, and they did.

The rest of the evening was smooth. J&S had another yummy dinner prepared by Grandma (Mac & Cheese w/ peas and corn & brownies for dessert) before tolerating their baths then going to bed.

Grandpa and I went out to the Sarasota Brewing Company after the girls wend to sleep. Pizza was okay…..beer was bad. Beer was watery with little body. Easy to tell the brewer is trying to minimize costs by skimping on the barley. A glass of Famous Grouse with Grandpa back at the RV made up for the bad beer though.

Aaaahhhh.....Laphroaig

Mark may disagree, but there is nothing better to enjoy at the end of another 13 hour work day than a glass of Laphroaig 10 Yr scotch. YUM!

Adventures with Daddy - Day 3

Day 3 - Fun in the Sand

Friday was supposed to the be nicest day of our visit. Temperature did not scream "Go to the Beach!" but you take what you can get.

So, the Grandparents took us to Siesta Key, one of the 10 best beaches in the U.S.

It was cool enough everyone wore sweatshirts and pants, but that did not stop up from having a good time...until the very end.

After some initial trepidation, Jacqueline and Sophie thought the beach was pretty neat. Both loved playing in the sand. Digging, shoveling, filling buckets, dumping buckets...all activities were fun. Sophie liked making "sand angels." Jacqueline like chasing the seagulls. Only Jacqueline put her toes in the water. She was not happy the water was cold (60 F). Everyone played catch with the rubber balls too.

Everyone had a great time until we brought out lunch. Once the food was out, the seagulls swarmed us and became very aggessive. I felt like we were in the Hitchcock movie "The Birds." I was mad enough that I was throwing the balls at the gulls; did not faze them though. Needless to say, we packed up and had our picnic on the boardwalk. Lunch was still nice but lacked the ambiance of the beach.

Not until we got home did I realize the girls and I got too much sun. Both girls had red, red cheeks. Dad was feeling a little crisp too. I did not think to put sunscreen on myself and the girls since it was so cold. Oops. Another learning moment for Dad.

We were back at the RV by 2 PM. I tried to put the girls down for a nap....not happening again. For the remainder of the afternoon, we played outside the RV. The Grandparents took the girls around the resort to show them off to friends. They also took them to playground. While they were away for a couple hours, Dad relaxed at the RV and read my book.

Next thing we knew....it was bed time. Another day was over.