Traveling

After our last plane ride all together last April, I was convinced I would never travel with kids again, and there was no way I could do it with a third living baby.  Considering Miss Charlotte is here and we not only went to Washington D.C. a couple months after I said that out loud, obviously I only said it out of frustration...

I love traveling.  I like being new places, seeing new things, trying new foods, visiting with people and not having to worry about all the "chores" of day to day life.  Considering that Kaitlyn is 8 and has been to Disneyland twice, Las Vegas 4 times, Buffalo, NY, Washington D.C., Illinois, Niagra Falls, San Antonio Texas, Alabama 3 times, Colorado Springs, and Reno and San Francisco more times than I can count, I should be a pro at traveling with children by now.  You would think 20,000 miles later, I would have it figured out.  Many trips were with Samantha as well. 

The problem is, there are parts of traveling I hate.  I hate packing.  I hate unpacking.  I hate feeling like I'm forgetting something.  I hate predicting what we'll need once we're there.  I hate flying.  I hate going through the security check points, I hate feeling confined in a car or on a plane.  I hate the waiting to get there.  I hate waiting period.

For Christmas this year, my parents wanted to do something different.  We all have too much "stuff."  Our girls included.  There is very little they do not have.  You could go into any toy store, throw a rock and hit something in one of their bedrooms or the playroom.  With Kaitlyn, the same could be said about electronics.  They are spoiled and we're quickly running out of room.  In addition to some gifts this year, my parents gave the gift of a family vacation.  To Disneyland.  Kaitlyn has been beyond excited since then.  Samantha has adamantly said she does not want to go and Charlotte goes where the milk is.

On Thursday, my parents drove with my youngest sister and her husband.  They took Kaitlyn and Samantha with them.  My other sister, husband and stepson flew a couple days before us to visit with family on his side and my brother, his long time girlfriend, Dusty, Charlotte and I flew down that morning.  Security was troublesome.  I was flustered.  I was tired.  Charlotte did a great job on the flight though, cried for a few minutes but slept for the majority of it.

We arrived around lunch time and the car travelers arrived shortly after that.  Thursday was spent resting and relaxing.  Our room was great, it was one of the Kid Suite's at the Hyatt.  The girls had their own room space with bunk beds.  They both loved it.  We had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack and went to bed early (at least us girls did) to go to Disney the next day.

Despite the hail and rain on Friday, the girls had fun.  Samantha was in love with the princesses and Winnie the Pooh.  Kaitlyn went on all the rides with the grown-ups and was so thrilled to see her friends Savannah and Sawyer (I was too!), Charlotte nursed every couple of hours.  The next day was spent at Universal Studios and on Sunday we came home.

The trip was fun.  It was work though.  I do not think I realized what extra work having a newborn with us would add.  She wanted to be held and fed, changed and held some more.  But, it was worth it.

Since being home, we unpacked, did 5+ loads of laundry and are desperately trying to get back into a routine.  I'm not sure if there is a point in getting to a routine with Kaitlyn having next week off...

I found myself saying "no more traveling for at least a couple years" on the way home and already I'm planning our next trip.  Funny how things work...