To Blog or Not to Blog?

I'm almost afraid to blog right now because I worry that my readers (all eleven of you) will be severely disappointed if I can't find the inspiration to blog with any regularity. You'd probably all finally given up on me, hadn't you? Stopped checking in on the Z family. Moved on to other websites. And here I go blogging again, raising your hopes, and sending the Internet into a flurry. Or not.

I can't promise to keep blogging, but I'm going to try. I sent Kyle off to his first day of First Grade yesterday, and my afternoon free time has been reinstated. (This is also known as 'naptime' if you're speaking to Brandon or 'rest time' if you're speaking to Natalie. Don't make the mistake of calling it the wrong thing to either kid unless you want to be mocked or set off a crying jag.) I have very strict rules that prevent me from doing any work during naptime, and blogging had started to feel like work with Kyle running in and out of the room every five minutes to tell me 'one more thing' all summer long. Now that Kyle's back in school blogging might feel less like work.

I wish I could say that the summer was full of blog-worthy happenings, but it was really a short but relaxing summer. The weather finally warmed up after Canada Day. I read a ton of books, courtesy of my Kindle. We spent two weeks in New Jersey at the shore with a ton of family members. Shaun's mom and my sister both came to visit St. John's. Shaun and I celebrated our anniversary, and I had a birthday. The end.

Perhaps the biggest news of the summer was that I had to brave Newark Liberty International Airport twice, and both encounters went off without a hitch. That probably deserved a blog post.

Anyway, I'm back for now. Stay tuned. We're heading into holiday season, and that's always good for a blog post or two.

Three Days in New York

Shaun and I spent three days in New York last week while my parents wrangled the kids, and we had an amazing time. I'm not saying you have to do what we did if you ever go to New York, but here's what you'd have to do if you grow up to be just like us.

Day 1:

Arrive at Newark Liberty International to torrential downpour and take train into NYC.

Check-in to an awesome room at The Plaza. Have lunch at Sarabeth's on Central Park South. Go see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a Swedish film subtitled in English and based on the novel of the same name.
Wander through Greenwich Village and catch a show at The Comedy Cellar, with headliners including Darrell Hammond, Jim Norton, and Nick Griffin.

Day 2:

Wake up whenever you want rather than to the sound of children banging on their bedroom doors or sneaking down the stairs.

Go shopping in SoHo.

Catch Ricky Gervais at a taping of The Late Show with David Letterman.

Have dinner in the the Theater District and take in Race on Broadway, starring James Spader, David Alan Grier, Kerry Washington, and Richard Thomas. Day 3:

Wake to some of the warmest temperatures and sunniest skies you've seen since September (you'd have to live in Newfoundland to accurately duplicate the joy at finding 60-degree temps at 9 AM).

Have some of the best french toast ever and a bellini at Balthazar in Soho. Do some more shopping for yourself and for the kids at Fresh and FAO Schwarz. Wander through Central Park and laze on a park bench in the sun. Do a little more shopping and have lunch at The Shops at Columbus Circle near Central Park.

Take the train from New York's Penn Station back to Newark Liberty International, and hope that your flight home isn't delayed in some fashion by the weather in St. John's. (It will be, but you don't know it yet.)

The End. (Until I'm ready to get into my most recent near-death experience at the hands of Continental Airlines and the St. John's International Airport. You're just going to have to wait for that part of the story.)

A Good Time Was Had By All

Well, the grandparents returned home today, and I don't think 10 days have ever passed more quickly! There were horsey rides, bicycle rides, snow, sun, cupcakes, Easter eggs, and more. We all had a blast.

Week one of Kyle's Spring break flew by, and I now get to spend the next week detoxing the kids. No more dessert every night, no more endless board games and Barbie movies, no more all-day pajama-wearing... starting tomorrow. I guess I'll be detoxing myself, as well, since I'll have to stop ignoring the laundry, I'll have to start playing with my own kids again, and there will be no more trips to New York with Shaun.

Oh well. It was fun while it lasted!

Thank You, Rupert

When Shaun and I first decided to try escaping to New York while my parents are visiting we submitted a request for tickets to see a taping of The Late Show with David Letterman. You just fill in a form online giving your name, phone number and the dates you'd like to attend a taping, and then you get a nice little message stating that someone might call you. Or they might not. And if they do call you it could be at any time between the date of your ticket request and the date of the actual taping. Oh yeah, and you'll be required to correctly answer a trivia question before they'll actually give you tickets. Hmm. Okay.

In the two months since we requested tickets I totally forgot that we actually requested them until yesterday morning. I was on my way out the door when I looked at my cell phone and saw a missed call from the night before with a 212 area code. Now, most people that have spent time in the Northeast U.S. or that just spend a lot of time watching television know that a 212 area code on your caller ID means that someone is calling from a New York City phone number.

My first thought was, "Who's calling me from New York? And why would a telemarketer go to the trouble to call Canada?"

Then I heard the voicemail message. "Betsy, this is The Late Show with David Letterman..."

The voice went on to tell me that if we were still interested in tickets for this coming Wednesday night we should call back ASAP and be prepared to correctly answer a trivia question about The Late Show. Oh crap. The trivia question. We like watching Letterman, but the show doesn't air until the butt crack of dawn in Newfoundland, so we haven't seen it in over a year and a half. Thank God my phone was set on vibrate, and that woman had to leave me a message! There's no way I could have answered a trivia question without preparation.

"Shaun! We got called for Letterman tickets but we have to answer a trivia question! Get on Google!" I yelled.

Shaun Googled The Late Show, Letterman, Letterman trivia questions, and prepared himself with several open internet browsers. He then called The Late Show back... and was forced to leave a message. He commented that he wasn't going to be as prepared to answer the question now that it would involve a callback. Would his call be returned the same day? It was a Saturday. Would we have to be on guard all weekend? Until Monday even?

Then the phone rang yesterday afternoon. And the trivia question we were hoping for was asked. The question that popped up several times when we Googled 'Letterman trivia questions.' What kind of business does Dave's neighbor Rupert own? A deli!

Shaun gave the correct answer, and now he and I are on our way to Letterman on Wednesday.

I'm not sure if we're excited to see Letterman or if we're just excited to have scored tickets. These Late Show people are on to something. The official story is that Dave likes to ensure he's got actual fans of the show in the audience, and that's why they ask a trivia question before granting tickets. I think it's more likely that they're just trying to make sure you'll show up. Phone tag and trivia questions make you feel like you've actually won something.

Anyway, if you're hanging around watching TV on Wednesday night see if you can spot us in the audience. It should be a good show. Ricky Gervais and turkey callers. Who doesn't love a good turkey call? At least Ricky Gervais should be funny, right?

Countdown!

Who doesn't love a good countdown? We're all getting very excited that we only have one more week until the arrival of that super-duper grandparenting team, Mom-mom and Pop-pop.

Not only are they coming to visit for 10 days, but Shaun and I will be vacating the premises for a couple of days while they're here and going on our own mini-vacation. We haven't been away together but without the kids since September of 2006 when Natalie was 4 1/2 months old. She turns 4 years old a month from today. No wonder we're so tired.

7 Days!

Airports I Love to Hate

I'm pleased to announce that Newark Liberty International Airport has been joined by two other airports on the list of Airports I Hate. Welcome to the club, St. John's International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport. Here are just a few features of these airports that have earned them places on my list:

St. John's International Airport
- A total of six gates. That's right. Six. Imagine the endless entertainment to be found for three kids in an airport consisting of one terminal with six gates and a tiny Tim Hortons.
- A snow-covered parking lot ensuring much adventure when parking, extracting suitcases and children, and walking to the terminal. Also ensuring much shoveling, de-icing, and warming-up when returning from any and all vacations.
- Excellent location in what can only be described as the foggiest and snowiest spot in all of Newfoundland and Labrador. This location often makes it possible for travelers to enjoy hours of delay, flight cancellations, and the rearrangement of travel plans. Be prepared to take advantage of your travel insurance.

Toronto Pearson International Airport
- Extra security checkpoints for flights into the United States consisting of a full carry-on baggage search and an explosives swab for all members of your travel party over the age of 1. This experience is enhanced by TSA employees with no previous experience with passengers traveling with prescription penicillin.
- Vast terminals with zero amenities in the case that you have a six-hour layover. However, in the case that you must claim your bags, clear Canadian immigration and customs, re-check baggage and go through another security checkpoint with three children, a laptop, three carry-on bags, a stroller, and various liquids in the form of Infants' Motrin, milk, etc., Air Canada will be happy to provide you with a connection time of less than 90 minutes.

Be sure to check out these airports on your travels if you're a fan of emotional torture.

Now What?

A winter storm watch. That's what.

Kyle's back in school this morning, but he's still feeling pretty terrible. I'm hoping he'll last the entire day without the school calling me to pick him up. His neck still hurts, he doesn't want to eat, and he's got a constant headache, but he was in better shape this morning than he has been in days.

Just when it's pushing 11 AM, and I'm hopeful that Kyle will make it to lunchtime at school, I check my friendly little Weather Network bookmark to find that there's a storm watch in effect for Thursday night into Friday afternoon. When do we leave for Florida? Friday morning. Right in the midst of this storm watch.

Please don't tell me that my wonderful trip to Florida and Disney World is going to be delayed by a nasty little winter storm. I really need this vacation. I'm in desperate need of a break from the Newfoundland weather, and I need to recover from Kyle's run-in with strep throat and torticollis. I'm tired. The universe wouldn't really do this to me, would it?

For the moment I'm just going to hope that this 'watch' doesn't turn into a 'warning'. And then I'm going to start working on contigency plans, people, because that's what I do. My mind is a minefield of worst-case scenarios. It never hurts to be prepared.

A Little Ocean City Love

Most people are totally confused when I tell them we vacation in New Jersey. I can actually see their eyes glaze over as they picture scenes from the Sopranos and the New Jersey Turnpike. Ocean City is actually an awesome shore town with a great beaches, a boardwalk filled with pizza places, mini-golf courses and shops, a trolley that runs from one end of the city to the other, and a rare family-friendly atmosphere.

My grandmother used to take my brother and I to Ocean City for a week every summer as kids--and eventually my sister, too--and the city has changed very little in all the time I've known it. Ocean City is even where I introduced Shaun to some of my family for the first time--he and our friend, Scott, drove down to visit me when I was there with Mom-mom the summer after our Freshman year at RPI.

We just finished spending two weeks in Ocean City, and Shaun and I probably enjoyed our most relaxing vacation since having kids. Relaxation is all relative when vacationing with three kids, obviously, so rest assured we still struggled with all the usual drama--packing, passports, hours on airplanes, rental cars, room sharing, nap shortages, and endless trips to the bathroom--and a little extra drama in the form of two threatened hurricanes, a canceled return flight, and an overnight experience at the Holiday Inn Newark Airport. But my mom and dad, my sister, and my brother and his wife stayed with us the first week we were at the shore, and I swear it was total bliss having so many adults around to watch and play with the kids. Shaun's mom, grandma and Grandpa Jess also came down the second week, and they, too, made it easy for Shaun and I to get a little peace once in a while. I didn't cook dinner for the group even once thanks to the best mom in the world, and I only had to go to the grocery store once thanks to a brother who wakes up at the crack of dawn! It was awesome.

I am almost five years into this parenting gig, and I have finally determined the secret to having a good vacation--travel with at least two adults per child! Remember this.

Here are a few cute pics. Check out the rest of them on our Shutterfly site. Enjoy!

Mom-mom and B

Kyle loves his map

I can do it myself, Uncle Brian

Aunt Katie and the kids

Brian and Allie

I can do everything myself

Babci and B

Sit in the hole!

Get to work, Grandma

Mom-mom and Pop-pop and their (my) babies

Happy 30th Birthday to Me!

I should never have taunted the Newark Airport the way I did. All that 'whatever' nonsense came right back around to bite me in the butt on Sunday. Sure, we got $2000 in airline vouchers, but it didn't really compensate for the hours spent in Newark and the lack of sleep because three small kids and strange hotel rooms don't mix. I think this year's birthday will end up somewhere on my '10 Worst Birthdays' list--you know, at the end of my life when I'm sitting around making stupid lists like that--just roll with the hypothetical list-making, people. I'm sure it won't be the Worst Birthday Ever. It was The Worst Birthday So Far, but I'm assuming something worse will happen at some point.

On a positive note, turning 30 really hasn't been as painful as I expected. It helps that almost everyone I know has already turned 30 and appears to have survived it. It does not help that Shaun is still 29, but his time will come in about 7 short weeks.

Oh yeah, and our vacation was awesome! I'll be following up with stories and pictures in no time. I swear. Just let me deal with these suitcases first.

Vacation!

I can't tell you how excited I am to be going on vacation, and I can't tell you how even more excited I am to have a direct flight tomorrow! We may have to fly into Newark, but there's no way for us to get stuck on the runway waiting for our flight to take-off from Newark if we don't have a connection! Hah! Take that, Liberty International Airport!

I know all the taunting could backfire, and we'll end up with a lost bag or a lost carseat or the mother-of-all immigration lines, but whatever. I know we could end up sitting on the runway in St. John's instead waiting for fog to lift or waiting for the flight crew to sleep off their George Street headaches, but whatever. I know we could get to Newark and after schlepping three kids, a stroller, two carseats, a booster seat, three suitcases, and numerous carry-on items to the rental car desk find that Newark's supply of rental cars has been depleted of all minivans, and we'd be stuck haggling over what inadequate piece of rental crap they'd unload on us instead, but whatever. I know we could end up stuck in traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike while the kids complain about how tired and hungry they are, but whatever.

Trust me, I know of all the travel mishaps that could arise. And I'm all too aware of the fact that when our vacation is done we do, in fact, have to fly out of Newark, where we will, almost definitely, be stuck sitting on a runway for several hours before taking off. But WHATEVER. Whatever, people. Because I'm going to the shore!! For two weeks!!

Take that, Liberty International Airport!

The Return of SuperDad

While I was enjoying myself in New York City this weekend my husband happily donned his SuperDad cape once again. I'm in no way implying Shaun isn't a terrific dad every day, but anyone who has taken on the sole responsibility of a small child--not to mention three of them--for three days straight, with no relief, knows it takes a little extra preparation and patience to make it through with your sanity intact.

Here's what SuperDad did this weekend:

• Dropped Kyle and Natalie off at The Little Gym, and managed to pick them up three hours later
• Went grocery shopping with Brandon
• Dropped shirts off at the dry cleaners
• Put the trash out
• Mowed the lawn
• Took all three kids to the playground--twice
• Changed the sheets on Natalie's bed when she had an accident--twice
• Did laundry--at least twice
• Made up the bed that Shaun's mom is sleeping in while she's here
• Made up the bed that Kyle was going to sleep on while Shaun's mom is here
• Stayed up late at night working on the all the stuff he would have been doing at work if he wasn't at home all day Friday

I was really impressed that my husband managed to accomplish all of the above.

I was also a little amused with Natalie for giving Daddy a taste of what it's like to have to change and wash sheets constantly, but I wish she'd done it in the middle of the night instead of during naptime--nighttime sheet changes are way worse than naptime sheet changes. I'm sure SuperDad would have handled it, but he would have been sleepy and annoyed.

Thanks, Shaun, for giving me a weekend away. And thanks for making it easy for me to go since I always know the kids will be well taken care of. Since you still maintain that staying home with the kids is more fun than going to work every day maybe you won't mind if I leave a little more often? Or how about we try a week next time? ;)

I Am SO Out of Here

Dear Kids,

Mommy has decided that she needs some adult time, so while you are screaming over your breakfast this morning ('Pancakes. No, a granola bar. No, yogurt. No, pancakes. But no syrup. Daddy, where's my syrup? I always have syrup on my pancakes.') I will be leaving for the airport where I will catch a flight straight to Newark and join a few friends for a kid-free weekend. I wish I could take Daddy with me, but someone needs to stay home with you little monsters darlings, and so far we have no other takers.

I know it's hard to imagine that I can survive three days without seeing your chocolate-smeared, sand-encrusted precious little faces, but I must try. For my sanity, I must try. I will do my best to drown my sorrow in gossip, shopping, and alcoholic beverages.

Please feel free to treat Daddy to all your usual annoying demands amusing habits.

I love you, I'll miss you, and I'll see you on Monday!

Love, Mommy

P.S. Remind Daddy that Saturday night is 'Game Night', and be sure to request Monopoly Junior. He hates loves that one.

Terra Nova Roadtrip | Days 4 & 5 Recap

or 'Gander Schmander'

First let me say that I mean no disrespect to anyone living in Gander, anyone originally from Gander, or anyone who has driven through Gander and believes it to be an amazing tourist destination, but I was not impressed.

We decided to spend the fourth day of our trip in Gander, however, there was only enough to do in Gander to keep us busy through lunchtime, and even that was only because we drove around for awhile trying to find something else to do in Gander other than visiting the North Atlantic Aviation Museum. We did visit the museum, and it was interesting but small, and my children have the attention spans of, oh, let's say rat terriers.

After our quick tour of Gander we decided to head back to Pinetree Lodge for our bathing suits before an excursion to Sandy Cove Beach. Sandy Cove was beautiful, and the kids had a great time playing in the sand and water.

Since this was the last day of our vacation we even decided to head back to the national park to go on a short walk after dinner.

Phew. Just writing about our trip tires me out. I almost wish I had something entertaining to tell you about our drive home the following morning, but it was fairly painless. We really did have a good vacation--the kids had fun, Shaun and I enjoyed seeing some more of Newfoundland, and I don't think it was any more torture than doing anything else with three small children would have been. Having said that, I'm really looking forward to our beach vacation in a few weeks because Shaun and I plan to throw ourselves on the mercy of our family members and let them entertain the kids as much as possible.

The End.

Terra Nova Roadtrip | Day 3 Recap

The saga continues...

Day 3 dawned soggy and overcast, but we're honorary Newfoundlanders now, so that didn't stop us from heading outdoors to do some hiking in the national park. We didn't see a single moose, but we did see some moose tracks and a waterfall. We also saw a playground at the beginning of our hike, which we were forced to stop at before we could hike to the waterfall and which we forced to return to after hiking to the waterfall. We also ate our lunch at this playground. I guess we should have skipped the hike and stayed at the playground since we also had to listen to whining about the playground the entire time we were hiking.

The same afternoon we decided to go on a boat tour of Newman Sound. Kyle and Natalie had a great time driving the boat and entertaining all of the eight other passengers onboard. Natalie proved to be a great helper, while Kyle was horrified by the sight of a squid. This is, by far, the most entertaining photo of our entire trip: Classic Kyle.

Terra Nova Trip | Day 2 Recap

Now for more of my Terra Nova tale... I'm sure the suspense has been killing you.

We drove to a tiny little town called Salvage where we hiked to the top of a hill to see this view:

We weren't planning to hike in Salvage, so Natalie and I were wearing flip-flops and shorts, and that didn't work out so well, but what else were we going to do when we got to Salvage and learned that the Fisherman's Museum wasn't open yet for the season? At least I remembered the bug spray. So what if Kyle got stuck on a branch and ended up knee-deep in some mud while Shaun and I tried really hard not to laugh at him? Those are the moments that make family vacations!

From Salvage we backtracked to Eastport Beach, where the kids managed to soak their clothing in ocean water that was about 45F. Sand beaches are hard to come by in Newfoundland, and Brandon was totally confused by the grainy stuff getting all over his feet.

After some lunch at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served a very decent burger we made our way to Family Funland. We paid entirely too much for the kids to play some mini-golf (hit the ball as many times as they wanted and used their feet to kick the ball into the hole, Natalie) and look at about three rabbits (petting zoo), but Kyle and Natalie completely loved it.

After dinner we decided to head into Terra Nova National Park to check out the Marine Interpretation Center. There was a huge touch tank, and even more importantly, there were crayons. It didn't matter that we brought crayons with us on our vacation. It didn't matter that there were starfish to touch. My kids wanted to color! Shaun and I didn't mind because we had really only decided to head over to the park because we couldn't bear to spend the time between dinner and bedtime in our tiny little cabin with the kids climbing all over us. We even drove up to the top of Blue Hill while we were there to catch another stunning view.

It was a long day, but it was fun, and the beauty of this place we have temporarily adopted as home constantly amazes me. We managed to thoroughly exhaust ourselves--so much that we were sure the kids would fall right to sleep when their little heads hit their pillows. They did fall right asleep--after another battle exactly like the one from the night before involving hair-licking and feet. At least I was so exhausted that I didn't even notice Brandon's snoring when I finally got to put my little head on my pillow.

Terra Nova Roadtrip | Day 1 Recap

I have decided to pace myself as I tell you the tale of our vacation.

Canada Day dawned rainy and cool last Wednesday, and we decided to get our act together, put the kids down for their afternoon naps a little early and then head out to Terra Nova. We anticipated a 3-hour drive filled with the usual infighting and complaining, so in a fit of strategizing I had Shaun move Brandon's carseat to the third row of the TrailBlazer next to Natalie's carseat and put Kyle's booster in the second row. I'm pleased to report that this proved to be a brilliant plan in diffusing our usual Kyle-Natalie conflicts. What we did not anticipate was the nerve-wracking shriek that Brandon managed to perfect over the course of 3 hours and the fact that we would not be able to reach him to hand him sippy cups, snacks, toys and dropped books. Oh well. You wouldn't believe how loud the radio in my car can go.

We arrived at Pinetree Lodge, checked into our cabin, and decided to hunt down some dinner at a place called Whimsicals. The place and the crafts were adorable, but I'm glad I didn't know at the time that every restaurant we would encounter over the next four days would be the size of my living room and that the food would be about the same quality as what would have come out of my own kitchen--frozen then reheated, canned, or just plain ugly. What can I say? We don't eat seafood, and the other choices are a bit limited. But we didn't go for the food!

We went for the scenery, and we went to experience the joy of making Kyle and Natalie share a bed! And what a joy it was. From the very first night until the very last. Our cabin had two bedrooms, so Kyle and Natalie shared a double bed in one bedroom while Brandon slept in his portable crib in the corner of the bedroom Shaun and I were sharing. On top of late bathtimes and bedtimes it would take an hour of ignoring, scolding, pleading, and threatening each night for Kyle and Natalie to fall asleep. Why? Because Natalie loves to torture her big brother, and he makes the best kind victim--the responsive kind.

"Mommy, she's putting her feet on me."

"Mommy, she won't stop talking to me."

"Mommy, she's pulling my ear."

"Mommy, she's licking my hair."

Yes, Natalie was licking Kyle's hair--for no other reason than he found it particularly offensive. And every time we'd go in the room to ask her to stop she'd be on her side of the bed, curled up under the covers, eyes shut, her angelic face and blond ringlets oozing innocence. She's evil, and she's relentless. Every night we put up with this for at least an hour until she'd eventually tire herself out or Kyle would fall asleep, ending her enjoyment of torturing him.

Whew. Day 1 down. I was exhausted, but I knew we were going to have a great time the next day exploring the area and spending some time experiencing Central Newfoundland. I was ready to hit the hay so I could hit the ground running in the morning. I snuggled up under the covers, closed my eyes, and remembered why we moved Brandon into his own bedroom when he was shy of two months old. He snores--loudly. And breathes (a good thing, I know)--deeply. And loves to toss and turn in a Pack-n-Play barely bigger than he is. I eventually fell asleep with one thought running through my head... "It's going to be a long weekend."

Yeah for internet access

I know, I know. I have fallen off the face of the blogosphere. I can only apologize and hope you'll take pity on me when I describe the laundry and unpacking I now face in the wake of our five-day trip to Terra Nova National Park. Mountains and mountains of laundry--imagine three small children, the beach, a national forest, hiking, sand, mud, water, playgrounds, and more wet socks than you can count.

I had planned to blog from our vacation, but I quickly found that 'wireless internet access' isn't always as advertised when in Central Newfoundland. My husband and I both had our BlackBerries--his is the professional version, while mine is the 'you made me move to Canada, so now I want a BlackBerry too', pink, mom version--but they left quite a bit to be desired. There was one entire day when even the BlackBerries weren't working. By yesterday I was getting quite irritable at the lack of internet access. The cabin we were staying in was supposed to have internet access, but what we got was really just enough of a wireless signal to tease us five times a day into thinking we were about to have internet access only to be disappointed.

I can't imagine how my husband must have felt. I just wanted the internet to tend my crops on my Facebook FarmTown and to check my email (one of my friends was supposed to have a baby on Friday, people), but Shaun does real work on a daily basis, so I bet the lack of communication was much worse on him than on me. He handled it much more pleasantly than I did, but I think I may have seen his hands tremor more than once. And I know it was killing him to think of his fantasy baseball teams carrying on without him to check on them.

I promise to blog about our vacation in the near future, but for now I have to go check on my FarmTown. I mean, I have to go do laundry. Stay tuned for my upcoming Terra Nova blog posts.

Disney debrief

So, we've been home for a week now, and we've all finally readjusted to being back home. I was skeptical going into the trip that the kids would all be entirely too young to appreciate Disney World. I was completely wrong. Yes, Brandon was too young to appreciate it, but Kyle and Natalie had a blast. Kyle loved the roller coasters and the handful of shows we saw. Natalie loved the race cars and looking out for princesses at every turn. I was surprised by how much fun they had and how much they enjoyed themselves.

The last week of February must be ideal for crowd avoidance because we hardly spent any time waiting in lines the whole time we were there.

We also enjoyed a beautiful week weather-wise. It was cool in the mornings--if you think 50- and 60-degree weather is cool. Here in St. John's we'd call that summer. In the afternoons the temperatures were in the mid-70's to mid-80's the entire week. We even made it into the pool at the resort a couple of times.

We spent three of the five days we went to Disney World at the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom definitely had the most to offer small kids. Natalie's pretty small, but even she met the height requirement for the bulk of the rides there. Kyle could ride everything but Space Mountain. The kids also enjoyed the day we spent at Hollywood Studios. There's a really cool Toy Story Mania ride, a cute Playhouse Disney Live! show, and a fun Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground there. We'd go to the parks early in the morning and head back to our resort around 2 in the afternoon. The crowds were definitely thinnest first thing in the morning and would start building up in the early afternoon.

Disney World was exactly as I remembered it from over 20 years ago when I went as a kid, and it's really just as nice and clean as it was then. It's also just as cheesy. I think it's really best enjoyed by young kids now that I've seen it again. I would imagine we'll go again in a few years, but by the time the kids are 10 or so I think they'd be over the whole thing. Shaun and I had a really great time watching the kids enjoy themselves, but there really wasn't a whole lot there for adults.

The very best part of the week was getting to spend time with Shaun's mom, my mom and dad, Shaun's grandparents, and my brother and sister-in-law. I know the kids loved seeing and playing with everyone, and Shaun and I did, too. It had been way too long since we'd seen family--that's what we get for moving away to Canada!

The worst part of the week was, once again, Liberty International Airport. Granted, traveling was so smooth on our way down to Florida that I almost had to pinch myself, but when we flew home last Sunday night we spent the entire time we were in Newark wondering if our flight was going to take off at all. First it was on time, then it was delayed an hour and a half, then it was on time again but at a different gate. Then we got on board and were told two people were going to have to get off the plane to accommodate for the extra fuel we needed to take on since the weather was bad in St. John's and we might get all the way there and not be able to land and have to be diverted. Great. We sat on the runway for an hour and half before we finally took off, and the kids were tired and grumpy.

I didn't care what the weather was like in St. John's--I needed to get out of Newark! Even if it meant landing in the sleet in St. John's. And then having to break through an inch of ice covering the Trailblazer before we could get in it and drive home. Then getting home at midnight and having a battle with Kyle over why he was going to bed and not playing his Wii in the middle of the night. I was so happy to get out of Newark, and I was even happier about getting out of Newark when a huge snowstorm hit New Jersey on Monday morning and I imagined how bad things could've gotten if we'd been stranded there!

It was a great vacation, we all had a ton of fun, and now that the laundry is done, the suitcases are put away, and we've all adjusted to all the time changes, it was totally worth the planning and effort! I might just have enough energy to attempt another vacation in about six months.

Remnants of our vacation

I know I still haven't blogged about our trip last week, and my only excuse is that I'm trying to dig my way out from under the mountain of laundry taking over my house. The good news is that I have officially unpacked the suitcases, which is an enormous accomplishment since it would usually take two months before the suitcases would be emptied and shoved back to the bottom of the linen closet. I felt all motivated last night for about 22 minutes, and the result was the suitcase unpacking. This morning I decided it was time to stop ignoring Mount Laundry, so several loads have been washed and dried, and now I'm just hoping I don't run out of steam before some folding occurs.

It's hard to believe that the vacation we'd been looking forward to for six months has been reduced to a pile of dirty clothing and and handful of digital pictures. Oh yeah, and credit card bills.

Stay tuned for my Disney debrief, but for now here are a few pictures from our trip to Florida to tide you over.

Tigger, Shaun, and the kids

Brandon and Pop-pop

Kyle, Grandma, and Natalie

Shaun and Natalie riding Dumbo

Mom-mom and Natalie

Me and my girl

Grandma and Kyle

Natalie meets Sleeping Beauty

Kyle rides Toy Story Mania

Family mini-golf

Jet lagged

I'm back! Sort of. Today I'm finding myself in that dimension between real life and vacation. You know what I'm talking about. That first day home when you just sit around, looking at the laundry to be done, debating whether or not it's worth it to get the kids out of jammies and into clothes, wondering if you really need to take a shower, relaxed and relieved to be home but overwhelmed by the effort it's going to take to put everything away.

We're also suffering from a little bit of jet lag today. I know an hour and a half isn't much of a time difference to speak of, but it makes a big difference to the kids. Twice a year when we have to 'spring forward' or 'fall back' I want to kill myself, so doing it twice over the course of one week seems like insanity. And, if I'm being totally honest, I'm just as bad as the kids. I don't handle time change well. Ask Shaun. He'll tell you what it was like to travel with me from Houston to Moscow. Shaun travels so well it's almost like time zones don't exist to him, but I'd be comatose for about three days, then grumpy for another two weeks when I had to adjust to the 8-hour time difference. Today's jet lag is mild but persistent, aided by the fact that we got in late last night and spent way too much time in airports yesterday. It's going to take another day or two for all of us to recover.

The good news is that I don't have to see Newark again until August. God willing.