In any case, we were happy to have our own beds again, wash our clothes, truly unpack, and be in our element right here at home. And we were thrilled to see our kitties! They were very happy to see us, that's for sure! I could hardly unpack without a kitty at my feet or on our stuff. It was a great reunion all around. And I just had this whole feeling of being awash with peace and calm. It hit me as I lay in bed that night, our first night home, that I really just hadn't thought about a thing in two weeks. Not a thing. I felt utter calm. The best feeling. I needed that feeling. I already wanted to go back to the beach. But I also knew this feeling would be something I could hold on to now, I would make it last.
We warmed up to our routines and settled back into our home. My mom came over one afternoon and we shopped for project items for all those shells. The kids made picture frames and filled jars. We had the forethought on our last day at the beach to fill a ziploc bag of sand and we used this sand to fill our jars before layering shells on top. So those jars are truly a part of Anna Maria Island. I love this. We love to look at those jars and remember this trip fondly.
Annabel and I also worked very hard on making a Shutterfly book for our beach trip. It turned out amazing. (Yes, that got done before the blogging got done, but that was all Annabel- she was the impetus behind that, super motivated excited girl that she is! So fun!)
And when the kids are asked their favorite part of summer- Anna Maria is their answer. Every time someone asks how my summer was, I say it was the best. Because it was.
Happy kitties!
Cooperation! Wow! The kids worked together really hard to get the drone Uncle Brad gave us ready to fly here at home!
Shell project time!
Grandma Cheryl bought herself a Lego ornament to remember our Legoland fun and she had Daniel build the reindeer inside for her. So fun!
A few fun notes about the trip.
Right about 8 minutes after we left our house, just when we were getting on the highway, Daniel asked if we were still in Illinois. Cracked me up! Um, yes, buddy, we are. We sure are. I had a feeling this would be a loooooong drive to Florida after that.
BUT- my best parent hack- oh my goodness, such a savior- Google map directions on Ben's phone. Because this thing tells you how many hours you have left to drive and exactly (I kid you not, exactly) when you'll arrive at your destination. This pretty much meant the kids hardly ever asked us when we would be there or how much longer and are we there yet and all those typical road trip questions. They could just look up at the front of the car at Ben's phone and find their answers. Awesome! Best invention ever.
And let me tell you- signing up for summer reading at the library before we left- also a lifesaver. Because the kids were motivated to read in the car! Especially because it was how they earned screen time. I can play my cards right. Anyway, they basically finished the whole sheet that trip, front and back. That's pretty awesome in my book!
So, now...when can we go back?!
