We survived!

Ok, so I'm exaggerating, a bit.  Our trip to Nags Head was a success.  We had originally planned on leaving around 1 or 2 am.  Of course, plans don't always go as, er, well....planned.  I woke up a bit before 2 and got all my stuff together before waking Erin up to feed her.  Once she was fed and in her car seat, Matt and I woke the girls up and got them in the car.  We pulled out of our driveway a bit before 3 am and headed to my in-laws house to drop off the dog for the week.  We made it to Newtown in a record 35 minutes!  The ride from PA to Nags Head was pretty uneventful.  We drove for a few hours and then stopped somewhere in VA for breakfast.  

Five hours later, we were pulling into the driveway of our home for the week...Cloud Nine.  The four other families we were vacationing with were there waiting for us.  Got in the house and within 30 mins, Erin was down for her nap...that's what I call "winning"!  We had a good week. Going to the beach, hanging out at the pool and just hanging around was just what we all needed.  The kids were fairly well behaved.  Erin was the best behaved, in my opinion.  The kids played together well all week.  

There weren't any major issues either.  I ended up at the Urgent Care on Wednesday cause I pulled a muscle in my back. Note to everyone...do NOT pull a stroller backwards behind you on a beach alone.  Tuesday night my back started to bother me but when I woke up Wednesday morning, I could barely get out of bed. Walking and breathing were an issue too.  I struggled through till after lunch and then I asked my brother-in-law to take me to Urgent Care.  I met with a Dr.Sanchez (his first name was NOT Dirty) and got a prescription for muscle relaxers and Vicodin.  Let me tell you, I do not like the way I felt taking the Vicodin.  I took one as soon as I got it and then took another 5 hours later before bed.  The first one did not bother me but the second one made me feel yucky!  I was trying to feed Erin and get her to bed and I became nauseous and a bit disoriented.  Handed Erin over to Matt and put myself to bed.  Laying awake but not being able to actually move my body freaked me out.  Needless to say, I did not take any more Vicodin.  It's been a week and I still feel the pain in my back but I can walk, breathe and move around so I am better than I was last Wednesday.   

Back to our trip.  I think it's safe to say everyone enjoyed themselves.  There were limited meltdowns, tantrums and fights among the kids...and adults!  The week went way too fast and none of us wanted to leave. Three of the families chose to leave around 4 or 5 am Saturday.  Matt and I and another family decided to hang around for the morning and leave around lunch.   We cleaned the house and left it the way we found it and headed off to get coffee and play mini golf.  We left the island around 10:30 am and pulled into our driveway at 10:30 pm. I thought we were never going to get out of that car! We had to stop for lunch and dinner and then we stayed at my in-laws for a bit to give Erin some time out of her car seat.  

All in all, it was a great vacation and we would do it again, in a heartbeat!  Plus, I need to continue my reign as half of the KanJam champs!!!  

All Our Bags Are Packed...

Kinda....

We are getting ready to head to Nags Head, NC for a week with 4 other families.  Sounds fun, right?  I am sure it will be...it's getting packed and getting there that concerns me.  We are renting a beautiful 8 bedroom, 3 story home located a block from the beach.  Only downfall to renting a house is having to bring EVERYTHING with you.  I realized last night I won't have any where to bathe Erin, unless I bring her tub with us.  Yet another thing that has to be packed, or does it?  Now that I think about it, I am bringing her Bumbo seat, I can bathe her in there.  Problem solved...well, that one at least.  

We have a minivan which should allow us plenty of room to pack things, right? WRONG! We have stow and go seats that fold completely into the floor but we also have 3 car seats which doesn't allow us to stow too many seats into the floor. In fact, we can stow one but we also have to remember to allow room for the girls to get out of the car at stops. Sorry, Jenna & Emily, you can't get out to go potty till we get to Nags Head....you can hold it for 8 hours, can't you? That will go over well.

We have one of those car carriers for the top of the car which we have installed on the minivan.  I am hoping we can get a majority of the things we need up there so the car won't be busting at the seams.  

We packed the car last night and I feel so relieved because it all fit.  For those of you who know Matt, he is a wonderful Tetris player. :)  He has many years of experience packing up the car with us having lived in AZ and GA for a few years.  He fit everything in the car perfectly and you can't even tell we are going on vacation.  The girls will be nice and comfortable and there's even room for the dog who we will be dropping off at my in-laws in PA on the way.  

So, for now, the tough part is over.  Now we just have to get there and enjoy our week in North Carolina.  

Wish us luck!