February 17

Florida, Day 7

Read about our trip from the beginning here.

So, actually that is a bit misleading. Today was the day we drove home from Florida. Just like we did on the way here, we packed the van, put the kids to bed, and went to sleep. At 12:00, Chris woke up, showered, and brewed coffee, then woke everyone else up. We loaded into the van, and took off.

17 hours later, we were home. It was a whole lot of this:

(They were only sleeping during daylight hours because I turned the DVD player off. Some kids will fall asleep during a movie; mine are glued to the screen. Also, on the drive to Florida, they were too excited to sleep for the first three hours. On the way home? Totally different story. We loaded the kids into the van, and they were asleep pretty quickly. And yes, each child had their own box of tissues. We had a lot of runny noses this week, so tissues were necessary.

The big kids travelled really well, but Eli? Not so much. 

Sometimes I had to climb back to sit in the seat next to his and entertain him. I think he really hoped I would unbuckle him and hold him, but I just couldn't do it.

Instead, I tried my best to distract him with whatever items I could find. Like a water bottle.

Or my iPhone. (This is why I buy expensive cases for it.)

Or a light saber from Aunt Maggie.

My little Jedi in training!

Not pictured: the hours Eli spent screaming, for no particular reason. The last few hours of our drive were very stressful for me.

We made it home around 6:30, with plenty of time to unpack before putting the kids down for a normal bedtime. It was perfect, and we were so glad to be home!