TN/FL

Sorry for my absence around here lately. When the blog is quiet, that usually means life is loud. And boy has it ever been. I really wanted to get a post in before we left on a week long trip last week but that didn't happen. Jon was out of town the two days before we left so...yeah. Things were a bit stressful leading up to it. We got back this past Thursday night and then I left Friday afternoon for a quick girl's night away with a couple good friends. (Somehow I managed to get a vacation after the vacation. Lucked out with that one.) So anyway, I'm just way behind on life right now. You should see my house. Its ugly. And it makes me want to cry. And we have a birthday party this weekend. I'm going to change the subject now. 

We left Channing with my parents in Memphis and took the big boys to Orlando. We had a free 3 night stay in a pretty nice resort and since my uncle works at Disney and gets us in free (I know, I know. Don't hate.), it was a relatively cheap vacay. And holy cow....it was SOOO nice traveling with just the two of them. I started a 640 page book after we left Channing (I can't read anything of substance when he's in the car) and finished the entire thing before we were home. It was like this giant sigh of relief, like, ok, life is going to get easier again in about two more years. I'm just going to say it. Traveling with a one year old just kinda sucks. My kids somehow defy the laws of universe and do not sleep in the car. Channing literally had one 20 minute nap on the 10 hour drive home. The only reason he slept a little more than that on the way down was because of a raging fever. I literally made Jon stop the car and trade places with me at one point because I was LOSING MY MIND. It was pretty horrible. But I love to travel and am willing to take the bad with the good. And duh, who can pass up free Disney??

We skipped out on Magic Kingdom this time and just did the other three parks. These next two pictures were after a ride in Epcot called Test Track and it was basically a giant photo booth set up (sponsored by Chevrolet, obvs) and we had a ton of fun with it. It made the hour and a half wait with an exhausted 3 year old *almost* bearable.

So back to traveling with just the big boys, I think we were just so darn giddy about how free we felt, not weighed down by a stroller and diaper bag and fill-in-the-blank with ten more things, we didn't even want to lug our fancy camera around. So honestly, this is kind of a pitiful post with only pictures from my sad not-an-iPhone camera. I only picked up my nice camera twice the entire time. I'm only a little sorry about it.
We drove to Clearwater beach on Memorial Day. We figured that was the better option than doing Disney that day. It was a toss-up. Let's just say we had a much better time the last time we were on that beach. But hey, better there than stuck in the Midwest during the week long deluge they were getting. I will take a crowded beach over wet and cold and dreary any day. Unless we had our one year old at the beach... Ok, moving on.

Oh, and side note. Have you ever been to Sweet Tomatoes?? Oh. My. Word. That was my absolute favorite casual dining experience I've ever had. An unlimited buffet but with healthy, made from scratch food?? I died. And Jon laughed at me because he doesn't care about food. A sad sad life to live. 

1. early morning quiet on our screened in porch 2. undivided daddy time 3. Lambert's "throwed rolls" Cafe in Missouri. Such a strange and hilarious experience. 4. our cute chauffeur who drove all 44+ hours (minus 45 min. when I lost my mind and made him trade)

Reunited with my babe when we got back to Tennessee. He was such a good boy while we were gone and spent a lot of time in their pool:

We stayed two nights there to break up the trip on the way home and to have extra time with my parents. We took the boys to the zoo since Jon hadn't been to that one yet. It was hot and fun.

He had a blast. Just took him a lot longer than Bennett to get over the fact that all the other kid's parents knew to pack their bathing suits. The fun eventually outweighed his humiliation. 

And I don't know why but I just love this next picture :) 

And here are the two times I grabbed my real camera. By the time I got it out and took the picture, his nap was over ;)

We stopped in Atlanta on the way home from Orlando and met up with Jon's best friend for lunch. We stumbled upon this gorgeous park in the city. It was the perfect spot for the boys to run around for an hour (and terrorize the local geese). I just couldn't stop saying how gorgeous it was. The trees!

Such a fun trip for all of us. I'm beyond thankful for the opportunities we have for travel and adventure. And we can't bear to put it off for a few more years when it'll be much easier. Its worth it now, to endure a few hours of torture in the van ;) Call me crazy. I'm strongly considering some children's Benedryl for our next trip though...