Florida Vacay, Part 2

Home, home, is there anything like home?

Well, okay, tbf, that rental at the beach was pretty dang close. Toddler started even calling it our "Second Home."

The dead car battery must have been our lowest point because after that, things turned around a bit. Wednesday morning we had to leave the rental, but we had enough time to walk to a breakfast place nearby, inbetween bouts of deluge. Toddler had a blast jumping in puddles and CG had a blast eating the pancakes and bacon she'd been craving since I mentioned "hotel."

Then it was 10am and we were all packed up and ready to go... somewhere. The rain had stopped, the sky was clearing, and I really wanted to go to the beach one last time. But it seemed everyone else was ready to head inland. We eventually compromised at a short jaunt, no swim suits, just chasing waves and walking along the water. Or at least, that's where I thought we'd landed. Toddler and I went ahead to the beach and I showed him the fine art of chasing waves (it's getting away! oh no, it's chasing us!). He was laughing his head off the entire time, he was so delighted.

Then I realized CG and Lady still weren't there. I texted them -- they were on the boardwalk. Ok, cool. We'd keep playing. More time passes, they're still not there. Text -- they're back at the car??

The sun is coming out at this point and we need to either commit and put on sunscreen or leave, so I pick up a very unwilling Toddler and we return to the car. CG apparently didn't want to get sandy, so she'd decided we were Done. :/ I didn't push the matter because honestly getting all the sand off without a proper shower would be a PITA, but also I was disappointed. Still, Toddler and I had had our last little beach time together and CG and Lady had had fun on the boardwalk. Better to leave on a positive note.

We headed inland, hitting several downpours on the way that re-tested my ability to drive without seeing, lol. We made it to Orlando around noon and met up with my bestie from high school at the local science center. Thankfully, she's as nerdy as I am and doesn't mind catching up at a science center. Lady had to work, so she went down to the cafe while we shepherded the kids around. For Toddler, it was all brand new again and he had so much fun. And CG remembered some of it, but that somehow made it more fun?

We managed to give Lady a solid three hours before the kids began to peter out and we all needed food. Bestie showed us a place with pizza slices the size of your head and CG was so enamored that's the only food she would talk about the rest of the trip 😅

The hotel was only half an hour away, thankfully, because by then the kids were both losing their minds. But they regained their minds when we got close--we were staying right across the street from Seaworld and you could see several of the rollercoasters as we approached. Getting them to sleep was another story, but I warned everyone that we were waking up at 7am sharp to catch the 8.30 bus... unless they wanted to walk. 😈

We did, somehow, make the bus, despite Toddler throwing a last minute tantrum right as it was pulling up. But he quieted down immediately once he was on one of his favorite vehicles. There was a brief moment of panic when we were told to sign up for the bus ahead of time and there were only two spots left, so I was readying to walk on my own (it's only a mile, but I know how much walking we'd be doing in the park), but thankfully the bus driver didn't actually care.

We got the Seaworld right as they opened and can I just recommend that, always, for folks with kids? The park got pretty crowded by midday, but the first few hours were a breeze to do anything we wanted.

The dolphin nursery was right were we started and both kids could have stayed there for hours. One of the dolphins did a little twist in the water and CG was disappointed because she thought they'd do more and I was like, oh sweetie. This is the nursery. If we keep going there will be so much more.

We did, in fact, catch the early dolphin show and I got to watch CG lose her mind. That was pretty much my favorite part, seeing the absolute delight from both of them with the animals. We made our way around to the manta rays, where the kids got to touch their slimey skin (and get splashed, which CG thought was hilarious), we watched the manatees have a lettuce snack, we saw baby gators and a giant sea turtle, we walked through the underwater shark tunnel, and we even caught the orca show at the end of the day. The penguins, though, were a surprise hit, as we went there twice and both kids wanted to go a third time.

Both kids (and parents) lagged several times, but the promise of another animal (and a little food and rest) kept us going all the way until our bus back at 5pm. It was noon when Lady was first like, "I don't think we're going to make it much longer," but all I had to do was go "hey, we can leave, but do we want to see sharks first??" And nobody can say no to sharks.

By the time we caught the bus, we were sore, exhausted, grumpy--but happy. As Lady put it, everybody might be crying, but we had fun, damnit. And we didn't even see everything!

I was worried about Lady a few times; her MS doesn't play well with heat. But we got ice, visited the penguins, stepped into the a/c'ed shops as often as we could and I didn't push us. She was fine when we got back and fine on Friday, so I think we played it safe enough. I carried Toddler as often as possible to slow myself down, too, because I have a tendency to go-go-go without considering others.

Friday morning, we spent an hour or two playing in the hotel pool before finally packing it in and heading home. Lady had to take a work call on the drive home, so we stopped for a bit at a rest area, but otherwise it was uneventful. We finally made it home by 4pm; both kids went to their rooms to introduce their new stuffies* and Lady and I actually had a little bit of a break.

(*I told them they could pick one toy each at the end of the day when we went into the first shop to cool down and there were toys everywhere. CG went with the mermaid stuffie she saw then, Toddler went with a mommy and baby penguin set he saw at the penguin exhibit. He was so cute about it, talking about going back and getting it throughout the day, and then when it was the end of the day and time to choose, he knew exactly what he wanted. I ran to get it while they chilled at the front of the park and when I handed it to him, he was so delighted. They've been inseparable since.)

And that was that! The 2024 family vacay. I learned some things (don't leave the beach until you're ready not to go back; always bring more water than you think you need; always bring more snacks; KSC needs at least five hours; Seaworld is great if you take it slow) and the kids definitely learned some things and overall, despite the tantrums, the meltdowns, the sibling fights, being the only parent on occasion, it was fun.

I don't know what we'll do next year, but I do know it'll be different, if only because they'll be older and we'll be a little wiser.