Disney or Bust: Days 1, 2, & 3

So, we headed out on our much-anticipated trip to Orlando on Friday evening after Ross got off work. Since it is about 9 hours and Reid is still working on potty-training, we decided to make some stops along the way.

Day 1: Friday night we drove about 2 1/2 hours to somewhere south of Atlanta. We got a decent room at a Sleep Inn so we could get a good night's sleep before the long drive the next day. It went great and was fairly uneventful. Plus, compared to our drives to Bama these days, that trip was a piece of cake.

Day 2: We got up and enjoyed a lovely continental breakfast. :) We got on the road early and started the drive down I-75. Boy, that road is long and boring. However, it wasn't so boring for the folks at a Starbucks somewhere in south Georgia that got to watch us completely dismantle the rooftop car bag in their parking lot - because it was threatening to slide off the side of the car. Oh... yay.

The thing is new and had worked well on the first leg of the trip. But it had rained just a little overnight and apparently the nonslip mat under it decided to slip (um, hello?) from the wetness. So, rather than fight with the stupid thing every few hours and risk causing some major interstate incident, we decided to scrap it and put it all in the car. So... our slightly full car went to WAY too full just like that. And I got a big ole' coffee following the drama of it all.

We finally got to pit stop #2 Saturday afternoon, which was lovely Sumterville, Florida. It is a little in the middle of nowhere (sorry!), but the in-laws live there so we stopped to visit. We got to see the new place on the golf course and stayed this time in a Microtel.

It was a decent place, too, but apparently has some bedding with down in it. Down does not agree with Reid at all, as we are learning. All three of us spent that night up and down, doing breathing treatments, sitting in the steamy bathroom, stripping the bed linens, etc. Of course, the next day he ended up being perfectly fine but it was a long, long night.

Day 3: We started the day by visiting Grandma and Grandpa again. Reid has discovered a new love - playing "pick up the golf ball" with Grandpa's ball picker-upper thingy. He probably did this 50 times at least. We also got to see the local alligators sunning by the pond on the golf course (which is kind of creepy, if you ask me). After a yummy lunch, we headed off for the hour-long drive to Orlando to check in to the resort.

Let me just give a shout out to the Hilton Grand Vacations Resort at Sea World. We got here right at the earliest check-in time. Not only did a concierge meet us at the car, but he was awesome and there was no line. We were in and out in 5 minutes. So much smoother than some comparable places we have been. Our condo is awesome - so comfy and cozy and roomy. Oh, and we got to take a dip in the pool, too - on January 25th. :) So far, so good!

Our First Christmas Morning at Home Together

We stayed in Greenville this year for Christmas, which made it the first time we have woken up in our home on Christmas morning. Also, the first time in my 31 years that I have not had Christmas breakfast at my grandparents' house with my ENTIRE family. Needless to say, it was much quieter here.

After the gifts were opened, we had a big breakfast that included biscuits and chocolate gravy - which is part of what my Granny makes very year in Alabama. Of course, the Weavers celebrate with a Christmas dinner, so we also had a huge dinner, too, with brisket and all that goes along with it. Yum! (And now Ross and I are hitting the gym... )

Christmas Eve Day: Reid mixing up some "reindeer food" to sprinkle in our yard before he went to bed.

Ross' parents drove up to spend Christmas with us. Here's grandpa helping to stir the reindeer food.

Reid left gingerbread cookies in the shape of airplanes and trains for Santa by the fireplace.

The view after Santa came. Don't worry, there's lots of loot inside the tent.

Opening gifts on Christmas morning. I could post more pics of this but, you know, they all look pretty much like this. :)

Fast forward a week or two... Reid is not happy about taking the tree down and is protesting by having a sit-in in the tree bag.

Grandma, Grandpa, & Other Fun Stuff...

Grandma and Grandpa were here for a few days on their way through, from Oklahoma to Florida. Greenville is not technically on the way, but the Reid-man is worth the extra mileage. We had a good time hanging out and Reid just loves to play with Grandpa. We had a late night last night, not getting into bed until after 10:00pm (Reid, that is). He was pretty cranky this morning and I thought he was going to flip out when they left, but he handled it fairly well, though he did ask where they were when he woke up from his nap - poor little guy forgot they had gone already.

Reid was his usual crazy self this afternoon after a nice, long nap (which does not always happen these days). Some goofy things from today: we have these cute, BIG, foam shoes with laces that are made for practicing tying your shoes. They are not really meant for being worn as footwear. Of course, that means nothing to Reid. He decided he wanted to put them on. I figured out how to lace them to his feet - kind of like Roman sandals - and he was so proud that he wanted to go show "TV." That's right - the TV. (We won't address how that reflects on my parenting right now.) It's a little disturbing that he is referring to the TV as something similar to a friend. He ran as best he could in his big clown-shoes and held his feet up in front of the TV so "TV" could see them. Interesting...

He has also discovered the camera and is very interested in what it does. Whereas up to this point he has always made it difficult for someone to take his photo he is now kind of interested in it. He insisted that I take this picture of him and "Dora" and "Jeremy." (Parents of toddler boys will know that Jeremy is the plane - like on Thomas the Tank Engine, even though this one is not that actual character. Dora is of course, Dora the Explorer, though this little person in the plane only resembles Dora in that she has dark skin, a backpack, a bad haircut, and and no fashion sense. Okay, maybe they do look the same...)

Finally, as I was putting Reid to bed tonight, he asked me to lay in bed with him. This is something we do a few times a week. Reid never sleeps in the same bed with me or any other person, but he loves to procrastinate before bedtime with a little pillow talk. He has become fond of "Prince Reid" stories that I make up on the fly. These stories ramble on and have no real story, but of course he loves them. I let him pick what happens next when I am at a loss. Tonight, he let Bunny - his lovey - make up a story about airplanes that like pig food and cow milk. The imagination is a wonderful thing...

We are off to Alabama in a few days. I'm sure there will be some fun stories to tell when we return.

P.S.: If you've noticed that my child is pants-less in pretty much every photo, I promise it's due to our current PT situation... he does have pants, I swear!