Carlson Family Road Trip

We have never really attempted a full, long Family Road Trip.  Some people say they love them, but I've always been too afraid.  Five hours was my max.  But that has all changed now!  This year for Spring Break we took the kids to DisneyWorld.  We have been looking forward to this trip since Christmas, and we were all SO excited!  The last time we took the kids to Disney was in Paris, when Ella was two years old.  Before that we went to Disneyland in California when Ella was a newborn and the boys were 3 and 6.  Ruby has never been!  So it was time.  We decided that rather than pay for 6 plane tickets over Spring Break, we would drive the 18 hours.  I prepared for the drive by borrowing fun Disney movies from friends, and wrapping up little treats and toys for the kids to open during the drive.  What a hit those little gifts were!  My phone would chime, and the girls would squeal "THE BELL!"  This meant that they could each open a gift from the bag.  It "up-ed" the fun factor of the drive, big time!  On the first day of driving we drove for 8 1/2 hours before the kids got out of the car.  For real.  They didn't complain, ask how much longer, nothing.  They are as hard core as we are!  We then stopped for gas, a potty break, and dinner.  Of course we ate our dinner back in the car, so that we could make it to Pensacola by bedtime.  An 11 hour day of driving, and it was really not bad at all.  It was actually kind of fun!  The next day we drove the last 7 hours, and we were so excited to get checked into our room at Shades of Green.  What a great hotel!  We loved it.  We got our room all set up into a makeshift kitchen, so that we could eat breakfast every morning and pack lunches.  When Monday morning hit, we were ready!!!