On The Road to Family-where

So the kids and I are on the road. We've traveled the routes down to the south many times, between 1 and 4 times a year. We're pretty seasoned van travelers. The worst part for me is prepping for the week I'm not at home, while packing. This is where routine-dependent, picky-eating children come in handy. I know what to pack to relieve some stress of living outside the routine box we call home.

This year, I took on a few extra challenges, such as prepping for the end of school and still catching up from when my daughter was sick (with paperwork and to do lists). Oh, Foolish Mom. Then, 2 days before departure,  the weather turned up to heat (90°) and all the cherries on the tree popped into ripeness. Gah.

This is a different trip, because we are front loading it with visiting family and winding up with a visit to Disneyland. We had a GREAT sleepover our first night -- the kids went nuts meeting and playing with their cousins. That right there made the trip for me. Despite my packing too much stuff and losing track of it, we enjoyed running around, catching up, hanging with the pets, and spending time with family.

James kept his newly graduated cousin (congratulations!) up until almost 1am, playing Angry Birds on his iPhone. Thanks, Dude, that was really sweet you are now his new hero. It took him a while to warm up to the dogs and cats, but he did finally relax and pet one of the cats and oohed at the adorable flop-eared rabbit.

After lunch, we met up with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa and James bonded over Mac gadgets. I remembered to get pictures this year - yay!

Finally, after a few mishaps, we landed in Anaheim, at what James calls "the letter Q hotel." Oh, beds never felt so good! We even got a free fireworks show from the balcony. Today: The beach! And more family -- I can hardly wait!