Mini Vacation

My brother was in the general Florida area for a journalisim confrence and Gary was scheduled to be working in the same area earlier this week. So I got all crazy and decided the kids and I would drive down separately and enjoy Gary's hotel with him and go play while he was at work. That evening after arriving we picked up Uncle and went to the beach.

The next day we rode a trolley, went to the pier, an aquarium and a down town tour. Then met up with Gary and Cim to go to the beach and eat dinner. 4 kids by myself, I'm just not used to handling them all to myself in public yet. And sadly they weren't on their best behavior... It was crazy at times, okay most of the time.

We were in a restaurant that had a bunch of ceramic hand painted items in baskets and bins all over. Right at kid height. I couldn't get Zurich to listen to me and he kept touching them. While we were waiting for a table a stand of them crashed to the ground... The ceramic tile floor. I just covered my face and took deep breaths. We were blessed. The top bin that spilled out and made all the clatter was just a bunch of key chains, which were unharmed. Zurich was holding a painted ceramic thermometer, the bottom bin had them in it. The restaurant host that was leading us in put the stand back together and said, "we're okay, Ma'am." I have my suspicions that particular stand was not locked in right. But either way it was not the place for us which I more fully realized when I saw the tables were just as big a land mine for my bouncy, obedience impaired little boy. I hauled my four lethal weapons out and we ate somewhere else.

As we were getting ready to leave the pier Nev decided she was ready for her nap and just dropped right where she was and laid down, right in the middle of the walkway. I tried to encourage her to come on her own the old fashioned way, by just saying good bye and walking away. I was carting Giddy on my chest the diaper bag and the bag of souveniers.... Didn't much want to carry a child who could walk. Zurich started crying and freaking out because Nevy wasn't coming. In fact she just looked at us and rolled over so she couldn't see us. So I went back and told her that if she would at least put out her hand that I would carry her. We just barely made it on the trolley.