When we got to the hotel, they only had smoking rooms left even though we had booked a non-smoking room. I was appalled, especially having Joshua's severe asthma condition. But, it was after 11 pm and we were all exhausted and knew that we were getting up for an early flight. So, we took it and headed up to the room, which was really nice. We stayed in a Hilton, and the boys started in a bed together (Daddy took a fuzzy picture of them above). Then because Caleb kept kicking off the blankets and then crying for more covers followed by him saying "kick, kick, kick, kick, kick," Daddy went to sleep with him and I slept with the Bean. Only Caleb was so excited to be in a big bed that he kept talking and talking. Daddy would say "Shhh" and Caleb would say "Shhhhhhhhhh." We laughed at first but after midnight it's not really funny anymore. So, Caleb went in the pack 'n play we brought with us, but somehow Daddy managed to sleep by himself while Joshua was pressed up against me the entire night with his feet on my backside. Grrrr... between that and the caffeine, I had my second sleepless night in a row. But, the beds were comfortable. They had down pillows and down comforters and firm mattresses and high thread count sheets, etc.
Day 2: We set our alarm for 7 am on Thursday, February 25, and left the hotel by 8 to go the airport. We parked in the Express Lot, and the bus driver picked up all our luggage for us and took us right where we needed to be. Papaw called at the perfect time that morning and reminded Joshua that he needed to be brave on the bus to come and see him. The Bean went from terrified to brave in an instant. :) I, in the meantime, put our keys and parking tag in a place we would remember them. We arrived, checked our luggage (Shawn & my suitcase just made the cutoff at 48 lbs!!!), got our tickets, went through security with no problems and went to the gate to wait for our plane. Daddy bought us breakfast from McDonald's as we waited for our plane, which was delayed by less than half an hour. I took the boys for a 'run' only for Joshua to fall right in front of me and take me out, which ended in Caleb falling too. I was embarrassed and my knee was immediately bruised, but no harm was really done. Soon enough, we boarded and had the last seat (where they always put us, probably because they see two kids). No view for us! Both times we were over the engine, but we were just glad to be headed in the right direction (and safely). The boys watched their new little DVD player on the way down, and eventually we made it safely into Fort Myers, FL (which AXEL calls "Feet My - rs").Thankfully, Mamaw & Papaw were waiting for us. Joshua was ready! He & Caleb ran to see them and shouted "I love you!" Daddy & Papaw went to get the luggage and rent our car. Instead of our original convertible, due to the added day, we ended up with a gold Kia Spectra, which I teased Shawn about. It was decently ugly, but it got good gas mileage and the interior was actually pretty comfortable. We would laugh and laugh about our 'hot ride.' Truly, though, it was chilly enough that I think our money would have been wasted on a convertible.
We were just happy to be in the sunshine state! I don't know why time can stand still when you're on an airplane. But, again, thankfully we were safe. Mamaw & Papaw had the car seats and we headed to eat some lunch/supper and then went back to their house after they graciously checked us into the Country Inn & Suites nearby. Our suite was awesome! The bedroom was separate from the living room and kitchen area. Plus, they had really nice shampoos, soaps & lotion, hairdryer, etc. Mamaw & Papaw offered to watch the kids overnight to give it a trial run for Caleb since we were close by. They said he did amazingly well! We called it an early night from traveling all day, and we went back to the hotel to watch Survivor together.
Joshua slept in between Mamaw & Papaw his first night there, while Caleb slept in the pack 'n play they rented. Here's a little boy in a big bed!
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