I had no real expectations for our time in Florida, because if there's one thing I've learned since becoming pregnant with triplets, it's that nothing can truly be anticipated - you become accustomed to expecting the unexpected! Now, a 600+ mile drive and week-long stay at the beach with toddlers might overwhelm (scare) anyone, but when you add your husband's family - parents, sibling, aunts/uncles, cousins, etc - that adds a whole new level of crazy - something fitting of an SNL sketch or a Hollywood comedic thriller. Many scenarios played out in my head....
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| the good... |
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| the bad.... |
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| ...& the highly likely |
.... but we'll get to that later!
After my successful solo road trip to Dallas, I felt pretty confident that we'd be able to make the 622 mile (GULP) drive to Destin in one day. I'd like to think of myself as somewhat of an expert when it comes to packing and organizing a trip with multiples, but it didn't happen over night. Every time we left the house, I had to prepare for just about anything! With three babies, you have that many more opportunities for chaos and believe me, just when you think you've thought of EVERYTHING, the babies will prove you wrong. Before this trip, I shared tips with other MOMs, went through everything I've learned with previous trips, and created about a million packing lists (I do love list-making). If you're interested, read my tips below, if not, skip that section .. no hard feelings, but let's be honest, you're a little curious to see my OCD in action, aren't you?
Packing
Have I mentioned that I tend to over pack? I still need to work on that, but it's SO hard when you have such adorable little models to work with & they still tolerate coordinating outfits! So here are all the outfits/PJs I had for the babies. It ended up being about 1-2 outfits/day (allow for messes, weather changes, etc) & 3 sets of PJs which isn't that bad for 7 days. Right?
I decided to pack our clothes in Ziplock gallon bags to help keep coordinating outfits together and save room in the suitcases. I also packed accessories or misc items in their own bags since things like bows, hats, socks, etc be worn with multiple outfits. Another triplet momma suggested using a straw to help suck out the extra air, but I will say that packing clothes this way does not keep them entirely wrinkle-free so I did bring my
Downy Wrinkle Release spray just in case.
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| cute coordinating "crabby" outfit |
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| all 3 outfits in bag |
Things I would recommend for any beach trip (besides clothes/PJs) would be:
- swim diapers (we wear reusable
Imse Vimse swim diapers)
- swim shirts and hats (these are a MUST when out in the sun for long periods of time)
- swim shoes/sandals (in case the sand/sidewalk is hot)
- cover-ups and towels
I have a "cherry bag" that helps keep my sanity around the house and has everything I could need when it comes to {abc} - it goes everywhere with me - upstairs, downstairs... you name it! When we're on a road trip, I keep it close by, because the last thing I want to do is search for something hidden deep in a suitcase or have to go buy it. For example, on the drive home we stopped at the Texas visitor's center to eat dinner, change diapers and wear out {abc} one last time but as soon as we stepped out of the car, we were greeted by starving mosquitos who promptly began eating us alive (esp my sweet little Alyssa). The babies and I are allergic (nothing too serious, but we all get nickle-sized, itchy welts within seconds) so I quickly pulled out the benadryl, gave the babies a dose and finished loading them back up without wasting any time.
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| my EVERYTHING bag all loaded |
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| all separated |
In my cherry bag I have:
- OTC & prescription medicine (tylenol, motrin, benadryl, gas drops, oragel/teething tablets, neosporin spray, hydrocortisone 1% cream, baby vapo rub, inhaler & refill)
- extra syringes
- thermometer (& Vaseline if still taken rectally)
- diaper rash ointment (A&D) & baby powder
- travel first aid kit
- q-tips
- shampoo/body wash, lotion, hair brush/comb
- nail clippers/file
- extra pacis
- toothpaste & toothbrush(es)
Keeping {abc} sufficiently entertained during the drive was my biggest concern, but I ran to the Dollar Store, Target, and Wal-Mart to stock up some cheap toys/books. I also made a few things at home and dug through my "gift closet" for extra inspiration. I brought things for the drive and also for the beach house (most things were cheap enough that,
if when they were broken, I could just throw them away). I have a personal
laminator and used that to make some heavy duty "books" out of flashcards - not expensive to make and easily replaceable). I kept this bag also within reach since our attention span typically doesn't last longer than 30 seconds or we drop whatever we're playing with.
For this trip my "bag of tricks" included:
- comfort items (blankies, pacis, etc)
- BRAND NEW toys (ie soft cush balls, light up bouncy balls, travel magna doodle)
- BRAND NEW books (hard cardboard & books for the bath/pool)
- sensory bottles (water bottles filled with beads, rice, water/oil, etc that create different sounds/sights when shaken)
- laminated flash cards (colors, shapes, letters)
- "family book" (pictures of family members laminated)
- teething toys (still cutting teeth & love chewing on EVERYTHING)
- stuffed animals & mini pillow pets
- play doh (I put it in snack-sized zip lock baggies so they can still feel the texture, but it won't get everywhere or be eaten)
- beaded necklaces
- a few of their favorite toys
- sunglasses
- mini laptop loaded with DVDs (& extra DVDs to put in my laptop)
- dry-erase board with magnetic letters/numbers
Trips like this make me grateful we have such a large car (if you can call an Expedition EL a "car")! We took up almost every inch of the vehicle and even had the hitch on the back loaded, but again, I'd much rather over pack than have meltdowns or have to buy something we could have brought in the first place. We were renting a house so things like groceries could be purchased there (there was also a Wal-Mart and Publix close by which is great about staying on a big beach unlike smaller beaches where you're stuck with an expensive convenience store that may or may not have what you need), but of course we brought a few of our favorites and things to eat/drink on the drive and upon arrival. I brought diapers/wipes with us since I find those much cheaper in bulk and online (for this trip I estimated about 15-20 diapers/day and about 6 packages of wipes).
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large totes & diaper box helped stack things
& sort items into groups (ie feeding, beach, etc) |
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on the hitch we had a heavy duty container that could handle
all kinds of weather & a cooler with food/drinks for the drive |
I used as many boxes as possible to help pack the car more easily since things like the high chairs and stroller were awkward shapes, but we still were able to see out the back window (important for the hubby).
Some of the main things we packed were:
- beach toys & inflatables (along with 2 different types of pumps)
- 3 pack & plays (we don't have the mattresses but instead brought 3 light comforters to place underneath the pad for more cushion)
-
octagon (my bro-in-law ended up bringing this in their car because we weren't sure if we'd have enough room, but turns out we would have - it was NECESSARY at the un-babyproofed house)
Important misc items that were packed were:
- baby monitor video & handset
- noise machine
- iPod with bedtime music (individual CDs as well or laptop with iTunes loaded)
- night light(s)
- feeding items (sippy cups (I brought 12 total), serving ware, bibs)
- chargers (iPod, phone(s), laptop(s), baby monitor, DVD player
Then there's THE notebook .. this thing has been with me since the babies were born, and I know I'd be lost without it. I have kept ALL important information from the NICU, various specialists, and pediatrician in one place and carried it with me in my diaper bag. With 3 little ones, it's easy to forget what meds they've taken, what they're allergic to, their blood types, all the shots they've received, etc so I keep this notebook handy and am constantly updating it. I try to organize the 8 pockets by category giving each baby their own pocket, but the key to this is to constantly update the info.
Things I've had or currently have in THE notebook are:
- CPR/choking instructions
- handouts from the pediatrician (safe summer, symptoms of various coughs/colds, etc)
- medication dosing charts & {abc} current weights
- updated vaccination list from pediatrician
- NICU discharge packets (which contains all info about their NICU stay, blood types, shots received, & contact info for any specialists)
- current medication names/dosages (& allergies)
- developmental charts & info about preemies
- breast feeding/pumping info & contact info from my lactation consultant
- medicaid/SS info and numbers along with info from our social worker (however, that pocket quickly grew & required its own binder ... good old medicaid/SSI!)
Driving
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| 622 miles door-to-door, 12-15hrs each way, 5 states & of course let's not forget the 3 active toddlers in the back seat |
There isn't much to say about being stuck in a car literally ALL day with three 1.5 yr olds ... you can't really plan much and have to be as flexible as possible. We planned to leave around 5am so we could hopefully drive a few hours, stop for breakfast, drive, stop for lunch, drive, stop for snack then drive to the beach house. Without traffic or breaks the GPS said it would take 10.5 hours ... you do the math.
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| all loaded & WIDE awake (hence the red-eyes) at 4:30am .. ready for the LONG day ahead! |
We knew we'd have to stop a few times to eat, diaper and stretch our legs, but had no idea what the weather or traffic would be like or how long the babies would tolerate the drive so I did some research and found a few great websites
here,
here, and
here that listed rest areas along our route. I wanted to have a few options with safe, open areas to let {abc} run around since sitting in a high chair sort of defeats the purpose of the whole stop (plus I'm sure no one would appreciate it if I let them loose in a restaurant). However, if you can believe it, most areas aren't set up to accommodate toddlers and there was either a lot of traffic, wet grass from rain/dew, or designated pet areas.
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| feeding {abc} breakfast |
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| what rest area "stretching" looks like |
Our first stop was at the Louisiana/Texas border where we fed the babies and let them stand/stretch in the red wagon (we ended up getting our money's worth on this trip alone!) since the grass was soaked and the 18-wheelers were too close for comfort. The babies didn't seem to mind though so after about 20 minutes, I changed them on my seat then loaded them back up. A few hours later we stopped to get lunch at Taco Bell (yummy!) but instead of eating there we went to an empty mall parking lot nearby to let them run around in between bites (I had pictures of this but somehow they all got deleted from my camera so you'll just have to use your imagination).
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| my favorite road trip partner (in life as well as in travel) |
Back on the road for a few hours (fought traffic at the
George C. Wallace Tunnel in Mobile, AL), stopped at a gas station to change diapers and have a snack then finished the trip (more lovely traffic across the
Mid-Bay Bridge) a mere 15 hours after we started, but at least we got to see the
Whaling Wall at the end - that makes it all worth it, right???
I can't wrap up the "driving" section without mentioning my biggest lifesavers - the
neck wings. On our trip to Dallas, their poor little necks would be bent over so much while they slept that I wanted to get something for them to help prop their heads up on future trips. I looked at the
neck rolls, but I knew those wouldn't last 2 seconds so I sent the hubby in search of something and he came back with these. I will say that after a while they discovered they could unvelcro them, so eventually I removed them and just replaced them during naps - problem solved!
The "Trip"
If you've ever traveled with kids then you know there's no such thing as a "vacation" ... "trip" is more of an appropriate description. While we had a wonderful time, it definitely wasn't the same as vacations we've taken without children. Excuse me while I daydream about those days....
...... ok i'm back. Let's be honest, we could do NONE of that with the babies in tow, and ended up driving 622 miles to go here:
In all seriousness, we had a great time and did much more than play at a park (keep reading...), but I do think this was {abc}'s favorite part of the whole experience. Since we had such a large group (19 people total - 12 adults, 3 "big kids," & 4 toddlers) we ended up renting a property with two separate houses and a private pool so the little kids wouldn't be in the way or be a bother with their naps, early bed times, feedings, etc and so we could have the privacy of a pool or walk 2 short blocks to the beach if we wanted to play in the water.
The first night we ate at
The Crab Trap Restaurant which, despite the 1.5 hr wait, wasn't
too bad since it was on the beach with plenty of areas for the babies to run as well as a playground and 2 outdoor bars. They are used to large groups so the service was quick, prices were reasonable and the food was great.
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| our first family picture of the trip |
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| daddy with his princesses |
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| {abc} with their 2nd cousins |
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| view from the restaurant |
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| daddy & {a} checking out the view |
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| the WHOLE group |
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| {b} really enjoyed his view at dinner.... |
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| .....of the public showers |
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| mommy & {c} |
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| daddy with {b} & {a} |
The next day we stayed at the house, played in the pool, and chilled.
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| Auntie Mere with {abc} in the octagon |
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| Auntie Mere taking over lunch .. hey when you're feeding one, you might as well feed 4! |
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| cousins going for a walk in the wagon |
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| just chillin' on the porch swing |
I am so grateful that my children will not only grow up with siblings but also cousins close in age. I never had family close (let alone aunts or cousins) and always was jealous of friends who had large families. We live 1.5 miles down the road from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and our children will be in the same grade at school, so I can only hope that they will grow up together, creating MANY wonderful memories - like trips to Destin!
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| the texas crew relaxing in the pool |
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| {c} with mimi, uncle jesse, auntie mere, & cousin {m} |
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| mommy, daddy & {abc} |
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| {b} with HIS poppy |
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| "chicken fights" with mimi, daddy, {c} & {b} |
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| {c} getting lovies from aunt tracie |
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| daddy & {b} |
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| {a} with aunt tami & cousins |
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| mommy & daddy without babies - a rare sight! |
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| 4 generations of studly men just chillin' at the pool |
The "big kids" were such a help and always willing to hop in the octagon to play with the "little kids" :) The previous summer, the family rented a beach house in Galveston, but since they babies were too young, we only went down for a day, but I made the boys promise they'd help the following summer at, what I called, "Camp Triplet" .. I think they held up their end of the deal.
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| Camp Triplet 2012 |
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| the twins with the triplets (we have a few sets of multiples within the family) |
The next day we braved the beach with the littles. Three out of the four loved it .... my sweet little Alyssa was not a fan of the sticky sand, the loud crashing waves or the "june grass" all over the beach. Good thing she has daddy who is the exact same way and took her up to the pavilion while the rest of us frolicked around.
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| all the babies loaded up for our first experience on the beach |
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| daddies with their babies |
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{abc} exploring the beach ....
technically {a} is walking back to the car |
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| no more relaxing at the beach for us! |
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| {c} and daddy looking at the ocean |
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| {b} eating the sand .. sighhhhh (3 big handfuls) |
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| mommy & {b} feeling the waves |
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| "the girls" on the beach |
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| thank goodness for daddy! |
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| she's still not too sure |
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| mommy with her babies in the water .. love their different reactions! |
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| the fam on the beach (gotta love all that "june grass") |
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| we jumped in the bath once we returned to rinse off the sand and saltwater ... what a lovely sight, I know! |
Needless to say, everyone went down easily for nap that day!
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| .... even the daddies! |
Each night a separate family cooked dinner so while the girls were busy in the kitchen, the daddies were on duty (other family members were often recruited to help).
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| Aunt Tami with her twin little Lyssie |
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| {b} bonding with "the men" |
The next day we walked down the street to the park - like I mentioned previously, this was probably the babies' favorite part of the whole trip. They would scream and giggle, chasing each other around while climbing, sliding, and playing peek-a-boo.
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| mommas with their babies about to head to the park! |
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| .... & off they go! |
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| airplanes are a big obsession right now |
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| ...not so much dinosaurs |
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| water break... |
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| ...then back at it! |
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| more running & climbing |
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everyone went in different directions - good thing there were
5 adults to play "zone defense" |
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| the look out |
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| my sweet, sweet prince |
After nap we let them eat snack IN the pool and they had a blast deviating from their strict routine (see, I can be flexible on occasion....)
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what a rough life - floating around the pool
while being fed snack! |
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| only {b} can make goggles look this cool! |
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| more one-on-one attention .. spoiled!!! |
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| of course i never miss a photo op with my little miracles! |
That night while waiting for dinner, we decided to do a family walk with Auntie Mere, Uncle Jesse, and Cousin {m}.
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| the view on our walk |
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| daddy with his babies |
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| all of us - Auntie Mere is such a trooper! |
The next day we decided to take family pics (as everyone who goes to Destin does ... but we decided to incorporate shades of blue instead of the typical "khaki pants/white shirts on the beach" so we didn't look too "touristy"). My mother-in-law found a shaded park on the water where we took a few pics of the whole group. When we got back we took a walk on the beach and of course ended up taking more pics (what can I say??? I love taking pictures of my adorable little miracle family!)
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| daddy bonding with the littles |
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| you can just tell {abc} LOVES taking pictures! |
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| love all the shades of blue! |
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| so peaceful! |
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| the whole Destin crew |
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| Poppy with his grandchildren & great-grandchildren |
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| me & the hubby |
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| looking at the fish swimming around beneath us |
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| looking out over the water |
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| my sweet family |
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| ok so the sun was a bit bright, but i love the squints |
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| family walk along the beach in our shades of blue (with studly daddy shirtless) |
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| just taking it all in.... |
That afternoon we had more fun - the mommies stole a quick ride in one of the
rental cars then of course we had to play at the park again (this time the adults even got into it a bit too)!
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| watch out Destin, we're baby less! (minus the one in Mere's tummy of course!) |
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| crazy drivers like their mommy! |
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| my little prince is growing up so quickly |
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| princess {a} always moving from one place to the next! |
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| princess {c} taking a break |
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| mommy being crazy like usual |
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| watching daddy & Uncle Jesse be wild too |
The next day, yep you guessed it, MORE family pictures! Ok, I'm starting to see a trend .. and maybe, just MAYBE, I have a problem. But can you really blame me???
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wearing our "proud mother/father of triplets" shirts
(made by a quadruplet mom) |
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| Grandpa Frank can barely hold {abc} anymore! |
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| walking on the beach to take more pictures! |
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| a little sun at this angle... |
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| gotta love our coordinating outfits! |
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| love the storm clouds behind us |
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| THIS is my entire world & love each of them with my WHOLE heart! |
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| me with my little miracles |
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| smooch smooch smooch |
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| blue really is our best color! |
Meredith and I had so much fun in the few minutes we drove the car on the previous day so we decided to get our own while the babies napped that afternoon. Minus the little rain storm and broken horn, we still enjoyed ourselves (even had a few "super cool" high school boys honk at us ... oh yeah, we've still got it!)
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| i promise my seat belt was fastened while we rode! |
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| oops! someone woke up & wanted to come ride with the BIG girls! |
That night everyone headed to Harbor Walk Marina to see some fireworks, but by the time we fought Destin traffic, and circled the parking lot multiple times, we decided to just park in the middle of an aisle to watch the show and headed back to the house for some alone time (wink wink).
Our last full day (Friday), we decided to hang around the house and go back to
Harbor Walk Marina much earlier this time so the traffic wasn't too bad (parking was still a pain). There is so much going on during the summer - concerts, parades, shopping, food/drink, train rides, etc so I definitely would recommend it! We had a blast and wore the babies out. On the way back to the beach house, we grabbed a quick bite at
Miller's Ale House.
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| feeding the fish by the marina |
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| oooooooooooh |
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| we have a new fascination with trains |
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| daddy has such comfy shoulders |
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| {b} doesn't look too sure about this guy |
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| spoiled - i don't think their feet touched the floor the whole trip! |
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| my little goofs! |
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| checking out the boats |
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| more cuddles & spoiling from family |
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| {a} |
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| {c} |
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| {c} spotted this "ot-da-pah" from across the marina and wanted to get closer for a picture |
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| cousins having fun in the hurricane simulator |
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| one more family picture! |
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| coloring with grandpa while we waited for a table |
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| how i few the crew dinner |
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| of course she found another "ot-da-pah" |
The next morning after breakfast (and a few more snuggles with Poppy) we loaded up the cars and started the 622 mile drive back home! This time it only took us 13 hours, 8 minutes!
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| Poppy with {abc} |
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| {b} just loves his Poppy SOOOOO much! |
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first pit stop in a Bed, Bath & Beyond parking lot
(much like our rest stops on the way there) |
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| {a} goofing around |
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| {b} goofing around |
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| {c} goofing around |
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| we're back in Texas! |
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| the Lone Star with {abc} |
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| we're home! (well in a few hours...) |
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| daddy walking around with his princesses |
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changed diapers & put on PJs for the rest of the drive
(the good old Texas mosquitos were eating us alive by this point, hence the crying & blurry picture) |
Overall, it was a great trip and so fun for our first big family vacation! There are many things to do in Destin, but when you have young kiddos or triplets, those things can feel limited so I did a lot of research prior to the trip. Here are some of the top recommendations I found that are great for toddlers, older kids, families, couples, etc - there's something for EVERYONE!
- HarborWalk Village (Rock the Docks on Sat night, Pardi Gras on Tues, Fireworks on Thurs .. also can rent catamarans/pontoon boats, go parasailing, etc):
http://www.harborwalk-destin.com/
- The Crab Trap Restaurant (on the beach with 2 outside bars to get drinks while waiting & piers to walk along .. great spots for pictures too!):
http://crabtrapdestin.com/
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