And how do you know you are home from vacation?

You are greeted with a tree that fell and hit your house during yet another day of rain.  Bill and I cut up the tree last night, leaving only the stump.  We were very fortunate that the tree hit the side of the screened in porch without causing any damage.We also lucked out with our vacation weather.  Was it hot and humid, this is central Florida people, but almost no rain for 9 days.

On day 3 of our trip we were notified by our water utility that we had a high, sudden use of water at our house. YAY that we are 3 states away and our dog is at home. Imagining massive water damage to our downstairs hardwoods and a freaked out dog, we contacted our neighbor who was pet sitting.  She reported that it appeared that the leaky toilet was the culprit and shut off water supply.  Luckily we had no water damage outside of a $117.00 plumbing bill for less than 20 minutes of work.

We had a good trip and at some point I'm sure I'll post some favorite pictures with a few tips garnered after another trip to Disney.  This year we opted to stay longer and do Legoland and an additional waterpark for the trade off of staying off property and saving money.  We rented a condo that was 5 miles from the entrance of Disney that we hoped would allow us to spread out, ok realistically separate the boys during what seemed an ever present wrestling match or sword fight.

Even at the water park, they were wrestling. Note that of purchases on this trip (by Bill) included 4 swords and 2 pistols. When they use all 6 weapons, it's like reliving a school age version of The Texas Chainsaw massacre, mainly over breakfast. Presently 3 swords and 1 pistol are in time out until Friday.

We did luck out that they gave us a 3rd bedroom that included a trundle bed for the boys.  Just in case you have ever wondered if we can actually tucker them out.  Yes, achieved by 7 hours in a water park.

Was every moment filled with unending Disney magic? Of course not.  Ian tries every bit of patience I have at age three.  He refused to nap almost every day when we returned to the condo. In general he acted like a tool during much of the trip. I reminded Bill daily that three year olds are a-holes, granted cute ones that need lots and lots of redirection and boundaries.  Ben did a really great job overall and was helpful with being an extra set of eyes for Ian.  I think it may have been some of his best behavior this year on this trip and I have praised him continuously for good decisions and thinking before acting.

One of the things we did differently this trip was to give each of us a free day without kids.  While Bill was at Legoland I pool hopped at the premium resorts on the monorail line and hit up World Showcase since the kids could care less about anything related to another culture unless it was the Donald Duck boat ride in Mexico.  I also ate my way through the day with Dole whips, pastries from the French pavilion, and Kona coffee.

All this on top of a Mediterranean feast at the Morocco pavilion.  I also finished my 3rd or 4 total books read on the trip while laying in a hammock at the Polynesian.  I took the boys the following day to a different water park than we had visited earlier in the week.  Bill and I both agreed that an adult day was a sanity saver.

We did have a fantastic final night and surprised the boys with an all you could eat dessert buffet while watching the Electrical parade and then the Wishes fireworks display.  Ian ate 5 bowls of ice cream and Ben, 7 cupcakes and 5 cookies.  Both boys slept in and allowed us to pack the car in peace to get on the road home.  This week I'm at mentor training, luckily at a nearby school.  The boys are in 1/2 day camp and with our favorite babysitter.  I'm punting on driving to Charleston tomorrow to my sorority reunion as I was going to have to leave early anyway to be back in DC on Sunday night for a teacher seminar at the National Archives next week.

It is good to be home, even for a few days to catch our breath, wash clothes, and prepare for a longer Florida roadtip to see Grandmommy later this month.  Note that despite the wrestling and fighting, I hope the kids will remember the trip. If for nothing else the number of desserts eating in one sitting and the number of weapons purchased.