Now both Jim & I are well aware of the fact that Savannah doesn't like to be in the car for more than an hour. From the time she was a newborn she has made herself clear that she doesn't travel well. That being said, we ventured into the 5 1/2 hr long drive feeling optimistic; we figured we'd stop for a picnic lunch halfway & then she'd nap for the duration of the trip.
By 10a she was screaming, crying & simply miserable. Jim turned the radio up super loud in an attempt to drown out her cries. To me this only added more noisy chaos to the situation.. We still remained in good, optimistic spirits, figuring the rest of the ride would be peaceful after lunch, since surely she'd sleep..
She screamed for a good hour after lunch before finally passing out, but the silence was short-lived as she was awake - & miserable - after just 45 minutes.
With 2 hours left to go Bella exclaimed "Let me out of here! I'll walk the rest of the way!". Yes, by then Savannah's screaming was wearing thin on all of us...except for Kyle. He was seated in the very back of the van & had completely slipped into 'imagination world' - seemingly unphased by the *extreme* noise level.
We finally, finally, FINALLY arrived at the house in Maine around 3:30p. The second the van stopped Savannah was all smiles & we were officially on vacation - & what a GREAT vacation it turned out to be...
The weather was almost perfect, save for 1 day of rain. A ton of land surrounds Jim's parents home & we explored every inch of it during our time with them! Delila LOVED being able to roam off leash & had incredible movement in her legs while we were there. She even ran & jumped a few times & she spent a lot of time swimming in the pond, too! Jim's brother & his family arrived a few days after us, bringing the total to 6 adults, 6 kids & 3 dogs. Everyone - including the dogs - had SO much fun together; Kyle & Lawrence spent hours upon hours wandering around the property, catching fish & frogs, building secret forts, riding ATV's, swimming at the lake & playing games together. They were covered in mud from morning til night & always full of smiles!! Often times Michelle would tag along with them, but sometimes she'd hang out with Julie, Bella & Savannah. Jim & David took them all for TONS of rides on the ATV's & dirt bike - Bella especially loved the dirt bike! The girls also spent time catching various creatures in the pond, swimming & playing with all of their toys together. We went on lots of relaxing walks & really enjoyed being out in nature. Infact, the kids really didnt even need any of their toys. They were perfectly content just being out & about in nature. Our entire vacation was very 'simple' & because of that, it was PERFECT! (well, almost perfect. The terrible two's seemed to grab hold of Savannah upon our arrival in Maine & rarely let up..let's just say that she wasn't exactly 'sugar & spice & everything nice'!!!
I asked Kyle & Bella what their favorite part about vacation was & they both answered with "EVERYTHING!!"..but for me, my favorite part was spending so much quality time with family & watching the kids spend a bunch of time with their grandparents - Nana & Pop. Almost every morning (and sometimes during the evenings, too!) Pop would sit with Bella on his lap & read her book after book & Nana always made time to play 'animals' with everyone, too. We were truly sad when it came time for us to head home, early yesterday morning -but at least we left with so many great memories!
Our journey home seemed even longer & louder than our ride to Maine, but somehow we survived. Savannah was a hot, teary-eyed mess within 30 minutes flat. She was so bad, infact, that I think next time I'll give in & let Jim install a portable DVD player to help pass the time for her!
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