Our Little Bundles of Joy: Disney trip: Back story and travel day one

Sometime last spring Dan's parents presented the idea to us and his siblings of taking a family vacation to Disney World in 2015. Initially, we were surprised, excited, and a bit apprehensive about whether or not it would work out. As a teacher, I knew I would have to jump through some hoops to get the time off, and I wasn't certain as to whether it would all pan out. I looked ahead, however, at my school calendar and the kids' calendar and suggested the week of February 9-13 for our trip. Thankfully, Dan's family all agreed to that time frame. Meanwhile, I figured out what steps I had to take and requested the time off. Unfortunately, my principal was on maternity leave at the time and I was told I would not receive a response until she returned. Fast-forward to Memorial day weekend, 2014. Dan's siblings had already told their kids about the trip and we knew it would be asking too much for them to keep quiet as we spent the long weekend together. I still had not received word back from my district, however. So, we went on faith that it would all work out and told the kids our big news (by way of Mickey and Minnie t-shirts and a Disney planning DVD).

Over the course of the next several months, I received the official "okay" for my extra day off and we began to make plans for the big trip. Dan's parents graciously offered to rent out two houses for all fifteen of us to stay in for the week. As the time grew closer, we picked the brains of family and friends with Disney expertise, ordered our tickets, started a 30-day countdown for the kids, and made our dining and FastPass+ reservations. We also communicated with Lillian and Caleb's teachers regarding the four school days they would miss and I made the necessary arrangements for the two days I would miss.

Several weeks before the trip I started packing (yes, I like to plan ahead). We communicated with our friends we would be staying with on our drive to and from Florida, purchased snacks and surprises for the kids, and became increasingly excited for the big day to arrive! Finally, February 7 arrived. I woke up early to pack the final things and, as soon as the kids woke up, we all loaded into the van to begin our journey. We knew we had a long ride ahead of us but we were so excited!

The kids passed through Ohio and Kentucky for the first time (although they didn't spend much time out of the car in either state!).

And after 8 1/2 hours in the car, the first leg of our journey was complete! We had a great evening with friends - complete with zip lining, kitten snuggling (for Liam, not me!), a walk downtown, and some delicious Mexican fare.