Spring Break 2019: Cracker Barrel, Coco Key, Chick-fil-A, Campfire, and Cousins!

This year's Spring Break fell during Holy Week which is always a bumdiddlybummer.  I mean how are we supposed to be on vacation mode and Holy Week mode simultaneously?  We decided to do some fun things in the beginning of the week and then become a little more somber for the Triduum. 

First up!  Breakfast at Cracker Barrel!  We always remind the kids, on our rare restaurant meals, to order water, order from the kids meal if they're under the age limit, and only order what they can actually finish.  Sometimes those eyes are bigger than their stomachs!  Even with all our restaurant rules, the bill is still huge...so you can imagine our surprise when the waitress told us at the end of our meal that someone had paid for us!!!  Of course, I couldn't help but tear up with gratitude and then we let the kids each pick a few treats from the gift shop.  God is good! 

JP's face :)

We got an uhmahzinggg deal from Groupon to stay for one night at a hotel with a water park, and while I wouldn't necessarily recommend it (hotel was dated and uncomfortable and loud, water park wasn't the cleanest) the kids still had loads of fun.  Vacations are for kids, right?

Brendan's face :)

Then it was time for Nana and Gramps house in Maryland!  The weather wasn't the best we've had in April, but it allowed the kids to play outside in the green grass and enjoy the sweet signs of spring.

One of the days we were visiting, we drove to Pennsylvania to see Phil's brother's family and they treated us to a day at the Ninja Warrior Gym.  The kids had a blast and got to showcase their mad athletic prowesses (prowessi?) to each other.

  

Another day we took our kids to the local park and I made them pose for me to prove their love (nice smiling photos is my love language).  Then we went to eat at Chick-fil-a for lunch.  Oh my goodness I'm so glad there isn't one close to us...that sauce is amazeballs, and I ate my weight in it!

Andrew's face :)

We also went to a bouncy house kind of place one day that all the kiddos enjoyed (and some of the adults too!).  Phil and I also joined a SoldierFit gym (from a groupon I bought) for the week and got to take four boot camp classes during the week, so that was pretty awesome!  

One night the PA cousins came over and we had a bonfire and made s'mores.  A bit of a tradition when we visit in good weather :)

Both of their faces :)

It was a very quiet, peaceful week with most of Phil's family working, so we didn't do too much.  We couldn't stay for Easter because we had to be back home to celebrate my brother-in-law becoming Catholic at the Easter Vigil.  The kids definitely love seeing the cousins they don't get to see often enough!  There's no group photo of all of the cousins on the one day we all got together (there are 20 on Phil's side plus 2 in heaven!) but this photo is of the Massachusetts Martins and the Pennsylvania Martins (whom we refer to as the MA Martins and the PA Martins - cute yes?).  Can you believe all 15 of these kids came from two brothers and their gorgeous wives?  Can you also believe that those two couples all met at Franciscan?  Yes, that's very believable, actually!  Ha!  It's a pretty incredible legacy and I'm proud to be part of it.

We had the best ride home everrrrrr.  No traffic, no construction, quick pit stop and we made it home by 11:30 am in a trip that took 7 hours and 20 minutes.  Plus only one kid puked!  Record!  Even though it's soon, we all go back for Phil's sister's wedding in June!  I will do anything for love, even travel in a big van with a bunch of carsick kids and a carsick dog.   Hoping for great travel again :)