Welcome to Florida!

We're safely here in Florida!  We had a great trip - the ride was smooth, we didn't run into any traffic, and Katie Anne did a fabulous job.  She spent most of the time watching movies in the backseat- broken up with some book reading, snack eating, and a little time playing with toys.  It is such a difference traveling with a "kid" instead of a baby... so much easier!  She also only needed two potty breaks... and, when we asked her about stopping lunch, she said, "I'm not hungry.  Let's just go on to Florida." ... so that helped us cut down on our time.  She really did skip lunch!  It took us almost exactly 8 hours to get here, which was a big improvement on our trip time last summer.  Here are some pictures from the ride!

All loaded into the car with lots of friends!

Last night, Katie Anne decided to take her pink blanket and her mouse Peach on the trip.  This morning, she had second thoughts.  Oh, she still wanted to take Peach, but she wanted to take more people.  First, she wanted to take her big brown bunny.  When I asked her why, she said, "Because Greg isn't going to the beach this time."  How sweet!  (Greg gave her the bunny for Christmas several years ago.  It used to say "Merry Christmas, Katie Anne!" in Greg's voice, but after a run through in the washing machine after she insisted on holding the bunny while she was sick and she threw up on it, it doesn't talk any more.  But, she still sleeps with her bunny every night.)   Then, she said, "Oh, we've got to take Dundee!"  When I asked her why, she said, "Because he loves to go places."  True - he did go to Arizona with us, and he did seem to love it!  I put all the stuffed animal friends on the dining room table.  About ten minutes later, she came into the dining room with Snuffle Bunny (her version of Knuffle Bunny) and said that he was going, too.  When I said that I thought we had enough friends, she said, "Well, he told me he wanted to go.  He doesn't want to be left at home by hisself."  So, they all went with us!

Saunders - ready to drive for 8 straight hours!

Me- ready to hand out snacks, play movies, and  pass toys into the backseat

Katie Anne, shaded and ready to roll

Pit stop at Chic-fil-A in LaGrange

There's a big difference between our playground pit stops while making this trip in July and making them now in November - she was able to play and have a blast all by herself.

Enjoying a Fruit Rollup in the backseat

Oh, movie player bought on Tuesday from Target... how we love you.  We have missed you since our last movie player broke months ago.  You were totally worth the $129 we paid for you.  We couldn't have made the trip without you!

That's one tired person... sound asleep sitting up

Our first sight of the ocean!  (This is a little inlet.) Almost there...

It's good to be back in Rosemary Beach again!