We have four kids.
This is not a surprise to anyone.
It’s crazy and chaotic and headache inducing and awesome and everything else all at the same time.
And while there are benefits to having four kids (they’ve got a built-in support system for life) there are certainly some things that hold us back, as well.
For example, we’ve never taken the kids anywhere other than the Jersey Shore for a vacation (except for one week, when they were little and there were only three of them, when we traveled to North Carolina) because six plane tickets is more than we can swing, AND because their age span is such that there was always someone in diapers, in a stroller, in need of a nap (the latter not always being one of the kids).
However, this year, I’ve felt a certain sense of impending loss as we begin to search for colleges and discuss what life will be like with Monkey Girl away.
The result of that loss is that I keep fighting the urge to hold on tighter, but that I also keep thinking about the experiences I want us to have, as a family, before she goes.
And so, one night in December, I said to Real Man, “I think this is it. I think we are finally in the sweet spot. Tiny doesn’t need a nap or a stroller or a diaper. You’ve taken Monkey in the Middle to hockey tournaments and I’ve taken the other three on road trips (to South Carolina to see the eclipse, up to Vermont to see a dear friend), so we know they can handle the car for long stretches of time. Monkey Girl is going to be mentally checked out next spring. I think this is our year.”
And so, a road trip to Universal Studios Florida was planned.
Because, you know, our kids are the ONLY kids who have NEVER been there. (I know, don’t even bother…I’m aware of the falsehood of that statement.)
Three days in the car to break up the driving.
Leg one to Maryland to visit Real Man’s beloved aunt and uncle.
Leg two to Florence, South Carolina.
Leg three to Orlando Florida.
I went online and found discount ticket websites for tix to Universal, and settled on the Undercover Tourist website, and the four day, two park passes (which I was positive were four day, three park passes and didn’t realize my mistake until we got to Florida…live and learn) with a fifth day in Florida to do whatever local fun we found.
And then we waited.
Patience is not my virtue, folks, and from the moment I pressed the “Pay Now” button, all I wanted to do was tell the kids.
However, I know Tiny well, and was well aware that the sooner we told him, the sooner we would have to start a countdown of how many sleeps until we left and we would have to answer the question, “Is it April yet?” approximately fifteen times a day.
So, we sat on it.
Until dinner one night in February when the kids began to talk about the spring break plans of their friends and Monkey Girl said “Hey, Dad…can you get a day off during Spring Break and we can hit the Liberty Science Center?”
Real Man played it cool and said he wasn’t sure that he could get the day off because it was a busy time, and the kids all started buzzing about the break and possible day trips and plans, and Real Man and I connected eyes over the table and realized that the time had come to share the plan.
As everyone started to get up from the table, I said “The first kid to get their dishes in the dishwasher gets to pick the park we visit first in Universal over Spring Break.”
Silence.
All four kids were frozen in their places.
Monkey in the Middle was the first to break.
“This is a den of lies,” he said (because my kids are nothing if not dramatic).
“Den of lies? What do you mean?” I asked.
“NO way are you taking six of us to Universal. We can’t afford it.”
“Well,” I responded, “We can’t afford to fly, but we can swing it if we drive!”
Monkey Girl was just staring with huge eyes, at this point. “I can’t decide if you guys are joking or not. And let me say, if you are joking, this is NOT funny.”
“No joke, baby,” I said, and she began to cry.
This girl has been waiting for this trip since she was teeny tiny and I was right about the sweet spot. The trip was happening just in time for her.
Baby Monkey just kinda sat at the kitchen table, smiling, taking it all in in the super cool, unfazed way he deals with everything, and Tiny said “I’m so excited! What’s Universal?”
The countdown began.
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