Reflection

As I sit here with our family together and think about the past three weeks, I feel so blessed for the opportunity to share this time with my children. I have gotten to know each one of them a little bit better and they have certainly learned a little bit more about their mother. (The good, the bad and the ugly.)

You don't have to go on a 32 day road trip to know your children, but for a full-time working, overcommitted Mom this was one way to make sure my children had 100 percent of my time and attention. I couldn't say "just a minute" or "hold on" while I thought of the mile-long list of to do's waiting for me. My list was filled with what they wanted to do and what I wanted to share with them.

We laughed, cried, screamed, teased, snuggled, learned and just had quality time together. Each one of them impressed me with how they stepped up to the plate and helped me, their siblings and their selves. I don't think we give children the credit they deserve or enough opportunity for them to be independent.

I have a renewed appreciation for the human race - from the strangers that would offer to help me with luggage and doors or pick up our trail of junk to the numerous hotel staff and waitresses that would take the time to sit down and get to know us and our journey. Complete strangers truly went out of their way to help me as a Mother with four children flying solo on the road.

Also, I've been overwhelmed by the outpour of invitations and offerings from friends and family across the globe who offered their homes, vacation homes, invited us to meals, suggested so many great places to visit or just kept me in stitches with texts, posts and messages.

This week has been a great way to finish our trip. We have enjoyed the beach time and lazy schedule. I had plans for us to study the ecosystem of the Marsh and tour a sea turtle rescue center. None of which occurred. 

We slept late, swam till we were prunes, played more putt putt golf than the law should allow, and really rocked it in the water slide races.

The kids learned Gyotaku, Japanese Fish Painting, with real fish. Word of caution: the t-shirts smell terrible after the art dries!

The boys are very popular at the Pool Party and Adair wins Sister of the Year Award for patience with her little sister in the pool.

The highlight of this week was having Brad meet us at Vero with his mother. The entire trip has been missing a very important element - my awesome husband and super dad, Brad!! Poor guy wasn't living the bachelor life these past three weeks, but rather dealing with a very persistent kidney stone and the unpleasant procedure to rid him of it.

We are blessed to have him with us and look forward to enjoying this week before we head home.