We made it! The trip went really well, much better than I ever anticipated. Brendan and Tori are excellent travelers. We left Jackson around 4:30 on Friday and stopped for supper around Toledo, OH. We then took off again and didn't stop until 11:3o in Somerset, PA. During that entire time, Rachel and Owen fussed for maybe 15 minutes. There was never any hard crying, just occasional whining. It was so pleasant. Brendan and Tori were self-sufficient in the back of the van. They had their own activities, snacks and drinks. I bought these little snack cups for Owen and Rachel called "snack traps". They are awesome! I highly recommend them to anyone with a toddler. They're plastic cups with handles on each side and then a lid that is cut open so hands can reach in for snacks but snacks can't fall out. With persistent shaking, there will be a few that fall out but for the most part, the snacks stay in until little fingers pull them out. I could fill up the cups and pass them back and everyone was happy.

When we got to the hotel Friday night, we let them run around for a few minutes and then started getting ready for bed. Rachel and Owen had been sleeping for about 2 hours before we got there so they were a little wound up. We got everyone in bed and turned off the lights and then heard this:

Owen: "Heyyy."

Rachel: "Oohh."

Owen: "Nama odo min"

Rachel: "Taka cha do"

Owen: "Da so ku"

Rachel: "Maba oo"

Then silence. Owen jumps around in bed for a couple minutes. Then:

Owen: "Heyyy"

Rachel: silence

Owen starts clapping to "We Will Rock You".

We knew they had their own language but hadn't heard them so clear before. I think Owen was ready to party and wondered why we were all so lame and going to sleep.

Saturday we got up and got ready and then had breakfast and started off. We stopped for lunch and then headed off again. The day didn't go quite as well as Friday; I had to send more snacks back and pick more things off the floor for them but there was still no hard crying. There wasn't much sleeping, which was disappointing. At 4, we stopped to change diapers and use the bathrooms and then realized we only had about 2 1/2 hours to go so we decided to not stop for supper and to just eat when we got here. The last hour was the worst of the whole trip. Somehow she knew we were getting close. She had snacks, a drink, a movie, her blankie, and still wasn't happy. It wasn't hard crying or screaming so I am thankful for that.

The kids did so excellent with not needing to stop. Friday we traveled from 4:30 until 11:30 and only stopped once in between. Saturday we were on the road from 9:30 until 6:30 and only stopped twice in between. I'm hoping the trip back home goes just as well.

The condos are amazing. Josh, me and the kids have one to ourselves and my parents, Jenny, and Tony are staying in another one right next door. The decks connect so we can leave our sliding glass doors unlocked and come and go. The first level has laundry and a half bath. The 2nd level has the kitchen, dining room and living room. The next level has a jacuzzi tub and master bedroom with bath. The 4th level has a bedroom and bath and a loft that has another bed. We expected to have Rachel and Owen in our room for the week but it's worked out for them to be in the loft area and then Brendan and Tori get the other bedroom. Not counting basement space, this condo has more square footage than our house! Needless to say, it's a very comfortable place to stay for a week. :)