'Twas the night before take off

It's 4:40 in the morning. The whole house is dark and silent, and I just cannot fall back to sleep. In 4 hours we leave for the airport to fly to Florida. It's the first time we'll have spent Christmas away from our families, out of state and without the comforts of home. I'm looking forward to it and yet I already miss tradition.

The year's first snow blew in two days ago and while it was only a few inches it lingers still, powder turned to ice. Highs in the 70's are sounding pre-tty darn nice right about now. Our luggage is packed as efficiently as possible, we managed just one bag each--plus a stroller, a car seat, and three personal carry-on items...

Roscoe and I share a gigantic duffel filled to the brim with everything from toiletries to Christmas stockings, stuffers, and a few wrapped treasures for Christmas morning. And I wouldn't be surprised if a couple strands of white lights got thrown in for festivity. Christmas Eve dinner recipes are somewhere in the mix too.

Unlike our typical vacations, this one is loosely planned, with very few expectations--I'm not sure there is any other way to travel with a toddler and a 24 week pregnant Momma. But our hopes are high to fully experience five days of Disney World, catch up with our friends (who are sharing this adventure with us), catch up on sleep (oh I hope! I hope!), and to also sneak in a little baking, sun basking, and lots of Christmas cheer.

Happy Holidays!