Everything was not so magical after Disneyworld...
Incident #1: Thank you, rental car.
Saturday morning started out fine enough. Get up, get ready, get packed. But on our way to return the rental car, like almost there, I hear a splash in the backseat. Yes, Mary Ella was puking. I had said that morning as she was licking the phone or something in the hotel room, "She is going to be sick before this trip is over." And, I was right. Brad didn't get the car pulled over before there were 2 more waves of it. Oh boy! Vomit is not my strong point, and I have never had to deal with it beyond calling for the janitor to come and pour the cat litter on it and take it away in my classroom. I guess you can't do that when you're the parent. As I got out of the car, I had alot going through my mind. I was wondering if I could handle it without getting sick. I was SO thankful it wasn't our car and our carseat. I was thinking what a horrible plane flight it could be... But mostly I was worried about my baby girl. Tending to her was easy, vomit and all. That's because my wonderful husband took care of the rest. Can I just say how much I love that man? He may not always get the little things right, but I know I can count on him to come through BIG time when I need him. He cleaned the car and the carseat. He just did it. All he said was, "atleast it just smells like strawberry yogurt." All I had to do was take care of her. She wasn't upset, she was talking and acting fine, and she didn't feel like she had a fever. I stripped her down right there on the side of the road, dug through the suitcases to get clean clothes, cleaned her up with what few wipes were left, and got her re-dressed. Yeah, that outfit stayed in Orlando. There was no way she was getting back in that carseat, so she just rode in my lap around the corner to the rental car place. We turned it in without batting an eye (we had insurance) and crossed our fingers that it wouldn't happen again. And it didn't. I hate to add another puke story here, but it's kind of funny how something so traumatic reminds me of how our relationship has come full circle. Brad and I went on a ski trip in college with a group from church. We had been dating almost a year, and I was so excited to spend our spring break together. BUT I tore my ACL the second day of the trip, and I ended up being stuck in the hotel on meds until we could get home to see an orthopedic surgeon. Brad stayed with me, but he was bummed about not getting to ski too. Then on the way home I had to ask Terry Huffmaster to pull the Suburban over because I thought I was going to be sick. I got out and started puking. It was awful. There's nothing I hate more than getting sick like that. I break down and cry...it just gets ugly. Plus I was so embarrassed it was happening in front of everyone in the car and Brad. I was just thankful someone was holding my hair back. I was sure it was Linda or Janice, but when it was all over I looked up, and it was Brad Harriman. That's when I knew I wanted to marry him. Ha! I'm serious. I fell in love with him in the Kappa parking lot in his Jeep singing "Dixieland Delight" to me, but the moment I knew he loved me enough to stand by and hold my hair while I puked was the moment I knew he would always take care of me. And cleaning up puke from the backseat of a rental car reminds me of what a wonderful daddy and husband he turned out to be.
Incident #2: The airport tantrum and shenanigans.
By the time we got to the airport there were long lines, and we never thought we'd make our flight on time. We did, but it consisted of carrying a screaming and crying kid through all of the checkpoints. I gave her major slack because I thought she might feel bad, plus she was just plum worn out! She did great on the flight watching Snow White, but when we had to turn it off to land, she threw another fit. So much that I let her throw it in the floor at my feet. I'm sure the guy beside us was thrilled. But again, I gave her the benefit of the doubt because of circumstances, plus I really think her ears were hurting. When she was done she looked up at me, I picked her up, and she collapsed in my arms. She never falls asleep like that, but I was so glad she did because it got BUMPY. It was storming in Jackson, so we were in for a rough landing. What felt like almost RIGHT before we landed the plane pulled up. It was scary. Nobody said anything for a while, and finally the captain said we would have to land in Birmingham because of the weather. Great! We didn't have to wait long there before we flew back and landed safely. Thank goodness! We were almost home!
Incident #3: Another airport tantrum
This time it wasn't Mary Ella. It was Brad. And it was concerning one of our bags that had had the corner ripped off and the Southwest bag guy that seemed to think it was just faulty baggage. I kept seeing the airport scene of "Meet the Parents" play through my mind, and I just wanted the day to be over without security being called. This time Brad got the slack because he had just endured a long day at Magic Kingdom, and he had just taken care of the bulk of incident #1.
So, that was the ending to our Orlando-turned-Disney vacation. Needless to say, I did not document this day with photos. Now we are all rested up and have returned to our castle to live happily ever after. ;)
Today we met Sara and Addison and new friends, Sarah and McClain, at Strawberry Patch Park for some lunch and fun. 
"Please" more swing!
Hot, chubby cheeks
ME loving on her new friend, McClain!
Chasing Addy, who will be a big sister in just 6 short days! We are so excited, and Sara looks amazing! Not long after this picture, the girls were feeding the ducks and Addy slipped off into the water. Oops! Sarah and I both caught her before she went under, and we all decided it was time to call it a day! :) Happy St. Patrick's Day!
