Spring Break 2020 - Sunny Florida

Before the world shut down due to the Corona Virus, we were sky high flying to Orlando for Spring Break. This would be our first vacation as a family of seven. With 5 kids to corral, we were thankful that Shane's brother Jason was able to come along to assist. Thanks to Uncle Jason taking on nighttime duty of 1 kid and Shane taking 2, I got more sleep in a week than I had gotten in 6 months!

We left our house bright and early at 4:30 am bound for the airport to catch an early morning flight. The kids did great on the plane. A few napped. Others watched a flick on the Delta TVs. Before we knew it, we were landing in Orlando. We made our way to gather our luggage, pick up our rental van, install the 4 car seats that I had managed to stuff into our checked luggage and away we went to our resort.

We arrived so early that we had a lot of time to kill. We grabbed lunch at Denny's and then decided to head to the resort to see if we could check in early. Unfortunately, the rental house was still being cleaned and we couldn't get in, so we parked in the driveway and walked down the road to the clubhouse. We grabbed a snack and a few drinks at the poolside grill and then strolled back to our house to finally unpack.

We were staying at the Balmoral Resort just outside of Orlando. It's a resort community with single family homes and townhouses available for rent. We had the perfect setup for our party of 8 - 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, full kitchen, dining area, living room, washer and dryer PLUS our very own heated pool. My only complaint was that the dish washer didn't work despite calling to have it serviced twice. (Who wants to hand wash dishes on vacation??) The resort also had a community swimming pool complete with water park, hot tub, and restaurant. We'd never even have to leave the resort. We had everything we could have asked for and more, right on site!

Having a private pool right off our back deck was a fabulous amenity! We loved the convenience of having our very own pool. It had a shallow landing area for the wee ones yet was deep enough for the big kids to swim. We had requested a house with a heated pool and are so glad we did for those early morning and late night swims. The water was the perfect temperature!

It turns out we didn't have just four little fish but FIVE! Aria LOVED the pool! She did not like it one bit in Guyana just 6 months prior but now she loves the water. She fits right in with our school of fish.

The resort's pool was great for little ones too! It had a zero entry for the toddlers, a hot tub that the older crew loved and a fun water park area. Unfortunately the water in the water park was a good 10 degrees cooler than the pool so only Owen and Rose were tough enough to brave the cold.

We didn't have much planned for the week. We just wanted to relax and enjoy the beautiful Florida weather. And that is exactly what we did! We spent 7 out of our 8 days swimming at our rental house and the community pool.

We swam so much the little ones were tuckered out and ready for their naps every afternoon.

The resort also had a dock to fish off of with free fishing equipment (just beware of the gators!!) The lake was supposed to be stocked with fish, but we didn't even get one bite.

There was also a small mini-golf course to keep the older kids busy while the toddlers napped.

On our last day before heading home, we drove over to Clearwater Beach to dip our toes in the Gulf. The sand was amazing - so soft and not hot - although maneuvering through it with a stroller, infant carrier and several wobbling kids was not so easy.

It was a beautiful day at the beach. We lounged on a huge shaded bed, dug in the sand, and splashed in the water. It was the perfect way to end our vacation.

Before heading for home, we scored a huge pack of toilet paper to jam in our luggage. We had heard that TP was non-existent at any stores at home so I crammed and arranged and rearranged our luggage to get every last roll squished in. Crazy times call for crazy measures!

The airport was a bit eerie on the day we headed home. The world was closing as the Corona Virus started to spread from one continent to another. We weren't sure if we should risk the flight home or make the 24 hour drive with a van filled to the max with people and luggage. In the end, we flew home to get back to MN as soon as possible. The airport was empty although our flight was packed. We made it home safe, sound and healthy!

Our first vacation as a family of seven was the perfect mix of relaxation and fun. We can't wait to return! Hopefully next time we won't have to be concerned about a worldwide pandemic.