Surprise! Want to go to Legoland?

Spur of the moment, Aaron and I planned an impromptu week-long road trip to California. Because it was such short notice, we decided to make it a surprise for the kids! The trip would coincide with the President's Day 3 day weekend, along with a short work week for me so I wouldn't miss much work. Although the kids would miss a few days of school, we thought the timing was worth it while they are still young and before I go full time for my job share partner who is expecting her second child!

Keeping a secret from your kids is hard! We had to watch every conversation, tell only a few people and carefully research on the computer without curious eyes catching on. We also had to make arrangements for our dog and guinea pig, talk with teachers and the hardest of all; pack! All this needed to be done undercover. I think half the joy was the secret!

Our itinerary was as follows:

• Friday - Finish packing and completely load the car that night after the kids went to bed. Deliver dog and guinea pig. Get to bed at a reasonable hour.
• Saturday - Wake up at 6am, wake kids at 6:45am and surprise them! In the car by 7am. Drive all day to a small town just outside of Bakersfield and stay overnight.
• Sunday - back on the road by 8am and complete the drive to San Diego!! Check in to hotel and relax, maybe check out the San Diego beach.
• Monday - Legoland!!
• Tuesday - Surprise the kids again and take them to SeaWorld!
• Wednesday - Wake up early, surprise the kids one last time and go to Disneyland!! Drive back up to Anaheim and check into hotel and arrive at the Happiest Place on Earth by noon!
• Thursday - Disneyland
• Friday - Disneyland
• Saturday - Maybe one last Disneyland day or drive home. Stay overnight on the way home.
• Sunday - Arrive home, unpack and rest.

Here is our video of Saturday morning after pulling the kids out of their beds and just 10 minutes before we got in the car.

I'll be posting about each day of trip and the unexpected events that happened. Let's just say we did not get to follow our schedule and we learned to always expect the unexpected. As my friend said, "Your making memories, right?"