Let the adventure begin!!

That's it...we're packed. It's time to sit with a glass of wine and get into vacation mode. We'll be on "island time" soon enough!!!

Bula bula!!

1 more day!!!

Tommy has been reading up on Fiji...gearing up for the big trip. :) I *think* we're ready! The bags are packed and waiting to be put into the car tonight. We leave for the airport tomorrow morning at 4:15. (yikes!)

Wednesday we went to the travel clinic and luckily the boys didn't need any shots. Kevin needed typhoid, Hep A and influenza. I was pretty much up to date since my vaccinations from my Panama trip are still effective. Just needed the influenza.

Today we're finalizing details around the house so the house sitters are all set. We've sent out copies of the itinerary with contact numbers for each hotel to family members in case of emergency. We've contacted all of our credit card companies and the bank to alert them we'll be traveling overseas.

The last thing to do tonight is set out the outfit for the plane, empty the fridge and empty the diaper pails. Okay....24 hours and counting....

The stroller dilemma...

So right now I am torturing myself over the stroller situation. We have a double McLaren that is heavy (around 40 pounds) and while its easy enough to take in and out of a car...it is not easy to lug around for travel. The simple solution would be an umbrella stroller, but they are not comfortable enough for the kids to nap in. Not to mention the fact that we were advised to bring a mosquito net for the stroller in the evening. The umbrellas just won't work.

So I'm looking at the options and quite frankly there is NOTHING easy to carry (that doesn't cost over $200) for double strollers. I started looking at single strollers figuring that on vacation, there is always two of us with the kiddos. I really don't want to go over $100 per stroller. And at that price point, I want the stroller to be something that will last.

McLaren makes a wonderful 8 pound single that I really like. Only disadvantage is that there is no place for snacks and the seat doesn't recline. The other favorite right now is by Combi. It has a tray, reclines, the sun shade pulls all the way down for naps and the seat is super cushy. Downside is that it doesn't manuever that great. I know that I am purchasing basic strollers and can't expect a miracle...but I am just torn.

So tomorrow we'll take the boys to BRU to try them both on for size and see what works best. If they are happy...then I am happy.

Two more days!!!

Beth's New Blog

Beth has a new blog to chronicle her adventures with twins! (Well...her adventures with the Riordan twins anyway.) Her blog address is: http://bulabulabula.blogspot.com/

I'll put a link to it on the left sidebar so you can check in on her daily blogging, too.

Is it really only 3 DAYS until we leave???

I can't believe that we are practically there. Strangely enough...I feel ready! We are 100% packed...carry-ons included. Just need to zip up the suitcases. I still need to figure out what we're all wearing on the plane, but that shouldn't be a big deal. There are some last minute items (like where to put the travel backgammon) but other than that we're done. I feel like we're forgetting something huge - I've never been packed so early before. (Mind you, I've been preparing for months, so I guess it has finally come together!)

A good piece of advice I got last night regarding toys on the plane. Make sure they are large enough that you can tether them...or at least so they don't roll under the seat to be lost forever. I am going to approach it like going to a restaurant. Don't bring anything you want flung onto the floor...find things that stay put. We've got a couple of great suction toys, some mid-size rubber trucks, elmo phones, magna doodles with pens that make sounds and are attached, two handheld activity blocks, books and more books and DVD's.

Usually their favorite toys are the ones you don't think of. Tearing up the in-flight magazines, shaking the puffs container and eating daddy's blackberry. :)

Outlet covers....DUH.

In my safety post below I mentioned taking along outlet covers. Well last night I was packing them up and Kevin said..."Don't they use different plugs than we do?" DUH! Of course! Hence the reason we are taking so many converters. Well that was silly... I'll have to edit that list to remove outlet covers.

We've decided to just use the packing tape to cover over any exposed outlets. That should do the job just fine.

Some Fiji snapshots...only 5 days until departure!

Packing Progress

Okay, so we're making progress on the packing! The boys are done with the exception of toys and our carry-ons (the most difficult part in my opinion). My clothes are all laid out and today I am going to pack myself. That way I can spend the next 5 days wrapping up loose ends and focusing on getting ready for our house sitter.

We have 151 diapers...twice as many wipes...30 disposable swim diapers...the list is getting pretty funny. I'll post our final packing list once its complete. My plan is to edit it when we get home. It might be helpful to anyone insane enough to do this in the future.

I posted a new link at the bottom of the blog that will show you the current forecase for Fiji. I've also added a feature that shows the current time. Those of you with our itinerary should be able to guestimate what we're up to. I am hoping that I'll have time to post here regularly, but we'll see.

Bula!