Harper & Lee Plus Three

A Big Vacation

"Okay so as you can see, to bring a family of eleven on a trip, we need a lot of suitcases," I said, showing the cameras all of the suitcases lined up on the floor. "Each suitcase is labeled with a name, and each kid has a suitcase for clothes and a backpack for their snacks and personal items, like a favorite toy."

"And over here we have our new uh, well, safety protocol, if that's what you want to call it," Lee said.

"The babies are dogs now!" Ella said, jumping into view of the cameras.

"No, Ella. That's not true," I said.

"Yeah! Dogs have a leash and now the babies have a leash!" she said.

I rolled my eyes. "With a big park and toddlers who like to run, we have these super cute well...leashes. When I was watching Sweet Home Sexuplets they worked out great for the Waldrops, so I thought they'd be great for us too. And since we're going to Disney World, we have Mickey ones for the boys and Minnie ones for the girls."

"You don't like the leashes for the babies, Ella?" Jamie asked her.

"No!" she said.

"Ella, go back downstairs and play with Grandma, Grandpa, and the babies. Mommy and I want to finish packing," Lee said.

She huffed and walked downstairs. Lee and I looked at each other and laughed. We both got back down on the floor and started folding more clothes.

"I know they say it's the 'terrible twos,' but for Ella I feel like it's gonna be the 'terrible fours,'" I said.

"Nah. She'll feel better after she has a day in Galaxy's Edge with Daddy," Lee said.

"Oh, you're taking her alone, Lee?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah. Harper and I thought it would be fun to each spend a day with one of the triplets in a different park, so they each get time and attention. So I'm going to take my Star Wars nerd to Hollywood Studios."

"I don't spend a lot of time with Lukas, and he really likes to try different foods, so I thought EPCOT would be a good idea for us," I said. "As for Zozo, she really loves animals, so Hazel and Sophia are taking her to Animal Kingdom. The rest of the crew is staying behind to watch the babies."

"Sounds like you've got it all planned out," Jamie said.

"Yeah. Mostly," I said.

We got a few more shots of us packing and then went downstairs so I could show the crew what we had in the garage.

"Ta-da!" I said, turning on the lights. "It cost us a ton of money but it'll get the job done!"

I showed them our brand new six-person Runabout stroller that came with a canopy and sunshades: perfect for the Orlando heat. Our current sextuplet stroller was getting really worn out. This would survive the trip and then some.

"The plan is to have them sit in the stroller in their harnesses, with our two olympic athlete runners, Hawk and Griffin in the front, since they'll want to get out right away. We'll just unbuckle and let them run," Lee said. "I put these special clips on the stroller so the harnesses can attach right to them. It's a win-win."

"Alrighty guys. I think that about wraps up for today. We'll see you at the airport tomorrow," Jamie said.

We took off our mics and said goodbye to the crew, then finished up everything for the night. We had a long day tomorrow.

We woke up the next morning, got all the kids breakfast, dressed in cute comfy outfits, and started loading up the cars. I was driving the SUV and Lee was taking the van. We had so much luggage that we couldn't fit it into just the van. He took the sextuplets and I took the triplets.

Once I checked everything on my phone, we were off. I drove to the airport and parked on the lower level of the special parking garage for people who were using private jets. Lee pulled in right next to me. My family and his parents arrived shortly after. Our massive caravan of nineteen people got all the luggage into carts and made our way out to the tarmac. Lee knew what to do, since they did this when they came to visit us in Memphis.

I followed Lee to the largest private jet in the lineup. A few airport crew members were there to help us unload everything. Lee greeted Chett and Creed, the pilots who flew him to Memphis last time. I watched as the crew members started getting everything ready.

One by one, we helped get the kids on board. I was the last person to get on. When I walked through the doorway, I couldn't believe it. For some reason I thought this plane was just a smaller version of the one like Zozo and I took to and from Memphis.

The inside of the plane was the fanciest thing I'd ever seen. Tables, TV screens, leather seats, and long couches. There was a little kitchen area with a microwave and two bathrooms. We had such a big group, but there was enough space for everyone.

The adults got all the kids seated for takeoff, and then once we were in the air, we let them run around. I feel like for three hours, all the babies did was run back and forth. The triplets watched movies on their own tablets. I tried to get a quick nap in while Lee looked after the kids.

We landed around four, which would give us enough time to settle in before dinner. We got dropped off on the tarmac, where two separate limos were waiting for us. I was getting all the kids in the first limo when Ella started to kick and cry.

"Ella, come on! Knock it off!" I said.

"No! I don't want the graveyard!" she said.

"Ella, we're going to the hotel," I said.

"No! That's the graveyard car!" she said.

My heart was in shreds. The only other time she was in a limo was when we went to the graveyard for my mom's burial. I set her down and got to eye level with her.

"Ella, everything is fine. There's no graveyard. Most of the time, limos take you to fun places. We're not going anywhere scary. We're going to our hotel where we can have the fun dinner, remember?" I said.

"Uh-huh," she said.

"Okay. Let's go to the fun hotel!" I said, helping her get into the limo. When all the kids were in, Lee and I shut the door. A parade of three cars left the airport. One for Lee, myself, and the kids, another limo for the rest of our family, and a big cargo van for all our luggage.

It was a thirty minute, sunny ride on the highway to our hotel. I couldn't believe how warm it was or how many palm trees there were. Orlando was the complete opposite of Oak Falls.

Soon enough, we saw the signs for our hotel. The limo started pulling through the gates of Disney's Polynesian Village Resort.

"Yes! We're here!" I said. "Let's get this vacation started!"

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How do you feel about putting kids, especially multiples, on leashes?  Did you ever have to wear one when you were little?