Well it may be close to midnight but we made it to Rome and when we landed the airport had a playground waiting at baggage claim so the girls were off and running straight away! Our bags all arrived in tact and a driver was waiting for us at the airport with a comfy SUV, candy and water.

Will found a beautiful hotel about 25 minutes from the airport and just outside of the center or the city so it was quiet and located on a tree lined street. We got there close to midnight and the manager poured us some complimentary drinks and then went and made us a cheese plate with toasted bread (plain, lightly toasted and dark to be exact), nuts, and chips. He also brought the girls some sparkly water. We hung out downstairs and chatted/stuffed our faces for a bit and then headed up to our room.

In our room the hotel put a crib, kids table, toys, and coloring pencils for the girls. It was absolutely perfect. I cant even remember what time we fell asleep…maybe 4am?

The next morning (or afternoon i should say since we woke up around noon), we missed the breakfast and the manager figured we slept super late so he saved a bunch of little pastries for us and then went out of his way and made us eggs and cafe when we woke up. Ahhh, italian coffee. The girls dined at their little kiddie table with chairs.

After breakfast we headed down to venture out for the day and another hotel worker came over and gave the girls little finger puppets and candy. We also met the resident cat.

Whew!!! We made it and we actually had loads of fun along the way! So super proud of these two little monkeys. I can’t believe how incredible they were the entire travel. They did not cry or fuss at all on a 9 1/2 hour flight. They only slept about 2 hours of it and hopped off the plane with excitement. The plane was a bit crammed and two grown men started fighting mid flight over seat space. People had to break it up before there was all out brawl on the plane. Too bad they didnt take cues on behavior from our 1 1/2 and 4 yr old (never thought id say that). So proud. When we landed in Madrid we had 7 hours to kill and one heck of a tired family. Will found a hotel in the airport that was a lifesaver. We booked a room for 6 hour, turned out all the lights and zonked for 4 hours straight. Zzzzzz. Woke up, changed clothes and headed off to our next 2 1/2 hour flight to Rome :).

Well of we went to begin our European journey! We couldnt make the 5pm ferry after dropping the animals off and getting the car packed so we decided to just drive the long route around the water. Mama drove for the first 2 hours which was the first time I have driven in 3 years (other than a quad). Sophie was concerned at first, convinced that i may not know my way or how to drive safely. She was quickly reassured after 10 minutes and declared me a better driver than Dada. I would have to agree  considering when i drove both girls fell soundly asleep and then when we switched over to Dada’s driving skills, Pookie puked twice and Sabs puked once. We arrived to the hotel 1/2 naked. Pooks was wearing only underwear by the time we got there, and I was wearing a sports bra and leggings. Somewhere between Puntarenas and San Jose we accidentally threw out my favorite Lululemon tank and Pooks skirt in a bag full of throw up. Let’s hope that is all we lose along the way. It is still early on in the trip. We got to the hotel around 10pm and had a late dinner and settled in. Everyone was happy and feeling good after puke fest 2015.

The next morning, Lisette, a lady who works at Aloft and loves the girls, knocked on our door with a little surprise. After she saw we booked a room and were heading into town she went to the store and bought some gifts for both girls. She surprised them with a bag full of colored clip on hair, candy, and some other goodies. She surprised us with a cheaper room rate she found that we didnt know about. Oh how we love Aloft and the way they care for our family. It has become like a second home for the little chicas and always a perfect way to start our travels. After opening their gifts we headed outside to check on our S O P H I E  rocks that Uncle Blake made for Sophie a few months back and we hide again each time we go to the hotel. Then it was off to the Multiplaza for some ice cream and toy store fun.