leaving kids for vacation

I'm so distressed we're leaving the girls for the first time ever. We're a military family and so we've been away from family since the girls have turned one. They just turned 3 and my DH and I are planning a dive trip to Palau. Besides having a babysitter they've never had to be away from home without us. I'm really grateful and excited about going but I've asked a friend of ours here to watch the girls for us while we're away. I have complete faith in my girlfriend and she's highly 'qualified'. No experience with twins persay, but she was a child care/development worker so she's used to more than one kid the same age.
Okay, so my question is.....
How do I keep them comfortable and feeling safe besides having my friend stick to the schedule? (I'm so anal, we're still on one, but that's what works for us)
I figured I'd do a 'dry run' with them over at my friends house too to see how it goes before we leave and go off island completely.
I'd love any suggestion or testimonies to this situation and thanks in advance.

 

Is she coming to your house or are they going to hers? Sometimes it's easier for them in their own home...if that's possible. Otherwise, stick to the schedule, give them their favorite toys etc. Even if they don't have a "special blanket", having their own blanket/pillow helps. And some snacks picked from your house for them to take along so they feel like they have some control over things.

:hug: because it will be so hard to leave them, but :yahoo: because you will have fun, and so will they!!

 

Thank you Heather for your response.
I believe they are probably going to spend most of the time at her house. I hope I can persuade her to spend most of the time at our house, but I doubt it. She's way more "on the go" than I am, and I'm sure there won't be a dull moment.
I'm dreading leaving them, but I know it's the best thing for MY sanity!

 

I would detail the schedule for her in writing, so she can have it - what she does with it will be up to her, that's the stressful part. It might take some work when you get back to get it back, but you can!! :hug: The nice thing is that they can talk and communicate better than when they were babies, so that's always helpful!

Also, GO ENJOY!!! We did it in October - they were 3.5 and they had a great time with Grandma and were SO happy we were home!!! We had SO MUCH FUN and it was WONDERFUL to not have to worry about who was eating what and when someone needed to go to bed. We hung out at the pool with other adults and just really enjoyed ourselves!!!!

TRY to enjoy!!! :hug: How WONDERFUL to have a friend that will do that for you!!! :yahoo:

 

We went away on a 4 day 3 night long weekend right after the girls turned 3 and they did fine. They were with my mom and at my house and couldn't have cared less that we were gone! I'm sure that your friend will make it fun for them and they won't even realize you're gone. Enjoy and have fun!!!

 

Thanks ladies. I'm sure they'll be fine. Just natural worry. I want them to be comfortable while we're gone and not freaking out. We'll see how the 'dry run' goes. I'm already working on the schedule for her.