Summary of a Road Trip

In one of my last posts, I talked about the end of summer road trip to my mom's house.

Once again, my kids completely surprised me.  They were AWESOME!  

I picked up the kids from pre-school after lunch (but before naptime) and we drove to my sister's house to meet her and my niece & nephew.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn the mini van we rented was completely tricked out.  It was nice!  I was expecting something low-end but we got a Chrysler Town & Country with dual DVD system, leather seats, automatic doors and hatch, Sirius radio. 

Yes, I know.  Do you remember this post?

Uh huh.  The mini van crush is back. 

We got on the road a little later than we wanted (by noon) and made our way south to pick up Highway 95.  We purposely picked up the kids before naptime hoping they would all sleep in the car and allow us to make some good headway.  As soon as we got on the ramp to the highway, traffic was stopped.  And, it stayed stop and go for the next 20 miles.  Thank God I packed every Barney and kids video we owned because we needed them!   The 4 kids did nap for about 45 minutes but that was it.

I quickly learned that my niece and nephew are much more high maintenance than my kids.  My sister drove the first leg of the trip so I was the gopher for anything the kids wanted (snacks, drinks, toys).  And, of course, her kids were sitting in the very back.  So, every time they needed something, it was like a big game of Twister trying to climb back to give it to them.

We stopped for an early dinner around 4:00 pm and took about an hour break.  We still had another 2 hours in front of us.  This time, I jumped in the driver's seat and we kicked ass.  We finally got to my mom's at 7:00 pm.  

The kids all slept great and woke up pretty consistently around 6:30-6:45 am every morning.  When we woke up Saturday, it was overcast and they were calling for showers so we decided to drive an hour to Roanoke Island and go to the aquarium.  It's small but they have fish, snakes, alligators and a huge shark tank.

Surprisingly, we were all ready and out the door by 9:00 am and we arrived at the aquarium at 10:00 am.  We weren't sure if it would be crowded because of the weather so we were pleasantly surprised to see just a handful of cars in the parking lot.  We almost had the whole place to ourselves so that made it easier to keep track of the kids. 

The Three Muskateers

We decided to stay there for lunch and had a picnic lunch down by the sound.  It gave the kids a chance to run around before we got back in the car to head home.  After naps, we spent some time in my mom's pool.

I was so happy to see my kids active and unafraid of the water again. They loved it as much as they did at the beach house last month.  Chris was running and jumping off the edge by himself and submerging completely underwater.  I'm still not sure that he completely understands how to hold his breath and I know he took in some water a few times.  Again, Kendall would jump in but I had to hold her hands. 

Sunday, we got up early and packed up for the beach.  We got down there by 9:00 am and spent about 2 hours.  Chris was thrilled to be back in the waves and he played with Pop Pop for a long time.  It was good to see my stepfather interacting with him.  I think he really had a good time playing with Chris at the beach.  They were laughing and sharing that experience together. 

BFFs Forever

Playing with Pop Pop

Kendall still wouldn't put her feet in the water but she had a blast as long as I held her

After lunch, it started to rain so we were stuck inside for the rest of the day.  We tried our hardest to keep the kids entertained with baking cookies, coloring, movies and anything else we could find.  The adults kept themselves entertained with delicious Mudslides whipped up by my stepfather.


We packed up and headed home on Monday morning.  I volunteered to do the driving this time and the trip was much better traffic-wise.  We only stopped once for lunch and made good time. 
I'm a little embarrassed that I was so leary about the trip.  And, I didn't give my mom or stepfather enough credit.  It really was an enjoyable trip. 

A good end of summer ending.

Wordless Wednesday - A Boy Can Wear Pink

I think he pulls it off nicely. 

Road Trip

We're taking a road trip this weekend.  We made plans to go to my mom's future retirement home just outside of the Outer Banks in Grandy, NC.  It will be my mom, stepdad and my sister with her family.  One last hoorah before the end of the summer.  

My sister texted me last week and said the kennel they use for their dog was booked and she wasn't sure what they were going to do.   They were thinking that my BIL might have to stay home.  They may be moving to Nashville before the end of the year (that's another story) and staying home would also give him the opportunity to start fixing up the house.  So, my sister would be travelling 5 hours with a 4 and 2 year old.  Yikes!

We started talking and I told her my trip would be rushed.  We weren't planning to leave until Saturday morning and we would be coming home early Monday morning.  DH hasn't earned any leave since our vacation a few weeks ago so he needs to work a 1/2 day on Monday.  Not the most ideal situation and a very quick trip.

During our conversation, we came up with a plan.  The guys are staying home and the girls are renting a mini van and we're road tripping to Grandmom's house!  We're leaving Friday morning and coming home Monday.

I hope this isn't a HUGE mistake.  2 mommies, a 4-year old, (2) almost 3-year olds and 1 almost 2-year old.  I can guess the trip won't be boring!

My kids did so great at the beach a few weeks ago so I'm encouraged that vacations, in general, will be easier and more fun.  BUT....

My SIL and my nieces were so hands on with helping and well?   My mom?

Not so much.  You might remember this vacation when the twins were 6 months old. 

Or, this vacation last year. 

I don't quite know how to explain her.  She's a little selfish.  I know she loves me and I know she loves the kids but she's not one of those "touchy feely" types.   She's not the type that will get down on the floor and play with the kids.  She won't offer to take the kids anywhere to give me a break.  She sort of stays in her own little "world" where she gets to relax on the porch, enjoy a glass of wine, read a book.  She does interact with the kids but it's more conversational, if that makes sense?  Maybe she forgets what it's like to have small kids?  My sister is her youngest and she'll be 37 years old this year.  I guess she figures she raised her 3 kids and it's now her "me" time?

So, while I'm excited to road trip with my sister, I'm also preparing to be single "mom'ing" it for 3 days. 

The plus is that they have a pool and now that I know the twins do well, my plan is to keep them swimming until they completely wear themselves out.  We'll be about 20 minutes from the beach so I'm sure we'll spend a morning (or two) down there.

So, anyway.  I'm hoping to have a post-vacation post just as wonderful as the last.  Wish me luck!

I...I....I....I want to read a book

I don't think this is anything to really worry about but I wanted to see if anyone is or has experienced this.

Over the last 2-3 days, Kendall has developed a stutter.  It seems to be mostly confined to the first word of the sentence she is trying to say but it's new so I'm not sure if I should be worried or not?

She has (at least to me) a pretty advanced vocabulary and she easily speaks in 5-6 word sentences now.   It doesn't seem to happening at any specific time like when she's overly tired or excited.  I've noticed it at different times of the day. 

I know it's normal for their minds to work quicker than their mouths so I'm tempted to chalk it up to that?   For example, tonight she was trying to tell me she wanted to read a specific book and she repeated "I" at least 5 times before she finished the sentence with "want to read a book".   She did the same thing when I picked them up from school and was trying to tell me that she saw something out the window. 

Any advice?