Traveling with small children is, for me, exhausting for a very weird reason. It’s not the mommy yoga that happens when I climb over seats to wedge myself into very small spaces in order to dislocate my arm to hold the bottle just right for a screaming baby. It’s not the constant mediating between two kids who want the same book, the same toy, and the exact same air. It’s exhausting because I can’t plan on much of anything. Either they will be up all night because the hotel room is novel, or they will crash hard. They will either love the car and do great entertaining themselves…or not. I’m happy to report however that we survived the littlest girl’s first real road trip and it wasn’t even as bad as I thought it would be.
We stopped in Cedar City for an early lunch at a great hole-in-the-wall burger joint. But after all the car munchies no one was hungry so we headed over to a park to burn some energy. We NEED one of these in our front yard! It spins and you can run and jump on it or push it with your feet. Brilliant.
Little Little girl’s new thing is going down slides head first. These slides were a mite too steep though so she mostly just sat and watched everyone else. The outfit she is wearing is my favorite for her…it’s perfect. Baby girl also just had fun watching the world.
The rest of the drive was fine and we checked in before heading to the true happiest place on earth, Ikea. We met up with Aunt Amy, cousin Gus and Grandpa to go meander. However, I did have a list of stuff that I had to get so it was meandering with a purpose.
The next day was Sunday and we got to go to church with Neil’s older brother’s family. we also got to see some great aunts and all sorts of cousins. It was great and I’m so glad we got a chance to take this quick trip. After lunch we were back on the road (animals do have to eat after all, and I don’t think our neighbors would have appreciated cranky goats two mornings in a row. A cranky goat is a loud goat.) That sunset is why I can never move out of the desert. I love huge skies that look like that on a regular basis.
For all of you snobby foodie people that hate McDonalds, you obviously have never traveled with small children. McDonalds may be horribly unhealthy and embody all that is wrong with the American food system, but dang it, they have perfected the playplace! And yes that is an air hockey table. It was awesome.
It’s interesting when you get married…the whole joining another family thing. When we first got married, I thought my in-laws were so different from my own family and that it would be such a long adjustment process. I’ve since learned that my sister in law shares my penchant for all things fantasy and dragon, my brothers in law both make me laugh a lot…in a good way. My new cousins are people that I would love to just go get a smoothie with and my mother-in-law’s siblings (the ones I’ve met) are so accepting and kind (but have these great, almost snarky senses of humor). And I feel as “at home” with my mom and dad in law as I do with my own various sets of parents. It’s been an adjustment for sure, but much shorter and much more rewarding than I had expected. It’s good to be wrong sometimes.
Comfy Posy 