Phase Three: Getting Home

Gotta say: kids were not happy about getting back in the car. At all.

Except this one. Sophia was a super-trooper the entire trip, just piping up from the backseat whenever she lost a binky or wanted a snack. Why is the two-year-old the best behaved of the whole crew? No idea, but I'm grateful.

Remember my idea for candies on the hour for good behavior? It saved the day, that first day back in the car. It was a little wild for the first hour. Then the Starbursts were handed out - and one child didn't get one. Amazingly enough, the next hour was a lot easier. Positive reinforcement, you are my friend.

What we did on the way back:

• Ramsey, New Jersey: No pictures for this one. I had to stop at ShopRite in New Jersey to pick up my favorite string cheese, Laraia's. I bought them out (my apologies to other fans of the cheese - I can't get it back home!). Yum.
• Waterloo, New York: We saw the Peter Whitmer farm, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was restored on April 6, 1830.

Sophie with my sister

Jack at the farmhouse, while Sophie runs to the door

• Palmyra, New York: We visited the Hill Cumorah, where the angel Moroni delivered the golden plates to Joseph Smith many years prior to the official restoration of the church. Love Collin's expression.

• Niagara State Park, New York: we finally made it to Niagara! We've been within two hours of the site so many times, I've lost count. This time, though, we got there. And got a little wet (thank heavens, it was soooo hot!). This is definitely a place I want to revisit.

Malena and the boys in front of Horseshoe Falls 

The kids admiring the Niagara River and the view of Canada

• Kirtland, Ohio: the first temple built by the fledgling Church, the Kirtland Temple still stands under the custodianship of the Community of Christ. Sadly, the plaster no longer glistens from the ground-up china of those original members...it did have to be replastered sometime, I suppose...

• Toledo Botanical Garden: a beautiful stop where we walked around, enjoyed the humidity (that's sarcasm, there, folks) and missed out on the gift shop. Probably a good thing.

Malena, lost in the leaves of a weeping tree

• Chicago, Illinois: Oh yes, we stopped in the Windy City for pizza. And to play in Millennium Park, and to see Lake Michigan. But mostly just for the pizza. Oh, yum.

Sophie touching the Cloud Gate, affectionately called "the bean"

Malena showing off her deep-dish pizza.

• Albany, Illinois: We drove here to see the mounds built by the moundbuilders (native American Indians). It was raining, so we didn't get to walk the trails. We did, however, get to take shelter in the fire station and wait out a dangerous storm that was putting down tornadoes. Who says there's no excitement in family vacations?
• Nauvoo, Illinois: we had to stop and see the Nauvoo Temple (not the original, which was destroyed by a series of events after the Church was driven out). We also drove the Trail of Hope, and discussed how interesting it is that even though they were being forced out of their homes, the church members still had hope in God to lead them somewhere safe.

Bonnie watching Jack take a hammer to the cabin -
the kids love to play dress-up in Nauvoo.

• Liberty Jail, Liberty Missouri: Only Bonnie went to this one, a place where the Prophet Joseph Smith and many others were unjustly imprisoned for many months. Bonnie said it was inspiring.
• Milford Nature Center, Kansas: this was a lovely stop, geared towards kids. There was a butterfly house, a playground, puzzles, animals to look at (mostly snakes and insects), and a nature trail. The kids loved the butterflies. Sadly, it was too hot to take pictures. Too hot to do anything but look around and stay inside playing puzzles.
• Red Rocks, Morrison, Colorado: Again, it was just so hot! We enjoyed the rocks, though, and the gift shop.

Collin, sporting his new sunglasses from the gift shop

• Colorado National Monument: More rocks. These rocks were a lot like the formations we've seen in Southern Utah. The drive seemed to be straight up to the visitors' center, complete with hairpin turns and switchbacks. 

My neighbor at home gave me a great idea for this trip: masking tape. Seriously. I gave each child a roll and told them to be creative. This was a last-ditch effort to make it through the last long day of travelling. It kept them happy for probably about seven hours. Yes, my neighbor hit it out of the park with this idea. Check out the results:

Yes, they gagged themselves. Without any encouragement from me, I have to say. The boys also had a great time, but for some reason (maybe because I was driving?), we don't have any great pictures of them in tape.

And the best part of the trip: coming home. Jack spent probably an hour running around and giving me a hug every time he passed me: "We're home!" I would absolutely do the trip again. It was so much fun, and we saw so much! The best part, though, was the time I got to spend with the kids and my family. Of course.

Road Trip, Phase Two: At the Beach House!

The beach house was the family reunion location. There were eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, two kitchens, two great rooms, a few office areas, and a small television area (this was in addition to the TV's in the great rooms).

With twenty-eight people, it was the perfect size.

We spent the weekend de-stressing from the drive to Jersey, having family time, and meeting as a family. Personally, I spent most of Saturday grocery shopping and doing food prep for the week ahead. My dad bought the groceries - I guess he figured I was contributing enough by cooking for everyone almost every night. The kids spent the weekend at the beach.

We also attempted church on Sunday. The congregation we attended was normally around 30 people, so our family more than doubled their attendance for the day. My little family left after the first hour, though. There's only so much fighting I will do in a church away from home.

On the way to church, when everyone was buckled in and behaving.

Monday was Philadelphia with all the kids. Even though we lived two hours away from here for more than three years, this was my first trip to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

Sophia and Jack, of course, tried to crawl under the Bell. The security guards were not impressed.

We also went for cheesesteaks at Pat's, one of the two warring cheesesteak restaurants in Philly. Hate to say it, but I really like Steak & Hoagie from Ventura, California better. And now I know.

Tuesday, Bonnie got to spend time with her friend from PA. They have been good friends since first grade, even though we moved away at the beginning of their second grade. They had a lovely day...

Shaving cream madness

While the kids, with my sister and I, went for lunch and ice cream at Friendly's...

And then to the Crayola Experience in Easton, PA. It was expensive ($100 for the six of us!), but it was a lot of fun. We spent four hours there and could have easily spent eight. There were plenty of ways to be creative, from painting with melted crayons to pushing boats through a model river - complete with locks. There is even a playground and a toddler area.

Needless to say, we all had fun.

Malena balancing on the huge crayons outside

Wednesday was a relaxing day. Ah. And a day for cooking, getting the oil changed in the car, and doing laundry. Okay, not so much a relaxing day as a chore day.

Thursday was a trip to Manhattan. Woot! We ate New York Pizza, of course...

The crew eating NY-style yummy-ness.

Played in Central Park with the kids...

Had a few portraits drawn by an artist in the Park...

Jack-a-roo...doesn't look a whole lot like him, but whatever

Malena, not a bad likeness

Rode the subway...

Had a carriage ride around the Park...

The kids were Done With Pictures.

And generally had an exhausting day. I even drove around a little for my brother and sister-in-law, since it was their first time in Manhattan.

And Friday, we were on the road again, heading home.

Honestly, I really enjoyed spending time with all of my family. The kids loved hanging out with cousins on the beach the most - Collin learned how to fish and collect sand crabs, and Bonnie tried surfing. Major kudos go to my sister for putting it all together...and to all my siblings for making the (time-consuming and expensive) effort to come all the way to Jersey from all points of the western US.

Road Trip: Phase One Complete!

Well, we've made it to New Jersey. It's been a looooong trip. The kids have been super-troupers, generally not making the adults too crazy. We did have one incident where all the kids had hit someone else (including me!) in the space of about five minutes. This ended up with them on the curb, losing their stuff for the rest of the day. The picture cracks me up:

So busted.

So here's some more of what worked on the trip:

• The shoe box: After each stop, the kids put their shoes in the "shoe box". After nine days of travelling, there were only two occasions where shoes weren't immediately found. This is a major coup.
• Walkie-talkies: It is really fun to talk car to car. My sisters and I are especially enjoying this, and it makes coordinating two cars a cinch.
• Rotating kids from seat to seat: Kids are able to get time with mom, time with each other, and generally enjoy not having the same person to persecute (or be bugged by) the entire day.

And what didn't:

• Rotating kids from seat to seat: The only problem with this is stuff. Each child has a backpack which, theoretically, is used to carry their stuff from seat to seat. However, they are not very good at keeping their stuff in their backpack, or even packing it back up before they move.
• Bow and arrow in the car: how can a $2 toy be so annoying? Every time Collin let one of his arrows fly (always toward a window, thankfully), it sounded like the window was breaking. Not a good sound. The bow and arrow found a suitable burial in a wayside trash can.

What we did:

• Rest stops in Texas: the wagon wheel picnic areas were so fun to climb on, and everyone wanted their picture taken!

• Alamo: the gardens were lush and beautiful, the weather hot and nasty. The interior of the Alamo was cool (thank heavens).

Almost all of us under a live oak in the gardens

• Driving through the swamps: I have great compassion for the group that put that freeway over the swamp. The kids swore they saw alligators, and we saw boats driving through the swamp. We loved seeing all the trees growing out of the water.

• New Orleans: beautiful little city. The kids and I only drove around, leaving the adults in the caravan to a lovely luncheon in the French Quarter. We enjoyed Sonic Burgers instead.

• Driving across Lake Pontchartrain: Whoa. This is a long bridge across the lake, where water and sky melt together, leaving you in a strange halfway land. Loved it, although it was a bit scary.

• Northlake Nature Center: This was just over the lake, a shady place to enjoy a walk through the trees. The kids were mesmerized by turtles that had moss growing on their shells.

Rippavilla Plantation in Tennessee: We only stopped and enjoyed the grounds. Driving with kids (think: endless bathroom breaks) doesn't leave a lot of time for sightseeing.

The back gardens where we played for a moment

• Fred Miller Park in Morristown , Tennessee: This was a quiet place to stop for dinner, as well as a great place for the kids to play. Stopping did make us get to the hotel very late...but the kids were happier.

• Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive: I've been wanting to take this drive for awhile now. Funny, it was like driving through most of the east coast: lots of trees, with brief views of hills covered by trees. A view now and again of the Shenandoah Valley was nice, but overall, not a spectacular drive along the lines of driving through the Utah national parks. Sometimes I am such a westerner.

See? Trees. And the caravan, following us.

• Washington DC: the older kids and adults saw many monuments. My sister and I watched the younger kids run around the Washington Monument. The kids and I went to the National Zoo. And Bonnie got to choose lunch, because it was her birthday (she chose Sonic, but settled for Wendy's when the nearest one was 85 miles away).

• Beach house: Finally! We arrived at the beach house...where we can unpack and not pack up again for at least six days. Ahhh.

Sophie and I enjoying the beach

The beach house. It is seriously huge.

Funny story:
My kids love to have their back scratched (okay, who doesn't?). Sophia's aunt was trying to get Sophia to stretch with her: "Stretch, Sophia!" and Sophia came over and scratched her leg. Thanks, Sophie.

And check out Jack, sleeping with one eye open in the car. Freaky!

Road Trip! Utah to Arizona

We have started the road trip. Me versus five kids, heaven help us all. Let's start with my favorite exchange of the day:

Bonnie, said in her most grumpy teenage voice: “Why do you want to see the Grand Canyon? It’s just a hole in the ground.”

Later…

Bonnie, now annoyed: “Why can’t I see the Grand Canyon? You just said we’re getting close!”

Me: “Because…it’s just a hole in the ground.”

Bonnie: “Oh.”

The hole in the ground.

So here's how the trip is progressing. Some things are working well, some not so much.

What worked well:

• The candy jar. Every hour, each kid gets a small candy (mostly Starbursts) for being good in the car and being nice to their family. The latter requirement is the one that’s been difficult for them.
• Daily “treats”. Each day, they get something new.  So far, they’ve gotten new backpacks, a folder with activity pages (license plate games, etc) that my sister put together) and a white board, complete with erasable marker. Collin keeps insisting that he needs all his “treats” at once, but I’m holding out.
• Activity List: My dashboard has a list of activities we can do. When we are bored, we look at it and do something new. My list: cleaning time, coloring time, activity page time, stretching time, game time (alphabet game, etc.), free time, music time, movie time, book on CD time.
• Rotations: We split the day into three parts (for the three children that are old enough to ride in the front seat). Then we rotate – everyone has a turn in the front, middle and back. Except Sophia, who sits in the back and just has rotating companions.  
• Stopping at parks: Each day, we’ve stopped at a park. Afterwards, the kids are so much more relaxed in the car. I was raised to get where we’re going, not to stop and enjoy the ride. The kids are even programmed this way: they ask me at least once a day if we can just “get where we’re going”. Truly, we’re all so much happier after stopping – even if it’s just for 15 minutes.

What hasn’t worked: Jack sitting next to Sophia. ‘Nuf said.

Where we’ve been:

• Territorial Statehouse Museum: The kids were too squirrely to go inside, so we just took pictures outside of the pioneer cabins and schoolhouse. Not that impressed, although I probably would have been more impressed if we actually went inside.

• East Canyon Park, Cedar City, UT: Loved it – the kids played in the river.
• Cousins’ House: The fam put together a delicious dinner for us (yay!) and gave us a stress-free place to crash. They even have kids’ toys in the basement.
• Fredonia Park: The equipment was metal. It was hot. The kids were not impressed. They did get out of the car, though.

• Grand Canyon: Amazingly enough, it wasn’t too hot. The parking lots were almost empty. We went, we saw, we bought souvenirs. Kids were impressed, and so was I – even though it was “just a hole in the ground”.

• Bow and Arrow Park, Flagstaff, AZ: A small and not-too-impressive park, it still kept the kids very happy for a while, and let them get out some steam. Not so much Bonnie, however, who said “Can we leave yet? How about now” about a hundred times.

• Walnut Canyon National Monument: Whoa. Cliff dwellers were impressive - making a home on the side of a cliff, as well as farming there? Amazing. Sadly, Sophie pooped out on this one, so we didn't stay very long. Very, very sleepy girl.

Although she is faking sleeping in this picture.

All in all, really enjoying myself. And tomorrow we start driving with the caravan! Then I’ll have adult help and we’ll hopefully have even more fun.