Family Weekend

I've always been a big homebody, but after adding a couple of small children to the mix, we rarely go anywhere these days (by choice, as much as by necessity). But, every once in a while we gather our courage and endurance (and vast amounts of luggage) and decided to go visit the "Papas" up North. Dad had to work, so Mama packed up the babies (and all their STUFF), gathered some DVDs and snacks for the trip (sanity insurance), and set off for a three-hour drive. As M&M get older, they require less baby gear, but we still end up with a ridiculous amount of stuff (Blankies? Check! Pack and Play? Check! Potty seat? Check! Baby monitor? Check! Stroller? Ooops ... forgot that one).

Max and Molly are finally starting to get a little better on long drives and the portable DVD player helps fill the gap between when the boredom sets in and the screaming begins. I told the kids we were going for a ride to see the Papas and they were really excited – they couldn't wait to get their shoes on and get into the car. As soon as we pulled out of the drive way, Max cracked me up when he shouted, "To the Papas! Yay!!" About ten minutes into our drive, we were driving past the nursery where we usually buy our flowers every spring, when Molly started squealing in the back seat. I thought she was saying, "Go pee! Go poop!" and I was trying to tell her that we weren't taking a potty break yet (she had just gone). But, after a few seconds I realized that what she was actually saying was, "Goaks (Goats) pee! Goaks poop!" The kid has a good memory – the last time we went to the nursery (over a month ago), they had a mama goat and a couple of kids in a pen. Max and Molly were fascinated with the goats, and the high point of the trip was when they saw one of the baby goats pee and poop. Max talked about it for a couple of days afterwards, but I was pretty impressed that Molly recognized the nursery from the car, while we were driving past it at 55 mph.

Max and Molly both took little naps, so we made it half way before we had to resort to the DVD player. We also had to make an unplanned stop at a rest area – and it wasn't even because of the kids! I really try not to drink much on car trips, because I hate having to stop at rest areas and it is REALLY difficult to stop when I'm taking the kids somewhere by myself. But, since it was a choice between being too tired to drive and drinking caffeine, I opted for the latter. So, we stopped, got everyone out of the car, and trudged into the building. I was delighted to discover that they had a family restroom – a large, one-person bathroom for families. How wonderful! I was able to get everyone in there, keep them safe and keep them from touching anything, take care of our business, and get back out quickly and easily. The State of Michigan has my everlasting gratitude. After our pitstop, I set up the DVD player and we managed to make it to Papa's house just as everyone was starting to get antsy.

Max and Molly always love to visit Papa's house – how can you beat new toys, new space to explore, and a whole new audience? They were more than happy to get out of the car and stretch their legs and even ate a decent dinner. Bedtime, as usual, was a bit of a mess. Both kids were overtired and overexcited, which tends to make for some fun bedtime drama. Basically, Molly wouldn't go to sleep if I was in the room and Max didn't want me to leave the room. I finally tucked them both in, kissed them goodnight, and left the room – although, unbeknownst to them, I was standing right outside of the door. Molly howled for a nanosecond before decided to go to sleep. Max cried for a few minutes more, but then he settled down and conked out too. Whew! Mama didn't last a whole lot longer – I was beat myself. I did discover that Max is a total bedhog, although at least now he's used to having Molly in his room and he'd just roll over and go back to sleep when he was woken up.

Despite the late night, they both got up bright and early. Aunt May and company were having a big family weekend gathering for all their family and friends, so Grandma, Grandpa, and I got an early started and headed north for the event. On the way there we stopped at a local county fair, so M&M could see the animals. They were amazed and delighted by the cows, pigs, sheep, horses, goats, bunnies, turkeys, and chickens that we visited. They even got to pet some bunnies and goats, which Molly thought was fantastic – she kept trying to feed the goats straw. And, as luck would have it, they got to see MORE goats peeing and pooping and happily talked about that for the rest of the day. And, Molly was properly inaugurated into the county fair-goers club when she stepped in her very first cow pie. ;) It started to sprinkle just as we were walking back to the car – we made it back just in time because no sooner was everyone buckled in than the skies opened up and it just poured.

It rained most of the rest of the way to Aunt May's house and by the time we got there the sun was shining again (and it hadn't even rained at the farm, so we were spared the mud). There were lots of families there with lots of kids – the gathering was being held on a farm and M&M were happy to have lots of room to run, a big old barn to explore, and lots of dirt, sand, and grass with which to cover themselves. For some reason, Max decided that everything he found had to be thrown, kicked, or tossed, so I spent a lot of the trip reminding him that we don't throw sticks or stones and telling him to stop kicking sand. I think the highlight of their trip (aside from the lunch that they inhaled) was running up and down the little hill that led up to the barn and climbing on bales of hay. Of course, they also enjoyed visiting with their relatives, since Aunt Anne and Uncle Michael were there, as well as Aunt May. We also got to tour Aunt May's house, which contained all sorts of fun musical instruments. Max loved strumming the "guitaro" (guitar) and both kids had fun banging on the upright piano.

By the time we got back to Papa's house, both kids were tired and filthy. After dinner, more running around, and a nice bath, both kids were tucked into bed. Bedtime went a little more smoothly this time, probably because both Max and Molly were exhausted. When the little ones zoned out, we watched the Golden Compass, which was entertaining, but kind of a "meh" adaptation of what I think is a spectacular novel. I'll be interested to see what the sequels are like (since the way they ended the movie pretty much guaranteed a sequel). After the movie, I hurried off to bed myself.

We got up, ate breakfast, packed up the car, and headed on home. I don't think we were in the car more than five minutes before Max was begging to "see Papa more!" We got caught in some rain on the way home, but it was a pretty smooth drive. Neither kid slept hardly at all, but they were pretty content to watch the scenery, eat snacks, and watch DVDs. Although it is always fun to go visit our friends and relations, we were happy to be home. I'm not sure who likes familiar spaces and familiar routines more – Max and Molly or Mama! ;)