Earlier this month, Craig had to take a business trip to Pennsylvania to audit a manufacturing plant. He asked us to go along because it was the only way that he and I could spend our twelfth wedding anniversary together. So, with a good bit of trepidation, I prepared for two 11 hour car rides with toddlers and two days and three nights in a cabin with the same toddlers.
The trip to PA was quite uneventful. We had plenty of snacks, a box of toys, and a new CD with over 100 kids' songs, so yes, we were as ready as possible. We took a lot of nice breaks at rest areas to let the kids run which worked well. About two hours away from home, I realized that I didn't pack any shoes for the kids, so we made an emergency stop at a Walmart. The kids did so well and really only started getting fussy during the last 90 minutes of the ride.
When we got to the campground where we had booked a cabin, I was not happy to see all the roads very muddy. Apparently they'd had a lot of rain. I could foresee a really messy next day, but it turned out to be so cold that I only took the kids out of the cabin for two 30 minute walks in the stroller. I was glad I had decided to pack them some long pants and jackets, too. We made it through the cooped up day with no major mishaps (okay, so Rex did dip a colander into the toilet bowl) and Craig and I were able to be together for our anniversary after he returned from the plant.
There's always a question of how the kids will do in an unfamiliar environment, but we had no problems worth mentioning. Rex hated the stand in shower for his bath, but handled everything else well. Look at this picture of my little ones cuddled up, asleep. Love seeing the sibling comfort in a strange place.
Day two at the campground was sunny and warm, so the kids and I were able to take advantage of the playground and big bounce pillow. We also took walks again. The roads had dried up and it was pleasant to mosey along the creek under some big trees. When Craig returned from work, we had our first family campfire. This is when Rex blew us away by generalizing his sign for light. We had smores, too. Yum.
The 11 hour trip back to Ohio wasn't quite as easy as the way to PA because Rex refused to sleep. By early afternoon he was in a crabby mood from sheer exhaustion, but he just wouldn't close his eyes. So, I had to find all kinds of ways to entertain him. The children's songs CD was a real life-saver, but it really is something I don't need to hear again until our trip to Missouri in July. By the time we reached home, all of us had had more than enough road trip and were happy to be under our own roof again. Nonetheless, it was our first family adventure of this kind and it was worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment