We are a family who likes our space. I love my Tahoe, not just love but adore (and not just because it only costs me $19 to fill up in Bahrain. I love the tahoe because my kids can sit in the third row and I don't really feel like there are kids in the car with me when I am driving because I really can't make out what they are arguing about back there. When Carl arrived with the Kia Sportage I was thrilled that our luggage would fit. As we made our way from DC to SC I was overwhelmed by the beuty of the drive. The trees have never looked so lush and alive, every stream and lake stunned me. The kids were just as excited about the trees and flowers. Carl being the pesimist (which is soooo unlike him) stated that he would give it an hour before we got bored of the scenery. For me it still is not old but he was about right for the kids. It soon became he is touching me, she is looking at me, I want what he has, she smells like throw up (granted that was carl talking about Ha-Na and I had only been able to wash her blankie in the tub with a bar of soap and let it drip dry in the hotel since the airplane upchuck so she probably did). The car literally began to feel like it was shrinking around me, the sides were compressing every moment and with every obnoxious utterance from the children. We tried the license plate game but they were too young for that. Then we tried singing songs but each one (the hams that they are) wanted to sing the song all by themselves at the same time (I know even as I type this it makes no sense). To make it all the better since Madison was bored and wanted out of the car, every 30-45 minutes she had to go to the bathroom. It was an 8 hour drive and we stopped at least 6 times. I really missed my car, especially the tv for the kids entertainment, I really don't know how my parents did it with seven kids in a car from Washington to Utah so often.
We made it to our house and it looked so inviting. Entering I really felt like we had come home and I could not bear that we were going to be leaving in a week. All my furniture and things we had left, my kitchen and my pans. And most of all our books, the kids books, my books I wanted to take everything back with me. I went to the backyard to look at the grass I had put in the month before we left (I did not know we were leaving till 3 weeks before we did) it was so green and plush and beautiful. I went out and walked arround the yard we had lanscaped and put so much into, it was lovely. Carl then reminded me that we had a plan. I thought about it and decided I would enjoy it for the week and then continue on with the adventure of life. They are just things and I have lived without it for two years so I don't really need any of it and it will be there if and when we come back or want to ship it.
We called our friends and stopped by the Gomez's to say hello and let Carl see Aidan. They still totally clicked. We then went to the Wiley's (Cathy's yard is still amazing, wow can she get flowers to grow) and set up for them to come over and play rook (we used to play with them every weekend night for hours).
During the week we worked on getting all of us used to the time difference, it pretty much took the whole week. We had doctors appointments for the kids and I and just had a lot of fun with our friends. It was really nice to reconect, we have such great friends and we have really, really missed them. It was great to catch up with Jen and to see Cathy's new art. We shared pictures of our diving trips with Cathy and hope she can use some of them for her art, she is soooo incredible. Carl had a great time catching up with Todd and was sorry not to be able to go fishing with him, next time. The kids were thrilled to see Samantha and Shelby and Madison even seemed to remember them.
I was thrilled that my brother Andy came to see us. He had to leave late Friday, got caught up in traffic because of an accident and finally got to us on Saturday. We had a blast, he brought Lauren, Micheal and Anne with him. The kids loved seeing their cousins, they especially liked it when it started to rain and they moved pinestraw to make mud and slid down the hill, I was not as thrilled when they started to come in the house. I had a lot of fun playing DDR with Andy and Lauren. We also played a lot of nertz with them (much to Carls dismay). I really appreciatted him coming all that way and he even brought me Graters ice cream (it is soooo awesome). I missed being able to see Leslie and Andrew, I hope on our next trip.
We spent a day at the beach with the Gomez family, it was a blast. I love South Carolina beaches the water the sand everything is so beautiful. The kids had a great time building sand castles, more so after I stopped trying to "help". My helping entails telling them just how it should be and then when it doesn't look right I take it over and let them watch me do it the way that I think is just right. I know I am a control freak but admitting it is the first step to recovery. I laid back on my towel and just relaxed while listening to to the kids having a great time. We left after a few hours as we had to get the house ready to be vacated and pack up for the next day's drive back to DC. Little Carl was distraught not to be able to destroy the sand castle (the gomez's were staying and Aidan was still working on it) since he thinks that is the only good thing about building it.
1 comment:
Ummm... I don't silence for a baseball game. I just needed to have those particular kids shut up. None of the other kids there bugged me at all. Really, it was even only one from this group. He had to go. And I already like your kids, so we're good to go! Sorry I haven't called you back yet. I'll try and do it later. We need to have a logistics chat about when you are in Idaho.
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