"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters
compared to what lies within us."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Road Trip!

When Carol told me she had to transport some puppies down to south Georgia on Saturday, of course, I jumped at the chance to go! I am always ready for an ordeal , I mean adventure. Of course, we brought the kids along. So we had five dogs, five kids, two frazzled adults and 5,000 snacks crammed in my Suburban. Party time!!!


We left early in the morning, so we had plenty of time, unless anything went wrong. As we soon discovered, something always goes wrong when you travel with kids. Certain small people needed to pee every thirty minutes, (except for Catherine, who doesn't use public toilets because she is afraid she will get flushed away).





Soon we were a tad behind schedule, but we did get to meet many interesting people at all the rest stops along the way.



The poor rescuer had to wait quite a while for us to arrive, but he was a good sport about it.


 Then we got a surprise, but not the good kind. When we tried to start the car, it was totally dead. So, here we are, in Ludowici, GA, which is not a huge metropolis, stuck. That was ok though, because this was an adventure! Before I could even start to cry, a very nice man came from the meat store and jump started my battery.


Francesca didn't seem to be very concerned, after all, she had french fries. 


 Some of us were better passengers than others. Catherine was furious because "Isabella was taking her air".  She still wouldn't use the bathroom. We chose to ignore the little siren and began singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" at increasing decibels. We were kind of in a battle of wills. Catherine's screams vs. Christmas carols. I am proud to say we finally won. Catherine fell asleep for 15 whole minutes! My voice is still a little hoarse and I may be going deaf.


Victoria found creative ways to amuse herself. Her favorite game was "balance the apple on my nose". Carol took this picture because I was in another bathroom at the time. I remember this bathroom didn't have any lights or flushing ability. Ahh, memories!



After the puppies left, we decided to go to the beach! We were a little afraid of turning the car off, but hey, sometimes you have to take risks. Our excitement was building as we saw signs that we were getting closer! We were hopeful that we might even get to see the ocean before it got dark!


Lovely moss hung from the trees as we made our way to St. Simon's island. What a beautiful place!  I plan to move there as soon as I win the lottery.


At long last, we finally made it to the beach. Guess who loved the ocean and guess who did not?


Doesn't she just look so sweet and quiet here?  Pictures can be very deceiving!


I had kind of hoped that I would have been able to move around a little more, but this was not to be. They clung to me like kuzu clings to a tree.


Of course, Victoria loved it! She loved the sand and she didn't mind at all if a wave washed over her.


"EEEEEEEEE! Don't let the water touch me! Don't let the sand touch me! Don't let the slimy plants touch me!  Get me out of here!"


This picture depicts how each of the little ones viewed the experience. Catherine immediately wanted to leave as soon as we got there.












Isabella and Anastasia could have stayed forever, except there wasn't a bathroom nearby.


Victoria really loved throwing the sand around. Carol had a new sand hair-do by the time we left.







This would have been a sweet picture, but I think my butt looks rather large here.


Totally worth it! Plus, I got a magnet!


We finally decided to head home at around 8 pm. We knew it was going to be a long drive home, but we thought for sure the kids would be so tired they would sleep the whole way since no one had a nap. I think we under-estimated them. Let the screaming begin!


After a brief detour into South Carolina at 2 am (they really should make the signs with neon lights), we finally made it home at four in the morning. We were sandy, sticky and exhausted, but everyone had a wonderful time!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

12 comments:

  1. Seriously, you are my hero! I am wayyy too type A to handle something like that! LOL Love your blog btw.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ditto what the previous poster said!

    And hats off - even my "every-single-family/homeschool/adoption-blog-my-wife-follows-is-boring-as-rocks-to-me-and-why-on-earth-does-my-wife-read-this-stuff" husband laughed aloud at this post when I read to him about the Catherine vs. Christmas carols.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The sand didn't irritate Francesca's fingers/toes?

    ReplyDelete
  4. speechless!
    I rescued cats and dogs for 8 years, I did these trips/headaches...WITHOUT children in tow LOL. I'm stressed and laughing just thinking about it :D

    I'm glad you guys had fun. (I'm still speechless)

    ReplyDelete
  5. That puppy with the blue eyes is gorgeous!!

    And, I LOVE that picture of Victoria facing the water. She looks so beautiful and peaceful.

    You're screaming children photos never fail to make me laugh. Day to day photos, even if the day is full of fit-throwing and shrieking children, are always the best. You are a brave mama!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aren't you glad nobody was in casts? This was a great post - I ALMOST wish I was in that suburban too...

    ReplyDelete
  7. I absolutely LOVE to read your blog. You always make me laugh---and sometimes you make me cry. You also make me thankful for my quiet life---but I am much older than you. Your family is precious and your view of life is hilarious!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You amaze me! Yes, that is a good thing! Your journey is much more adventerous then mine, but I will just sit back and enjoy yours through your blog! I will say that I loved all the dog pics and probably would have been so interested in the one that was taken with the kids on the hood of the car, but alas we already have 6 dogs and I also have as many kids as you, so.... I love your stories and adventures - sometimes I am sad I can't blog mine, but some of my kiddos are in that limbo land of foster, so well, our adventures are tucked away in my heart! Again, love, love, love your blog and no your butt didn't look big in the picture - loved the pic of you and the girls!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love, love, love the pic of Victoria sitting in the wet sand facing the water. (Love the other ones too...) Sounds like a great day (and night)!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What an adventure!! Sounds like you enjoyed it in spite of screaming, crying and frowns. I loved seeing Francesca eating the french fries with her fingers. You know that even tho there was the screaming, some pleasant memories were made even if it was only your own.
    Love reading all about your adventures and also seeing your kids pictures. How lucky those kids are?

    ReplyDelete
  11. I was totally singing Christmas songs this weekend too! I LOVE your blog and it totally brightens my day! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

Sorry, I have to moderate comments because of spam!