Over Memorial Day weekend the family and I went on our first “Family of Four” road trip.
I tried to be as prepared as possible and packed everything ahead of time with each child’s necessities in their own little suitcase so that there wouldn’t be a lot of fishing around for items. I even checked the weather report a few times to help me pack the appropriate outfits. What I didn’t count on was a change in plans.
We packed everything into the car and realized that it was a very tight squeeze. So we had to condense a bit. We took out the cooler that contained the breast milk and beverages, and packed a mini freezer pack and put the milk in there instead. We also decided to just get our own beverages when needed on the road. What I forgot to do was take out the bottles from the side pockets of the cooler. I thought I was being smart by putting the bottles in the cooler so that everything was in one place. Well it’s not so smart when you forget them completely!
What saved me was that at the last minute I stashed two bottles in my breast pump bag. So, while not ideal since only having two bottles meant constantly washing while on the road, it was better than nothing!
Another Oopsie?? Forgetting the bag of carefully prepped snacks.
Super! No food for my family! Ggggoooooooo Mom!!
And I didn’t realize all of this until we had to stop to feed Calvin. This is when we also discovered that Gwyneth opened her cup and poured its contents in her lap.
Awesome. And I didn’t pack Gwyneth another outfit in the diaper bag, because I have never had to randomly change her before, so The Hubby had to dig one out of her suitcase in the back of the car.
She ended up in her jammies.
Thank heavens for gas stations/pit stops. Definitely not the snacks we (by we, I mean I) were hoping for, but with no grocery store for miles, we were at least content.
The rest of the trip to Portland actually went pretty well. Everyone was fed before meltdowns happened and we made it there still sane.
Mostly.
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| A little lunch at a hole-in-the-wall joint |
The Hubby and I actually got some nice time together when both kids were sleeping. I know that might sound a little silly, but just having some good, uninterrupted, not multi-tasking conversation, is really nice.
Since Calvin slept for the majority of the trip, we had a pretty long night. So, The Hubby took the kids to the store and out to breakfast the next morning so I could catch a few more Zzzzs. Heaven.
I think he had a pretty good time too. He got the “Awwww, you have your hands full” treatment everywhere he went and got excellent service at breakfast. Is this how he thinks it always is?
We recently watched “We Bought A Zoo” with Matt Damon, the single Dad (whose wife died) who has hot women throwing themselves at him, also bringing him lasagnas every night. This scenario now sounds pretty sweet to the ol’ Hubby. “Scarlett Johansen and lasagnas!? Doesn’t sound too bad!” The Hubby jokingly quipped.
Well, I think he was joking. ??
Anyway, the first day in Portland was pretty laid back. We visited the Nike Employee store and just spent some great, quality time with the fam eating good food and playing games back at the house.
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| He made Gwyneth’s Great Grandma M’s famous crepes…. The bomb.com! |
Some sweet Uncle time
Brotherly love
The next day we went to the zoo. It. was. AWESOME!
I had just as much fun watching Gwyneth see these animals for the first time as she did seeing them.
Gwyn and her cousin, Scarlett.
They played “chain chomp” throughout the entire zoo. Basically holding hands the entire time. Where the term “chain chomp” came from I have no idea…
The following day was a little shopping downtown and eating at Deschutes Brewery. The Hubby and I have fond memories of this place, for the last time we ate there the restaurant was practically empty, he had the best pretzel that he’d ever eaten, I wasn’t nursing anymore so we split the beer sampler and played “which one am I sampling now,” and The Hubby was uber impressed by the size of the urinals. I can’t vouch for him there, but apparently they are impressive. And everyone was “oooing and awwwwing” over Gwyneth. So, we had a great lunch. This time, though, it was packed, Calvin got fussy right as we sat down, so The Hubby changed him, and upon return I nursed him. This is when Gwyn decided to take her daily poo. So, since I was attached, The Hubby took Gwyn to the bathroom to change her. When they got back, the appetizers he had ordered, including his favorite pretzel and cheese, were almost gone.
Seriously, sad. Poor guy. 🙁
During lunch Gwyn thought it’d be fun to paint the table with ranch, and The Hubby spent the majority of the time cleaning her up. Me? Still attached to Slowpoke Eater McGee while dodging Gwyneth trying to get a peak at Calvin by lifting up my nursing cover.
And then Gwyn got a little fussy. Kicking her shoes off. Wanting “uppie!” and more ranch. It WAS our fault though, since by the time we sat down and got our food, it was her nap time, but we decided to push through. And that is what we got in return.
The rest of the time there was filled with a family walk and park time, more family games, and even more delicious food.
The car ride home was a liiiiiiitttttle different. Gwyneth was unable to fall asleep for a nap and this is what we got…
She had a little meltdown and at one point, both kids were screaming and I thought I’d lose my mind. I almost had to laugh. Except for I didn’t.
And then the next minute she’d be like this. Crazy girl.
While traveling with kiddos is definitely challenging…. it’s so worth it spending time with loved ones. We’ve always enjoyed spending time with our family, but having kids has heightened that enjoyment even more so as we have a strong desire to have our children familiar with their family members, and even like them too. And while the traveling part can be challenging… it’s all an experience to be laughed at… right?
Someday?
