Over the river and through the woods - Part 1

Although Caleb has told me several times in a sad little voice that Christmas is over, my Christmas blog posting is not! Between being wore out from our trip to see Dave's family and the bug we picked up along the way, we've been in survival mode lately so McKinstry Moments has had to wait. So for the rest of Hadley's first Christmas, here you go!

We decided well before Christmas this year that we wanted to wait a few days after all the hustle and bustle before traveling to Illinois. Not only would this give us a chance to hopefully rest and get things back to normal, but it also gave the kids a chance to enjoy their new treasures before we had to leave them behind for a week. This was our first trip to the Midwest since Hadley was born, and for some time we even debated whether or not we could make such a journey. Our hearts longed for Hadley to get to meet her Great Grandma Swan though, who up until this point had not had a chance to meet her great granddaughter. After much talk about logistics, we decided to just do what we had to do to get there. 

On Friday, our plan was to leave right after lunch so the kids could go down for their naps as soon as we started traveling. We thought we'd stop for dinner and maybe have one other stop before driving through the night while the kids slept. We tried a similar plan last year with Caleb and it worked wonderfully; we hoped for the best again. 

Everything started out well and good. We left when expected, made a stop to snack and walk around a mall for a bit, got back on the road until dinner, and then kept truckin'. Not long after dinner though our problems began when we got stuck for an hour in a traffic jam that resulted in a detour. Thankful after we finally got back on track, we were hopeful that would be the end of our delays. That's when it happened...a snowstorm! 

We debated back and forth as we drove whether or not to stop at a hotel, wake the kids, and drag them in. Every time we'd get close to deciding to pull over, the snow would let up. We'd think we could make it and then down it came again. As we traveled down long stretches of dark highway with no where to stop, I prayed.  We decided to try to pull over but at that point there was no where to stop. Moving at a snail's pace we just kept creeping, knowing that it was going to add hours to our already long trip. As the lines on the road became invisible, the tractor trailers zoomed past us like the weather was nothing, running us off onto the the rumble strips as we slid to the shoulder several times. I was panicked! Dave tried getting off the highway but the ramps were so slick it was difficult. Finally, we were in a town with hotels, but now that is was approaching 3 or 4 a.m., it seemed ridiculous to get a hotel, especially since our children would be awake soon and we wouldn't get any sleep anyway. We decided to try to sleep in a Walmart parking lot for a bit or finding a shopping center to rest, but they all were being plowed so there was no where to stay. We got back on the interstate to try to inch closer to our destination but after a few more semis blew past, I begged Dave to pull over at the next exit. We found a Love's gas station there and tried to sleep for a couple hours until the kids awoke and the weather let up. Some time after 7 a.m., we got back on the road and were thrilled to be able to see the lines and move at a normal speed. After driving a few more hours, we finally made it to Dave's parents' mid-morning - our 12 hour trip being much closer to 21 hours long! 

The kids were happy to be out of the car and able to play. Dave's parents watched them for us some that afternoon so we could get some much needed rest. I don't think they minded too much playing with some of their favorite little people, and we sure did appreciate the naps!

 

The next morning was church. Caleb was a little shy at first but eventually warmed up when the other kids arrived. When I came to pick him up, he was having a good time and wasn't quite ready to leave. Hadley was the opposite. I feared our "Mommy's girl" would cling to me when I tried to leave her in the nursery but she did great. Then, towards the end of the service, I had to go get her early because they couldn't get her to stop crying. I suspect maybe she had some new teeth coming in that started the tears, but she was soon a happy girl again once back in Mommy's arms. Dave and I enjoyed the service for several reasons. The first is that I am usually in the nursery teaching at our home church and don't get to sit in the service with him. The second is that the visiting interim pastor that was there had a great message about us as Americans being good stewards of the freedoms that God's given us so that we don't lose them. It was great food for thought.

"The cousins" arrived with their parents later that afternoon. They pretty much immediately were great friends again, chasing each other through the house. (Caleb for some reason was adamant that he wanted to leave his suit on. Some people just like to look good all the time I guess. :)) They finally settled down though when Grandma McKinstry got out the sprinkles for some cupcake decorating. They also slowed down a few times to give Hadley a little attention. Sadly, Grandma Swan was unable to make it and join in on the fun this time because of the icy conditions, but we got to visit her later in the trip which was good.

Present opening began soon after the cupcake art work was complete. With Christmas over already, there was no need to delay any longer! Smiles abounded as the paper hurriedly came off the packages. Grandma McKinstry did an especially super job of finding unique toy ideas for the kids.

Our boy who loves to sing the five little monkey song and jump on the bed

 to act it out got the book and matching finger puppets from the Tyndalls.

A sight word game for Lydia from us

Someone's got the hang of this! 

 

Luke with the sticker set we bought him, tearing into 

a present from his grandparents

Dave's mom found really cute gifts for the kids. Since Hadley 

likes blankies, she decided to find her some soft toys. This box 

has small stuffed items inside for her to put in and pull out over 

and over again, which is one of her favorite past times.

Caleb helping Grandma open the tote bag we bought her that 

was personalized with the names of all her grandchildren

Another cute toy from Grandma Swan and Grandma and Grandpa McKinstry

Caleb got a case with "pillows" (as he calls them) that fit in alphabet 

pockets from his grandparents. He really loved this toy.

They also got him this tractor book that has tracks throughout 

for you to put a wind up tractor on and act out the story.

A tea set for Hadley from the Tyndalls! Caleb has enjoyed this gift too,

so much so that we sometimes have to remind him that it's Hadley's.

Luke received a truck that you could build yourself, take 

apart, and reassemble. Caleb loved this one too! 

While the men played with the kids, the women got to work on supper. 

After bath time and getting pjs on, Luke and Caleb continued to chase each other until they wore themselves out. They look so close to the same size, it is easy to forget sometimes that Caleb is a year and a half younger. Dave said at one point Luke came over to him and said, "I don't understand Caleb very well and I want to stop running." Dave assured him that it was okay to take a break, though Caleb thought a few seconds was enough of a rest and tried to get his cousin to get moving again. It's not everyday that he has such a fun buddy to romp through the house with before bed.

 

Somehow we got the boogers in bed and stuffed the stockings. Grandma found sleeping bags for the three older kids and made pallets for them on the floor. Caleb thought this was a great adventure and was super excited about it! I forgot to get a picture of him in his like I wanted, but here is a cute one of my sweet niece Lydia in hers with her new American Girl doll.

Hadley woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed, starting her morning with a yummy breakfast. While on the trip she developed a bad habit of making silly spitting noises while eating her food. Though she was being cute, we weren't amused with the baby food that splattered both her outfit and ours. Here is a pic of Dave giving her a firm talkin' to.

That morning more excitement ensued as the kids reached deep into their stockings to find all the toys inside. My favorite part was seeing Hadley's stocking made with love by her Grandma McKinstry and finding a beautiful pink pioneer girl bonnet specially made by her Aunt Amy inside. These are her first two homemade gifts by any of her relatives, which make them especially sentimental.

 

Caleb also found some fun things, including a paint set that we tried out recently and he loved! He also got the classic barrel of monkeys game, which has been a great source of entertainment lately for him (although Mommy has had to keep Hadley safely away from the little pieces that's she's so interested in checking out). Luke and Lydia both were excited to open their stockings too. It is always so easy to find things to put in theirs. I have to catch myself before I buy too much!

 

 

 

 

Then it was time for a little Pacman. This was Caleb's first experience with the classic yellow video game character and he was glued to it. I love these pics of him cuddled up to Aunt Amy watching her play. He never really wanted to play himself I don't think. He just like watching the adults. Before we left the next day, he even talked Dave into playing again just so he could watch.

Pacman was almost as much fun as pretending to be monkeys jumping on the bed and enjoying all the new toys - but not quite! After a short time sitting in front of the TV, the energy filled cousins were on the go again.

 

The rest of day two with the cousins was brimming with even more fun. Grandma suggested a trip to a sporting good store nearby called Scheels that housed an aquarium, ferris wheel, tons of stuffed animals, president statues, and a ton of other things. When it was all said and done though, I think the escalator was the hit of the day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we got back Caleb and Luke had more little boy fun together running about and exploring each other's new toys. Not to be left behind though, Hadley got in on quite a bit of cousin play time too. She played with her Aunt Amy's childhood doll highchair with Lydia and got lots of lovin' from Luke, who paid much more attention to her than her busy brother usually does.

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning we all said our goodbyes and our family headed to visit Grandma Swan. We are glad got to enjoy a lot of memorable moments watching the cousins play together. On the other hand, it was one of the roughest and most trying trips we've ever taken. Not only was the journey there rough, Caleb also had more meltdowns than ever as a result of traveling, being in a new place, having his meal and sleep schedules altered, and teething. It is hard to control your emotions some times anyway as a two-year-old, but coupled with all of those variations to his normal routine really did a number on our poor boy. Both Dave and I felt disappointed that his grandparents didn't get to see the normal happy go-lucky, sweet boy that we enjoy so much on an every day basis because he was just not quite himself on this visit. Hopefully as both kids get another year older, next time around will be a much smoother trip all around. We've already been talking about what tweaks we can make to ensure everyone has the best trip possible next year. Good thing we have a while to work out the details!