Our trip

Our annual trip out to see my folks was fun!

Wednesday

We actually had a playdate in the morning. We went to *M*'s house. *M* is the Princess' favorite friend who is a girl. I had a nice time getting to know *M*'s mom better. When we drop the kids off at school, it's not easy to stand around and chit-chat. She's got a one-year-old and I've got the fiesty almost two-year-old. So it was nice to sit and talk. I found out a lot more about the history of the school and the kids that attend it.

Before we left for the playdate, I prepared pb&j's. Once we got home at 11:30am, I put the sandwiches out and had the kiddos eat a quick lunch. I then put on a movie so I could finish up packing. Once I finished up, I was able to throw all the bags into hubby's truck (Ram 1500 extended cab). I even put the Princess' carseat in. All we needed was for my hubby to get home!

We left around 3pm (Pacific time). The Bear fell asleep shortly after we got onto the freeway. The Princess' fell asleep about 30 minutes later. What's funny is that the Bear woke up about 2 hours later. The Princess' woke up when we were rolling into our fuel-food stop. It's a little over 3 hours drive from our townhouse. It's also the halfway point on our drive. We fuel up and then we get out and eat. We generally eat at the McDonald's and stay for about 30 minutes. That's enough time to eat, go to the restroom, and let the kiddos burn some energy.

I fired the computer up once we got back on the road (about 20 minutes outside of the city). The kids watched "Finding Nemo", which is a favorite. They both sat quietly through the entire movie. It was HEAVEN! My hubby was so happy that they were both so settled. He said "I'm glad I thought of it!" When the movie was over and the battery was just about dead, we had to turn the computer off. The Bear complained because he didn’t understand what was going on. He finally settled down and both kids fell asleep.

We rolled into the driveway about 9:30pm (Pacific Time). The Princess was able to wake up to give my folks and younger sister hugs & kisses. The Bear was disoriented and didn’t know what the heck was going on. We quickly got him changed & into the crib where he quickly fell back to sleep. About 20 minutes later we had the Princess tucked away in bed.

Thursday

I woke up and got in a shower before the troops woke up. I gave both kids baths and changed for the day before my hubby even saw the light of day. Actually, both kids were already fed before he finally awoke from his slumber. We were going to spend the day up at my older sister’s house, so I had the diaper bag set with extra clothes, a bib & sippy cups. Once my hubs had showered, we were on our way.

I had the kids in coordinating outfits because I wanted to have our Christmas card photo taken. I put them both in bright yellow shirts. The Princess had a denim overall dress over her shirt. The Bear had some denim pants. Both my hubs and I wore blue jeans. I had a plain black t-shirt while he had a medium blue polo shirt on. My older sister took about 5 photos of us four. I took a couple of the kids with my hubs. Then there were a couple of just me with the kids. Thankfully, two of the five group photos turned out REALLY nice.

Anyway, we showed up at my sister’s place about 10:30am. The official mealtime was schedule for 2pm, but she told us to come early so we could catch-up. Also, we wanted the kids to have time to play with their cousins! My sisters’ and her SIL’s kids all love playing with my two younger ones. They all ran around in the backyard. My little guy tried hard to keep up with the older ones. It was so funny watching him trail everyone else. At one point, they gave him a small bat & ball. He went to town playing with that on his own.

I had a blast eating the Thanksgiving meal. There was SO much food! Plus, no one made a fuss if you went back twice or even THREE times. All of us stuffed ourselves. Hey, it’s tradition! After the kids ate, they headed back out into the yard to play. The adults stayed inside and chatted and watched “Around the World in 80 Days.”

We got back to my parents house about 8pm and got the kids in bed. About 10 minutes later, my parents and younger sister arrived home. Before I went to bed, my sister and I made plans to go hit a couple stores (Target & Toys’R’Us) around 6:30am.

Friday

How did my shopping go? Well, I didn’t get up until 6:50am. By then my sister had left. Why didn’t she wake me up to go? Because the little boy woke up crying around 3am. He wouldn’t let me put him back into the crib. So I ended up lying down with him to get him to relax. He was endlessly twirling my hair between his fingers. It took him a good while to get back to sleep, which meant I was also sleep deprived.

Once we were all awake, my folks, my younger sister, and my clan all went to IHOP for breakfast. After we finished eating, the girls went off to Home Depot to check out prices. My parents want to fix up their house in the next few months. They’re either going to sell it or stay there for a bit. They say they’re waiting for my younger sister to get a job before they make their final decision. Whatever!

We looked at countertops. She seems to be drawn to the solid countertops – Gibraltor & Corian – because each brand can incorporate a sink with a seamless appearance. We then looked at cabinet re-facing supplies. Then off to plumbing fixtures. Finally, we checked out flooring – carpet & the newer linoleum. My Mom now has a better of idea of what things cost. All she and my Dad have to do now is to prioritize the things they want to do and see what’ll fit into their budget.

Saturday

I went out shopping with my Mom and the Princess. We didn’t go to one of the big malls. We stayed close to home. For the Bear: A bat with balls, a lacrosse set, a Magna Doodle, an electronic alphabet toy, two turtlenecks, and corduroy pants. For the Princess: A large Magna Doodle, two LeapPad Writing books, and two ruffled turtlenecks.

We met up with my hubs & the Bear at Fins. The two of them went to the mall to walk around. What was funny about this place was that at the next table were some regulars with their two kids (they had Fins plastic cups). Anyway, the little boy (15 months old) was making frustrated grunting noises in our direction. Apparently, we were sitting at their regular table. Right next to our table was the wall mounted fish tank. I guess MY little guy was too close to the fish tank for that other little boy. I couldn’t help at how territorial that other little guy was acting.

My older sister and niece were at my parents when we got back. But we didn’t stay long. My older sister wanted to look at some houses for sale in a nearby community. Her job is about an hour commute from her current home. My BIL works about 45 minutes away too. So if they were able to find a home further south (closer to work) then they’d be happier. So I took off with my two sisters (NO KIDS!) and we spent about 2 ½ hours looking at open houses and model homes.

The first home we looked at was BEAUTIFUL! It was a “For Sale by Owner”. The gal had the house decked out with Christmas decorations. It definitely would have been something my hubby would have liked. It had wood shutters. It had stainless steel appliances. But I just about died when I saw the asking price.

The next house was smaller but had a nice layout. The staircase entry was from the back of the house. The upstairs wasn’t open to below, so it was very private and isolated. There was a loft landing that they decorated as a hangout area. But it only had a 2-car garage so my BIL wouldn’t want to even look at it.

Next, we looked at some model homes. I liked the first model. It had a greatroom (no formal living or dining), kitchen, 3/4 bath, & den (optional bedroom) downstairs. The master & 2 additional bedrooms (with a jack-n-jill bath) were upstairs. None of us liked the second model. Both my sisters liked the third model. It had a 3-car garage for my BIL. The kitchen had a HUGE island that would be terrific for the kids to do their homework or for buffet dining. There was a ¾ bath next to the den (optional bedroom). Upstairs, the master was in the front of the house with a walk-out balcony. The upstairs also had 3 additional bedrooms with walk-in closets, plus the laundry area. I think my sister is going to show my BIL the plans and they’re going to seriously consider it.

Sunday

We didn’t venture out. We hung out all day until we had to drive back. The drive home was uneventful. My hubby bought an adapter on Friday afternoon, so we were able to run the computer for about 4 ½ hours.

It was SO nice being able to spend time with my parents and my sisters and our extended family (my BILs side). The kiddos had a great time playing with their cousins. Even my hubby had a relaxing time. Next year, we'll be spending Christmas with my family. Hopefully, I'll be able to fly out a few days early with the kids and then ride back with my hubby. Yeah! It's going to be fun!