We had his handy Garmin GPS unit who Nicole named "Zacky". Zacky was our guide through backroads, interstates, major cities and places even she had never heard of. For the most part, Zacky was helpful and we were thankful for her. However, more than once she told us to "veer right" or "turn right" much to early.
One such instance happened the ONLY time I was driving, in Atlanta, at 9:00 at night as I was searching for a CVS to "buy" diapers (they were going to be free). Zacky told me to turn right, and so I did. Only to find my self on the interstate in stand still traffic for more than half an hour with two sleepy children and one somewhat frustrated husband. I however thought it was hysterical. Especially when we had to pay a toll...then, pay the same toll 3 miles later when I could finally turn around. Jeremy really wasn't frustrated or mad, but he was missing the season opener NFL game, so I'm pretty sure he was at least a bit annoyed. We made it to said CVS, I bought diapers and bribery candy bars all for a buck, so I think that made it worth it. But, I never did drive again, haha
It wasn't our only CVS trip though on the trip. A few days earlier we had to stop to pick up some meds for our little sicky. I spent far to long in there, not looking for deals, but trying to figure out what in the world to buy for Hannah. I HATE buying medicine and get a little freaky about reading all the labels. I'm pretty sure though that Nicole was having fun in the car with daddy. I also bought some peace candy in there too:-)
So...... A few thoughts about taking a road trip with two small children and a pregnant lady...
~Driver must be patient and willing to stop every hour, if needed
~Driver must be patient and willing to listen to crying/whining
~Driver must be patient and willing to listen to the same children's CD for hours
~Driver must be patient and willing to answer the same questions over and over
~Driver must be patient and willing to pick up the same blanket and unknown amount of times because pregnant lady can't reach that far.
~ Driver must be patient and willing to deal with a GPS unit that isn't always right, but a wife that, of course, is ALWAYS right (not really)
~Driver must be patient and willing to change courses in a blink of an eye
****Good thing we had a GREAT driver! He did all these things and MORE***
~Automatic toilets are NOT a good idea. More than once the potty flushed while Nicole was on it, and operation potty stop was over. She refused to go potty or stay on a potty that flushed while she was trying to go. A note to friends, bring sticky notes to cover up the sensor, would have saved us many extra stops.
~Automatic sinks ARE a great idea. So are automatic soap dispensers. However, automatic hand dryers without the option of towels are a bad idea. Especially those newer ones that blow out hurricane force winds. More than one little one has rushed out of the bathroom screaming for fear of being blown away.
~Driving through Atlanta is ALWAYS stressful, no matter what time of day or night (twice we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic after 9:00pm).
We had fun at rest stops, eating snacks and taking pictures.
The girls did remarkably well in the car. AND....we didn't even use the DVD player. Nope...not even once! I was shocked. But, they were fairly contained with books, coloring, and listening to the same music over and over. They also did well falling asleep at nap times...for the most part.
A game we played all vacation long was "Hey Cow". Jeremy introduced Nicole to this game several weeks earlier and it progressed to a family affair. Whenever we see a field of cows, we roll down our windows and yell as loud as we can "Hey Cow" (although Nicole says "Hi Cow" and Hannah just screams). At first I was a bit annoyed, but then I began to find what a stress buster this was. It's actually a lot of fun and bonus points if you scare more than one cow, hahaha. Hannah now yells at whatever animals she sees on side of the road. This was why they were so excited to see cows on my uncle's farm:-)
Of course our driver was ALWAYS serious, focused with two hands on the wheel at ALL times!
We had a fun time. Thanks for coming along on our journey.
I have lots more posts planned for the week, having nothing to do with vacation. We had a visit from the girl's great-grandparents, we've finished a unit on birds and cats and I'm still hoping to sit down and review a book for you. Stay tuned:-)
5 comments:
O Michele, so many funny story about your trip, great memorys to always ponder in your heart. You have done a wonderful job of putting everything together, and always with a good laugh!! The part about the DRIVER,hahahaha, way to funny!! The auto toilets, what a great visial with Nicole!! hahahaha.I have enjoyed and laughed about every post on your blog. Thank you for taking the time to share every fun and not so fun time (the bear)hahahaha. Love you
I echo your mom's comment! :) You are so creative and funny with your words! You do a great job painting the whole picture for us! I said this one day last week, but this as topped them all! This was my favorite from the "vacation series."
Tiffy
P.S. Did you know you forgot to put tea party pics in the post you title "Tea Party & Miscellaneous" Hehe..that's ok, it was pretty long.
By the way, the whole "hey cow" thing makes me laugh. Especially the fact that Hannah just screams. lol. (she is such a funny funny girl!) It doesn't surprise me that Jeremy's children do something like that-it sounds just like something we would've done as kids!
Awe...you guys are sweet. I'm glad you enjoyed reading about our vacation. It's been fun chronicling it.
Tiff....I realized that after I posted. I'll have to throw the tea party pics up some other time. Thanks for sending them:-)
Heyyy! Thanks so much for all the trip highlights! They were so entertaining. I never thought about automatic toilets and how they must freak out little kids, but I know they freak me out, and if I was little I'd be terrified, I'm sure. They really should do something about those things. They flush constantly! But thanks for the Post-It Note tip.
It was so good to see you and your sweet little family. I miss you already!! But I'm glad you're back to blogging, too, so I can spy on you. :) Keep in touch! I need some pregnancy and child rearing details. :)
That was a fun journey and a great insight to some fun memories u guys made...I'm with the others I laughed when I had the visual of nicole sitting on the potty and fearing for her life :) I'm putting a pad of sticky notes in my purse :) Thanks for your hard work on the blogging it was fun :)
Valerie
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