Little Bubbas: Traveling

Dear Kiddos,
I love you. We went to Aunt Chelsea's wedding in Sandpoint, Idaho this weekend. It was a very long weekend. Traveling with you three as young as you are is so hard, too hard for Mommy. The stress of the clock and the to do list was too much. I did not like the parent I became this weekend; naggy, grumpy, constantly expecting more of you than you're capable of, and speaking to you with stress and frustration in my voice. For that... I'm sorry.
It started Friday morning. Daddy had a very important errand to run before we could leave and I had to pick up Kaylee's dress at the post office. I ordered the dress from China and did not expect it to arrive, I'm so happy that it did. It was one of the few, brief moments where something went right! I got up at six and began finishing up the packing (which I had worked on all day Thursday), loading the car, getting food for the trip, and doing all the little things that I couldn't do when Daddy was at work. We left the house at 8:30. The errands took us far longer than we had hoped largely because when we were finally ready to get on the freeway I remembered that I had forgot Aunt Chelsea's wedding present in the garage and we had to go back for it. So...at 10:00 we left the Tri-Cities. You were fairly good in the car. You dropped some of your toys a few times and that caused us to pull over several times- one of the very few moments of good parenting this weekend. Daddy and I just don't think it's fair to make you cry over a dropped toy when we expect you to sit in the car for four hours. Then someone pooped, then Kaylee was hungry, then someone else pooped, another dropped toy, a stop at the Tux shop in Spokane to pick up Daddy's outfit, a stop at David's Bridal to pick up a matching headband for Kaylee's dress, someone dropped a toy, someone pooped, until finally we arrived at Sandpoint at 3:45. This was perfect because the dress rehearsal was at 4:00. We couldn't have planned it better.
Until we got lost. We drove around until 4:30 before we finally found the wedding site. We got out of the car and the boys ran around like they just discovered the use of their legs. FREEDOM! We snuck out of the rehearsal a few minutes early because we wanted to check into the hotel and get cleaned up before dinner which caused us to be a few minutes late to the rehearsal dinner. This wasn't a big deal because it was a serve yourself appetizer bar to begin with.
The restaurant was very beautiful. The food was very good. There was a magician! You loved the magician. At one point he made a ball appear from behind Hunter's ear, and then proceeded to take the ball and turn it into 4 balls! Hunter had this look of absolute confusion on his face. A true...How'd he do that (Arrested Development). There were moments of simplicity and joy at the dinner. There were moments of panic and frustration at the dinner. The room we were in had doors that opened out to the restaurants patio. The patio led out to the busy street. I was constantly on edge as the boys were running in and out of the restaurant with their cousins playing and having a good time. We got told so many times to relax. That there was plenty of family around to help take care of the kids. However, that is when I relax the least. It is in that situation that I feel it is the easiest to get complacent. Unless there is a specific person assigned to watching you guys than I feel it is really easy for everyone to think that someone else is watching you, which would result in nobody watching you at all. So, I was on edge. Then Kaylee threw up (the first of a BUNCH of times over the course of the weekend.). I cleaned her up and then walked her over to Grandma Marge to hold her leaving Daddy and the boys to clean up the mess. Daddy was cleaning up the mess. When I looked up Daddy was across the room talking to his Dad and the boys were not in sight. Pure Panic Mode! The only thing I could think of was the busy street and the open door. Daddy and I began looking all over the restaurant, out by the street, on the patio. I was seconds away from telling the manager to shut doors and call the cops when out walks Grandma Karen from the bathroom with both boys. I felt absolute relief. Daddy then began telling everyone that if they decided to take our children somewhere they needed to let one of us know first.
When we got to the hotel for the evening Daddy and I were exhausted. Kaylee was exhausted. The boys were not... They wanted to jump on the bed, explore the room, check out the coffee pot, make phone calls. Finally, everyone was asleep by ten.
Day two. We woke up, got dressed, had continental breakfast, and then began the search for something fun to do until the wedding. After driving around forever we finally found the airplane museum. All of you loved it although I thought it was a little advanced for you. The lady at the Sandpoint information center said it was the perfect place for kids after I told her I had three kids under three. You did like it, but it was far from the perfect place for kids.
The best part of the trip: we were getting back into the van when we were done at the museum. Daddy saw a green, spiked pine cone on the ground. Mommy was bent over taking care of Kaylee and the boys were getting into their seats. Daddy put the pine cone by Mommy's face and said, "Hey boys, look at this neat bug I found." I turned around to see this big fat, green, spiky bug. I screamed and fell backwards. Daddy began laughing, but when he tried to show you what had scared Mommy you got scared. Daddy threw the pine cone on the ground and tried to buckle Hunter into his car seat. Hunter thought he was putting the "bug" in his car seat and just freaked out! Daddy had to pick the pine cone up and show Hunter that it wasn't in his seat. Hunter yells, " Put that bug in the dirt Daddy!" We laughed all the way to the next stop!
Then we went to the infamous cupcake store. We had been really excited to take you there as it had gotten rave reviews from everyone we'd talked to. We literally skipped into the store with excitement. It was a let down. There were only five types of cupcakes to choose from and there was not homemade ice cream like we'd been expecting. The cupcakes tasted like Betty Crockers box and Pillsbury cream cheese frosting. Nothing to write home about. Kaylee enjoyed the trip to the cupcake store very much. The boys were less impressed- Hunter didn't even eat his cupcake.
Another priceless moment of the trip: Daddy parked next to a big puddle alongside the curb. When we were leaving the cupcake store Connor was concerned about the "big mess." He kept pointing at it and trying to find a way into the van without going through it. Hunter was getting ready to step into it and in the highest pitch voice I've ever hear, in pure panic Connor screams, "NOOO! Don't touch it!" It just made me laugh so hard.
So... back to the hotel for naps and then to get ready for the wedding. This part of the trip was close to the worst moment. Connor didn't take a nap. Kaylee only took a short nap, Hunter got woken up (which we all know how that goes!), Daddy had a meltdown trying to get ready, Mommy's hair did not work, Hunter had a meltdown when asked to take a bath... and then, finally, we left.
The wedding was beautiful. Chelsea was beautiful. Rick looked very handsome. Wonderful ceremony. Picture perfect.
I told the boys to leave their toys in the car. I was worried that they would fight over the toys, or other kids would be sad that they didn't have the toys. Then a Woody toy showed up. The little girl who brought the Woody toy shared very nicely. The problem was that it was the coolest Woody doll in the world. It talked. It had a real pull string, removable hat, the works. Of course, the boys fought over the Woody doll. Josie had a very cute Jessie doll. Very cute. The boys fought over the Jessie doll. It appears that I was the only mean Mommy that wouldn't let you two bring a toy. Or a cool toy at that. Connor had a meltdown right before the wedding started so he wasn't able to be a flower boy. He was upset because they took the Jessie doll away from him and gave him the flower basket. He wanted the doll. Hunter did a very good job as flower boy. He was oh so cute. When he ran out of flowers, he threw the basket. Perfect. Just as the ceremony started I see Daddy quickly hold Kaylee away from him and I see her lose what looks to be an entire 8 ounce bottle. I grab her and begin rushing her to the car to clean her up, but she kept throwing up. She threw up all the way to the car. Just as I was beginning to think maybe she had heat stress or something I laid her down on the car seat and she opened her mouth. She was choking on one of Daddy's rose petals from his boutonniere. Done. That was the closest I was to calling it quits and just going home right then and there. I was so scared as I pulled the petal out from the back of her throat, and I was so awe struck that even after the ordeal she was still smiling and laughing. I tried to save the dress, but she had thrown up all the way down it and was soaking wet. So I cleaned her off, changed her outfit, and headed back to the ceremony to find that it was half over. Then Connor and Hunter began running out of yogos and I spent the rest of the ceremony trying to keep them quiet.
On the way to the reception Mommy and Daddy were feeling like we were dragging you through the mud so we took you to Walmart to pick out your very own Woody doll. The cool Woody doll cost $37 (times two!), a bullet we gladly would've bitten at this point, but Hunter picked a $25 Buzz Lightyear and Connor picked a $7 Buzz/Woody miniatures. Now that you were all happy and some guilt had been lifted, we set off to brave the reception.
The reception was beautifully decorated, great food again, great music, the speeches you three let us listen to were very good, overall A+. You three were on your best behavior. However, we had to leave several times to take you to the bathroom and change diapers. Kaylee continued to throw up. Mommy and Daddy had their heads on swivels as we were trying to keep track of you, while also allowing you to have free roam of the reception hall. Around 9pm Hunter and Connor decided to lay down on the dance floor and go to bed, so we loaded you up and took you back to the hotel. Mommy snuggled you all in bed and watched Runaway Bride, and Daddy went back to the reception to dance with Aunt Chelsea.
We had been contemplating it all day, but when Daddy came back from the reception at 11pm it was official. We were going home. We were spent and could not do another moment. We needed to wake up in our own home and do an entire 24 hours where we knew our kids were safe and happy and we were not nagging them. We needed that so bad before the work week started. We loaded sleeping kids into the car, and drove home. It was 4am when we got home. It was a peaceful drive. Nobody dropped a toy, nobody pooped, nobody got hungry. When we got home Hunter, Connor, and Mommy crawled into bed (on the boys request, otherwise I would've let Daddy lay down since he did all the driving), and Daddy fed Kaylee and put her back to sleep.
This morning we woke up in our own beds and have been snuggling and laughing all morning. It is going to be the peaceful day we needed after a busy weekend. I wish we could've enjoyed the wedding and reception more and I'm sorry that we drug you through the mud. Lesson learned, next time we have to make such a big trip...we'll let you stay home. I love you guys so much! Thanks for being troopers and for forgiving Mommy and Daddy of their shortcomings so easily.
Kisses!
Mommy