Lucas playing in the 'store' at theChildren's Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lucas & Zach with Great Grandma Merritt
Firefighter Zach at the Children's Museum
Firefighter Zach at the Children's Museum
We survived! Both children are alive and well!!!!!
We left Boise on the 6th, after Casey and I were off work. Picked up the kids from Grandma's, grabbed some dinner, and headed down the dusty trail. We were only 13 minutes into the trip when Lucas asked if we were in Utah yet. I thought Casey was going to kill him right then and there...instead, he told him no, and not to ask again. After their movie was finished, we stopped at a truck stop and got them changed into their pj's. Lucas fell asleep right away, but Zach still needed one more potty break. It was perhaps one of the cutest quotes from the trip...'mommy, I have to go potty', and 10 minutes later, 'hurry mommy, there isn't much time'!! He did awesome, and while there were emergency roadside potty breaks, there were not any accidents!!!!!! We arrived in Ogden, Utah without incident. While Casey checked us into our room, we checked out the resident raccoons in the garbage dumpster near the car.
Wednesday morning we had breakfast, gassed up the car, and headed for Cheyenne, Wyoming. We were just leaving the gas station when Grandma Jessie called and said they were in Ogden, near the interchange. We agreed to stop for lunch together...and then amazingly, as we pulled onto the interstate Casey told me to turn around and look behind us...there was Grandpa and Grandma! Such a small world at times! : ) We stopped in Rock Springs, Wyoming at Taco Time and had lunch with them. The boys thought it was super cool that G&G were there too! We forged onward to Cheyenne. The windmills, drilling rigs and snow fences entertained me and Casey, while the dvd player saved our bacon and kept the kids mesmerized. We ordered The Princess and The Frog, and 101 Dalmations from Netflix...and we also bought The Bee Movie, in the hopes that something new would be helpful...it worked like a charm! We arrived safely in Cheyenne. However, as we got back in the car to head out for some pizza the stupid Malfunction Indicator Light (check engine light) came on. We hadn't been impressed with the gas mileage, and had noticed in Rawlins that the car was idling funny. So over dinner we noticed the lack of VW dealerships in the area, and googled it. Someone on a VW forum suggested we take it to an Autozone where they could tell us what codes it was throwing. Cylinder misfire and 9 other codes all related to this same thing. The closest dealership was 50 miles away in Fort Collins, Colorado (completely out of the way). Our next destination was Lincoln, Nebraska (400 miles away). So, I called my mechanic here in Boise to see what he suggested. Fort Collins it was!! We decided to burn off a bit of the boys' excessive energy in the pool. They were hilarious!! Lucas is totally cautious Callie, and Zach is totally afraid of NOTHING!!!! Neither one of them have had any swim lessons yet, but Zach is like a fish in the water...he will be just fine when we start lessons in September! The lady at the check in counter gave them some squirter toys, which they thoroughly enjoyed!
Thursday morning we called and scheduled a 1:30 appointment at the dealership in Fort Collins, looked up the number for a tow truck, just in case, and headed out. We made it without the need for a tow truck (THANKFULLY). Since we were there early we were glad we'd borrowed Pete & Misty's GPS...we looked for a mall, and there was one practically across the street from the dealership. It ended up having a Glow Golf inside (black light miniature golf)...we paid for our 54 holes, of which we only completed maybe 40! We grabbed some lunch, and headed down to ride the coin operated cars...just like the ones at the Boise Town Square that the boys LOVE! After we exhausted our coins we noticed a little play area, that was free, so we decided to give it a try. The boys had a ball climbing, running and chasing the other little kids around. Totally wish our mall had something so wonderful! Got the car to the dealership. 10 minutes later he came out to tell us that we had a hole in an intake valve, it would only take about 45 minutes to fix it, and better yet, only $160!! Back on the road...but there was no way we were going to try to make it to Lincoln that night. We made it to Ogallala, Nebraska that night a little after 6pm. Had some dinner, and checked in to the hotel.
Friday morning, instead of heading out to the zoo. We got in the car and headed to Lincoln. I was totally bummed because I had wanted to spend a car free day touring the Children's Zoo and Children's Museum in Lincoln. Since both close at 5pm, and we didn't get there until 3pm, we chose to spend the rest of the afternoon inside (it was 90 degrees and super humid outside) at the museum. There are 3 levels of nothing but fun things to explore and play with there. The boys played their little hearts out, and had a blast. We checked into the hotel, grabbed some dinner, and back to the pool we went!!!!! It was amazing how much more relaxed Lucas was in the water this time around. He even jumped in a few times!
Saturday was THE day we finally arrived in Illinois! The boys were soooooo excited to meet Great Grandma! We arrived at Ken and Sharon's house in Plymouth...and it was instantly like being home. I love the family out there!! Monte and Lisa had come over for dinner. As had Great Grandma, and Lynn and Jessie. The boys met the cats and instantly fell in love. After dinner we went outside to play and did the boys ever show the family just how 'boy' they are. From pumping water at the old school fountain, to playing with the cats, to digging in the sandbox, to riding in the wagon on the back of Uncle Ken's 4 wheeler, to catching lightning bugs. The boys had never seen a lightning bug, so it was their favorite activity while we were there. We got some cute pictures and some great video of them catching bugs. And be proud of me, I even caught a few for my boys...YES, you heard correctly, I TOUCHED bugs on purpose!!!! A few hours past their bedtime we put them to bed and made plans for the caravan to the reunion on Sunday in Chilicothe.
Back in the car on Sunday morning...headed to Chilicothe for the reunion. It was a much shorter ride in the car than what we'd had the previous few days (only 2 hours each way). The boys played at the park for awhile. Then, after chatting and a nice potluck lunch we headed across the parking lot to the pool. The sun hid behind the clouds and there was a cold wind blowing, so we didn't last too long at the pool. But the boys did have a good time. They had way more fun playing and chasing their cousins around at the reunion though. I'm not sure if they had more fun with the cousins or Aunt Lisa and Uncle Monte!?! A good time was had by all, and there were about 45 people there, give or take. A few faces that were new for me, and a few that I hadn't seen since my last visit 5 years ago. As we were leaving, Lucas ran ahead and managed a huge fall that scraped up both knees quite badly. Poor clutzy kid!!! Back at home Uncle Ken dragged out the trampoline. The boys thought that was so much fun! Daniel and Anna got out the 4 wheelers again, so Daniel was volunteered to take Zachary for a ride...he thought that was fun. Lucas opted out...once again, my little cautious Callie! Another great night of sleep from my kids that night.
Monday...the only day thus far that we didn't spend a single minute in the car! The kids and I hung out at the house. Did a much needed load of laundry. Visited a lot. Kids played a LOT! Casey and Lynn toured the plant where Ken works, where they make farm equipment. And best of all, Monday evening Heidi, Josie and Amelia came over for dinner. It was so much fun to meet Heidi and her girls! Monte and Lisa also joined us for dinner. I cannot tell you in words just how fun and loving that family is! I truly wish Illinois was just across town, and not clear across the country from us! I am a lucky girl, marrying into that family! ; ) The boys got a huge kick out of playing with their cousins. And Aunt Sharon gave them some small rubbermaid cups with lids to catch lightning bugs in. What a hoot it was for them to catch the bugs and be able to watch them light up in the cups!!!!
Our time in Illinois came to a close all too soon, for we headed out West Tuesday morning. We pretty much retraced our route. We made it back to Lincoln, Nebraska. I decided to start keeping track of the license plates I'd see along the way. Something other than corn and soy bean fields to keep me entertained. The one thing I thoroughly enjoyed about being back in Lincoln...high speed internet in the hotel room! : ) We barely had a connection most days in Illinois (because Ken and Sharon live in the sticks)!!!!!
Wednesday we headed back to Cheyenne, Wyoming, keeping our fingers crossed that we'd have better karma than we'd previously had in Cheyenne!! No car problems this time around, thankfully! Olive Garden and a wonderfully tasty strawberry mango margarita were on the table for dinner that night! I'd been very good while on vacation with all of the eating out...however, I was too lazy to look up all of the fast food, so I didn't keep track of my calories 'in' while on vacation. The margarita was probably too much for the day since I'd sat on my butt ALL day long. I figured I deserved a treat though! And I tried to work off some of those calories in the pool that night with the boys! : )
Thursday morning started off on a bad note. We got word of Doug and Trin's motorcycle accident back here in Boise. We were very relieved to find out that they were okay though. And despite the bad start to the day we made it to Layton, Utah. After grabbing some dinner we found our way over to Todd and Danielle's house for a visit. Another great visit, and the boys had a ball playing with their cousins Anthony and Dimarco. I love having such a great extended family...oh how I wish they were all closer, and that there were more hours in the day so that my boys could know all of their cousins better.
Friday was the day that my boys had so anxiously been waiting for. We went to the Lagoon and Lagoon A Beach. As we were walking up to the gates Lucas spotted the old, white roller coaster and declared that he wanted to ride it. Casey told him that he'd totally ride with him. Good thing we started off with the small toddler dragon coaster first. He told us that he wanted to ride by himself (and of course we didn't let him, given last year's dragon coaster experience where he got off early when the operator was generous enough to stop it for him). It didn't even take one full loop before he said it was too scary, and that he didn't want to ride it by himself, and he didn't want to ride the big white one anymore either! He's so cute sometimes! : ) We rode a ton of rides in the 100+ degree heat, grabbed some mini corn dogs and drinks for lunch. Then we checked out the waterpark. It was refreshing given the intense heat, but there isn't a lot for the little guys there, especially since Lucas is afraid of the water. A few more rides, a trip through the gift shop for a birthday present for Zach attack, and we were on our way back to the hotel. The car said 109 when we found it in the lot...Zach was crashed before we even hit I-15! Dinner at Famous Dave's and back to the hotel we went. And rather than splashing around in the pool afterwards, we watched a movie and chilled in the hotel room.
Saturday we returned home to a very lonely kitty, and almost 100 degrees here in Boise! The yard resembled a rain forest, and my rose bushes were out of control. One day later, things are back to normal. We had a great time!!!! I'm not sure if I over prepared myself mentally for how horrible it was going to be, traveling 3000+ miles with the boys, or if I'm just really lucky...but my boys did freaking AWESOME!!!! God bless the inventor of the portable dvd player, good Disney movies, and my boys! I thought I wouldn't want to take another car trip with them EVER...and I would seriously do it tomorrow if need be!
We traveled through 8 states, over 3000 miles, saw license plates from 39 of the 50 United States, and 4 provinces of Canada. Learned that the windmills are freaking HUGE. The Red Desert of Wyoming is a huge source of natural gas, and thus all of the drilling and Sinclair refineries. We saw a ton of wind/snow fences in Wyoming, a ton of antelope and pronghorns, corn fields and soy bean fields. We learned that Missouri still allows smoking in their restaurants, and that we'd forgotten what it was like to be asked smoking or non upon entering the restaurant. We crossed the Continental Divide, and the mighty Mississippi River. We learned that Mark Twain was born in Hannibal, Missouri...and that we should stop and look at some of the interesting sites affiliated with that on a future trip out East.
Fortunately, I've got tomorrow and Tuesday off work to recover and also to prepare for Zach's big birthday bash. Until next time...
We left Boise on the 6th, after Casey and I were off work. Picked up the kids from Grandma's, grabbed some dinner, and headed down the dusty trail. We were only 13 minutes into the trip when Lucas asked if we were in Utah yet. I thought Casey was going to kill him right then and there...instead, he told him no, and not to ask again. After their movie was finished, we stopped at a truck stop and got them changed into their pj's. Lucas fell asleep right away, but Zach still needed one more potty break. It was perhaps one of the cutest quotes from the trip...'mommy, I have to go potty', and 10 minutes later, 'hurry mommy, there isn't much time'!! He did awesome, and while there were emergency roadside potty breaks, there were not any accidents!!!!!! We arrived in Ogden, Utah without incident. While Casey checked us into our room, we checked out the resident raccoons in the garbage dumpster near the car.
Wednesday morning we had breakfast, gassed up the car, and headed for Cheyenne, Wyoming. We were just leaving the gas station when Grandma Jessie called and said they were in Ogden, near the interchange. We agreed to stop for lunch together...and then amazingly, as we pulled onto the interstate Casey told me to turn around and look behind us...there was Grandpa and Grandma! Such a small world at times! : ) We stopped in Rock Springs, Wyoming at Taco Time and had lunch with them. The boys thought it was super cool that G&G were there too! We forged onward to Cheyenne. The windmills, drilling rigs and snow fences entertained me and Casey, while the dvd player saved our bacon and kept the kids mesmerized. We ordered The Princess and The Frog, and 101 Dalmations from Netflix...and we also bought The Bee Movie, in the hopes that something new would be helpful...it worked like a charm! We arrived safely in Cheyenne. However, as we got back in the car to head out for some pizza the stupid Malfunction Indicator Light (check engine light) came on. We hadn't been impressed with the gas mileage, and had noticed in Rawlins that the car was idling funny. So over dinner we noticed the lack of VW dealerships in the area, and googled it. Someone on a VW forum suggested we take it to an Autozone where they could tell us what codes it was throwing. Cylinder misfire and 9 other codes all related to this same thing. The closest dealership was 50 miles away in Fort Collins, Colorado (completely out of the way). Our next destination was Lincoln, Nebraska (400 miles away). So, I called my mechanic here in Boise to see what he suggested. Fort Collins it was!! We decided to burn off a bit of the boys' excessive energy in the pool. They were hilarious!! Lucas is totally cautious Callie, and Zach is totally afraid of NOTHING!!!! Neither one of them have had any swim lessons yet, but Zach is like a fish in the water...he will be just fine when we start lessons in September! The lady at the check in counter gave them some squirter toys, which they thoroughly enjoyed!
Thursday morning we called and scheduled a 1:30 appointment at the dealership in Fort Collins, looked up the number for a tow truck, just in case, and headed out. We made it without the need for a tow truck (THANKFULLY). Since we were there early we were glad we'd borrowed Pete & Misty's GPS...we looked for a mall, and there was one practically across the street from the dealership. It ended up having a Glow Golf inside (black light miniature golf)...we paid for our 54 holes, of which we only completed maybe 40! We grabbed some lunch, and headed down to ride the coin operated cars...just like the ones at the Boise Town Square that the boys LOVE! After we exhausted our coins we noticed a little play area, that was free, so we decided to give it a try. The boys had a ball climbing, running and chasing the other little kids around. Totally wish our mall had something so wonderful! Got the car to the dealership. 10 minutes later he came out to tell us that we had a hole in an intake valve, it would only take about 45 minutes to fix it, and better yet, only $160!! Back on the road...but there was no way we were going to try to make it to Lincoln that night. We made it to Ogallala, Nebraska that night a little after 6pm. Had some dinner, and checked in to the hotel.
Friday morning, instead of heading out to the zoo. We got in the car and headed to Lincoln. I was totally bummed because I had wanted to spend a car free day touring the Children's Zoo and Children's Museum in Lincoln. Since both close at 5pm, and we didn't get there until 3pm, we chose to spend the rest of the afternoon inside (it was 90 degrees and super humid outside) at the museum. There are 3 levels of nothing but fun things to explore and play with there. The boys played their little hearts out, and had a blast. We checked into the hotel, grabbed some dinner, and back to the pool we went!!!!! It was amazing how much more relaxed Lucas was in the water this time around. He even jumped in a few times!
Saturday was THE day we finally arrived in Illinois! The boys were soooooo excited to meet Great Grandma! We arrived at Ken and Sharon's house in Plymouth...and it was instantly like being home. I love the family out there!! Monte and Lisa had come over for dinner. As had Great Grandma, and Lynn and Jessie. The boys met the cats and instantly fell in love. After dinner we went outside to play and did the boys ever show the family just how 'boy' they are. From pumping water at the old school fountain, to playing with the cats, to digging in the sandbox, to riding in the wagon on the back of Uncle Ken's 4 wheeler, to catching lightning bugs. The boys had never seen a lightning bug, so it was their favorite activity while we were there. We got some cute pictures and some great video of them catching bugs. And be proud of me, I even caught a few for my boys...YES, you heard correctly, I TOUCHED bugs on purpose!!!! A few hours past their bedtime we put them to bed and made plans for the caravan to the reunion on Sunday in Chilicothe.
Back in the car on Sunday morning...headed to Chilicothe for the reunion. It was a much shorter ride in the car than what we'd had the previous few days (only 2 hours each way). The boys played at the park for awhile. Then, after chatting and a nice potluck lunch we headed across the parking lot to the pool. The sun hid behind the clouds and there was a cold wind blowing, so we didn't last too long at the pool. But the boys did have a good time. They had way more fun playing and chasing their cousins around at the reunion though. I'm not sure if they had more fun with the cousins or Aunt Lisa and Uncle Monte!?! A good time was had by all, and there were about 45 people there, give or take. A few faces that were new for me, and a few that I hadn't seen since my last visit 5 years ago. As we were leaving, Lucas ran ahead and managed a huge fall that scraped up both knees quite badly. Poor clutzy kid!!! Back at home Uncle Ken dragged out the trampoline. The boys thought that was so much fun! Daniel and Anna got out the 4 wheelers again, so Daniel was volunteered to take Zachary for a ride...he thought that was fun. Lucas opted out...once again, my little cautious Callie! Another great night of sleep from my kids that night.
Monday...the only day thus far that we didn't spend a single minute in the car! The kids and I hung out at the house. Did a much needed load of laundry. Visited a lot. Kids played a LOT! Casey and Lynn toured the plant where Ken works, where they make farm equipment. And best of all, Monday evening Heidi, Josie and Amelia came over for dinner. It was so much fun to meet Heidi and her girls! Monte and Lisa also joined us for dinner. I cannot tell you in words just how fun and loving that family is! I truly wish Illinois was just across town, and not clear across the country from us! I am a lucky girl, marrying into that family! ; ) The boys got a huge kick out of playing with their cousins. And Aunt Sharon gave them some small rubbermaid cups with lids to catch lightning bugs in. What a hoot it was for them to catch the bugs and be able to watch them light up in the cups!!!!
Our time in Illinois came to a close all too soon, for we headed out West Tuesday morning. We pretty much retraced our route. We made it back to Lincoln, Nebraska. I decided to start keeping track of the license plates I'd see along the way. Something other than corn and soy bean fields to keep me entertained. The one thing I thoroughly enjoyed about being back in Lincoln...high speed internet in the hotel room! : ) We barely had a connection most days in Illinois (because Ken and Sharon live in the sticks)!!!!!
Wednesday we headed back to Cheyenne, Wyoming, keeping our fingers crossed that we'd have better karma than we'd previously had in Cheyenne!! No car problems this time around, thankfully! Olive Garden and a wonderfully tasty strawberry mango margarita were on the table for dinner that night! I'd been very good while on vacation with all of the eating out...however, I was too lazy to look up all of the fast food, so I didn't keep track of my calories 'in' while on vacation. The margarita was probably too much for the day since I'd sat on my butt ALL day long. I figured I deserved a treat though! And I tried to work off some of those calories in the pool that night with the boys! : )
Thursday morning started off on a bad note. We got word of Doug and Trin's motorcycle accident back here in Boise. We were very relieved to find out that they were okay though. And despite the bad start to the day we made it to Layton, Utah. After grabbing some dinner we found our way over to Todd and Danielle's house for a visit. Another great visit, and the boys had a ball playing with their cousins Anthony and Dimarco. I love having such a great extended family...oh how I wish they were all closer, and that there were more hours in the day so that my boys could know all of their cousins better.
Friday was the day that my boys had so anxiously been waiting for. We went to the Lagoon and Lagoon A Beach. As we were walking up to the gates Lucas spotted the old, white roller coaster and declared that he wanted to ride it. Casey told him that he'd totally ride with him. Good thing we started off with the small toddler dragon coaster first. He told us that he wanted to ride by himself (and of course we didn't let him, given last year's dragon coaster experience where he got off early when the operator was generous enough to stop it for him). It didn't even take one full loop before he said it was too scary, and that he didn't want to ride it by himself, and he didn't want to ride the big white one anymore either! He's so cute sometimes! : ) We rode a ton of rides in the 100+ degree heat, grabbed some mini corn dogs and drinks for lunch. Then we checked out the waterpark. It was refreshing given the intense heat, but there isn't a lot for the little guys there, especially since Lucas is afraid of the water. A few more rides, a trip through the gift shop for a birthday present for Zach attack, and we were on our way back to the hotel. The car said 109 when we found it in the lot...Zach was crashed before we even hit I-15! Dinner at Famous Dave's and back to the hotel we went. And rather than splashing around in the pool afterwards, we watched a movie and chilled in the hotel room.
Saturday we returned home to a very lonely kitty, and almost 100 degrees here in Boise! The yard resembled a rain forest, and my rose bushes were out of control. One day later, things are back to normal. We had a great time!!!! I'm not sure if I over prepared myself mentally for how horrible it was going to be, traveling 3000+ miles with the boys, or if I'm just really lucky...but my boys did freaking AWESOME!!!! God bless the inventor of the portable dvd player, good Disney movies, and my boys! I thought I wouldn't want to take another car trip with them EVER...and I would seriously do it tomorrow if need be!
We traveled through 8 states, over 3000 miles, saw license plates from 39 of the 50 United States, and 4 provinces of Canada. Learned that the windmills are freaking HUGE. The Red Desert of Wyoming is a huge source of natural gas, and thus all of the drilling and Sinclair refineries. We saw a ton of wind/snow fences in Wyoming, a ton of antelope and pronghorns, corn fields and soy bean fields. We learned that Missouri still allows smoking in their restaurants, and that we'd forgotten what it was like to be asked smoking or non upon entering the restaurant. We crossed the Continental Divide, and the mighty Mississippi River. We learned that Mark Twain was born in Hannibal, Missouri...and that we should stop and look at some of the interesting sites affiliated with that on a future trip out East.
Fortunately, I've got tomorrow and Tuesday off work to recover and also to prepare for Zach's big birthday bash. Until next time...
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