I took the kids up to Minnesota for a week without J: and I’ve been playing catch up ever since!
Y’all, we survived 12 hours one way going up. And more impressively, 16 hours coming home (we had migrated north throughout the week). We had pretty much no meltdown or crisis at all in the car. It was rather impressive and not what I was expecting.
I had moved Sweet M to the middle so that H and B could both be helpers with him. The baby divider also helped to diminish any bickering between the bigs. And they were such great helpers. We made a lot of stops for potty and play breaks because – hey. They’re little and need to move and I’ve had three kids, so my bladder is non-existent.
We got to spend some time with my older sister, which is always fun. Miss H and Mr. B got to do some rock wall climbing and then play in her class room as she was on fall break, which they really loved!
Sweet M also got to meet his Uncle Pie for the first time! There is not much sweeter than seeing my brothers with my babies. Every single one of them is big ol’ loveable bear whether they like it or not.
And then we headed further north to visit grandparents!
Mr. B had been asking an awful lot as of late about seeing his Grandpa S, so I knew it had been long overdue. They were loved on so much from their grandparents and auntie and uncles. And I was reminded once again why cultures that all live together or nearby have it right. I got to take a shower every single day that I was up there because there was always someone to hold my baby while I did so. Oh, the luxuries my pre-kid self often took for granted.
We took the kids to a very…interesting…pumpkin patch. Regardless, the kids had a lot of fun, and that is all that really matters.
They loved on the bunnies and hamsters, jumped in a bounce house, ran around a corn maze (if you can call a corn path a maze…) and rode a hayride. They were happy little campers.
It was so nice to be with family. It would have been better if J could have gone with us, but he had work travel.
Sweet M cut his front two teeth while we were in Minnesota, Mr. B got a dinosaur fart book and climbed to the tippy top of some precariously fragile-looking trees, and Miss H mastered rock wall climbing. All in all, a fantastic time away!
