Road Tripping Out West

Our annual summer adventure out to California to see my family snuck up on us this year.  I planned it later than normal, and still somehow I was not ready to leave on my scheduled date.  It didn't help that Ryder ended up having asthma issues the day before I was planning to leave.  The doctor put him on breathing treatments every two hours, so I decided to postpone for a day so that he could stay on schedule with his meds and so that he could rest.  Doing breathing treatments while we were on the road SUCKED.  Savannah was a huge help.  She put the medicine in the machine and hooked everything up for Ryder while I drove.  The other thing that became a bit annoying on the drive out was how frequently Ryder had to go to the bathroom.  We stopped way more than I would have liked.  There were even times that there was no where for me to stop, so he had to sit on our travel toilet and pee in the back of the van.  Awesome.  It was a pretty crazy trip.  The kids were both very good though.  Not one bit of whining or fussing or crying.  That is pretty much all any parent hopes for on a two day road trip through the boring desert with two kids.

The LONG Drive Home

It's taken a week for me to get around to posting that we arrived safe and sound back in Texas.  We left SD early early on Monday morning and arrived home late afternoon on Tuesday.  We made great time and the kids were the image of perfection during the drive.  This was the absolute best that the kids have ever been on a road trip.  There was not one crying or fussy moment.  Even on a successful road trip with kids you can expect some fussing.  I was blown away with how well everything went... and since I made the drive back by myself it made it so much easier to not have the stress of crazy kids to deal with.  So we are back back, unpacked, and already hating the heat.  It sure didn't take long for us to miss the perfect weather back in SD.  

Four states in one day... now that's one heck of a drive.

Ryder's cars and the outside scenery kept him pretty occupied during the drive.  He drove them up and down his leg and talked on and on about I don't know what.  Kid was cracking me up.

Once we arrived in El Paso we headed to the local Denny's for some food.  These kids were starving.  At some point during the meal Savannah gave Ryder her syrup and he started dipping his chicken nuggets in it.  Oh yum.  He finished every single nugget and most the fries thanks to that syrup.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and did a little swimming.  I was bound and determined to tire these kids out so that we would have no issues going to sleep once we got back to the room.

We Love A Good Road Trip

Road tripping with the family is always my favorite part of our little vacations.  I am so thankful that our kids are good little travelers.  We didn't even have to turn the DVD player on until we were about two and a half hours into the drive.  They play and talk and look out the window... the way a road trip is supposed to be.  On the way down and on the way back we got to stop at Buc-ee's to stretch our legs and have some fun.  If you haven't been to this place, and you have the chance to stop at one, you really should.  Good food, nice restrooms, and a ton of quirky fun things to look at.  Oh, did I mention the huge stuffed beaver.  Both Savannah and Ryder wanted pictures with him each time we stopped.

The River Walk

While we were in San Antonio, we of course took a stroll down the river walk.  The kids and I did a few things there during the day while E was working... a boat ride, some shopping, some people watching.  Then when E got off, this is where he would meet us.  We ate dinner on the River walk both the nights we were there.  The big down side to the river walk... not really stroller friendly at all.  It is pretty narrow at some points and then there is patio dinning set up all along the water so people are just clustered everywhere.  Little man walked pretty much the entire time we were there.  He was surprisingly well behaved... he held our hands and stayed close and didn't fall into the river.  I was very very worried that was going to happen.  Most of the river walk is wide open with no railing... and according to people down there, it is pretty common for people to fall in.  Luckily the water isn't anymore than 5 feet deep.  So very thankful for well behaved children who are pretty dang good travelers.

My favorite part of the river walk... it actually was probably my favorite part of San Antonio, was the boat ride.   The kids loved it, our tour guide was awesome... I learned way more than I ever needed to know about San Antonio on that boat ride.  

Yay for daddy getting off work and meeting up with us.  After an all day sightseeing adventure with both crazy kids I was so happy to see E.  Those kids wore me out.

Last Minute Tag Along

Spring Break is upon us... finally!!  Since we had no plans and Eric was having to take a quick two day trip in state for work, I invited the family to tag along with him.  Lucky Eric.  Can you guess where we went?  I have a way too proud Texan husband who will be very disappointed if you can't figure it out from the picture below.

Yup... hello San Antonio!!  I went once as a kid... but hand't been back since.  So I was looking forward to exploring the city a bit while E worked.  Our first stop (obviously) was the Alamo.  Eric met us there one evening after he finished work so we could go through as a family.  There was a lot of interesting things to see inside... definitely not for Ryder, but Savannah had a ton of questions.  I tried to get her to go ask the information desk where the John Wayne section of the "shrine room" was, but E wouldn't let that happen.  He was totally mortified that I even suggested it.

After we went through the "shrine room" (inside the remaining Alamo structure) we headed out to walk the grounds.  This was waaaaaay more Ryder's speed.  A ton of grass, lots of running, and even better than that, he could touch stuff.  Inside the Alamo was a big HANDS OFF for him.

The last stop... the Alamo gift shop.  No, we did NOT purchase this hideous Davy Crockett hat... we did however make Ryder try it on.  Savannah would not go near it... she said it was ugly and walked off to find herself a souvenir.  

Insta-Friday

Winter break is coming to an end.  Our vacation is over... Eric is back at work and Savannah will be back at school on Monday.  It was fun while it lasted... so so so much fun!

Our little road tripper behind the wheel (of a parked car).

Learning books keep this girl occupied for hours.

Loved this sign.  There were all sorts of cute little quirky decorations throughout the entire town.

He can't get enough of the ketchup.  He eats it by the spoonfuls.  yuck.

Pit stop at the Walmart in the middle of nowhere New Mexico... snack buying, bathroom break, and of course some video game playing.

Savannah has mastered her vintage Fisher Price record player.  Eric dug out the Blue Hawaii record and now that is all she listens to.

New Year's Day... Eric with all the kids.  Our friends and their little girl stayed the night, so we had one big New Year's sleepover.

Home In Time For New Year's Eve

Everyone always looks at us like we are crazy when I say we are driving to San Diego.  They can't believe that we are willingly going to be in a car for that long with two kids.  I'm always asked why we don't fly.  Well, for one, it costs a whole lot more to fly... and two, believe it or not, our kids are actually not terrible to road trip with... you might even say we enjoy it.  Crazy, I know.  There were moments where Ryder was just completely fed up with sitting and would fuss and squeal for a bit.  Other than that, they were both great.  After two full days in the car, we were all more than ready to get back home.  No matter how good your kids are, that drive is still exhausting.  We made it back in time for one night of sleep and then it was time for New Year's celebrating.  We just had some friends over to the house to play on Savannah's new kinect, so not much prep or thought had to be put into it.  Surprisingly, we all (not Ryder) made it to midnight... and then we crashed.  It has been a long, long, long week.  Any day now I am sure that the exhaustion will catch up with me.

Happy New Year!!  Looking forward to a whole lot in 2013... should be a great year!