We're back! It was a crazy two weeks of fun and family, and we are officially home. Let's get crackin' because it's been two weeks.
We left very close to our target time on Tuesday. Tim got home around 6:30 a.m. from his night shift, showered, ate breakfast, and we loaded up and left. I started driving. We didn't have the most amazing weather. It was very rainy through North Carolina and especially the mountains. There were lots of one-car accidents where drivers went off the road. Tim had a hard time sleeping, which is to be expected in a car. He took over after a few hours and drove the rest of the way to our first stop in Dickson, Tennessee. Hyrum loved the tunnels. He especially loved the tunnel under the mountain that was on the boarder of North Carolina and Tennessee. Hyrum was pumped because he thought the tunnel could transport us from one state to another...if only. The kids did well driving the first day, but by the end they were both hungry and tired. We ate dinner at the hotel and tried to get the kids to bed. They were CRAZY! We had trouble with them climbing all over the furniture and Hyrum was jumping from bed to bed. It wasn't our best bedtime. They both were charged up and it took them about a hour to fall asleep. Tim was able to fall asleep easily and slept through the night.
The kids were up bright and early eastern time in a central time zone. We were able to get out the door at a good time. Day two driving wasn't as awesome. Lila spent several hours crying because she was tired and struggled to sleep in the car. Hyrum was bugging her over the suitcase, so there was plenty of tension in the car for eight hours and we all said, "Hallelujah," when we arrived in Shawnee.
The kids quickly got acquainted with the house and Grandma Kluber. Perhaps a little too acquainted because after only few hours the kids started a fire and had an accident on the floor. I was a little worried about the house, because we didn't have the safest start. But, I am happy to say that those were the only accidents for the rest of the stay. In case you are wondering, Lila was the one who started the fire. She found a friend in a rubber spatula and in her exploration of the kitchen discovered the cupboards under the stove. She needed both hands and naturally set her friend on the closest part of the counter, which also happened to be an open flame on the stove. Shortly after that, Hyrum postponed going potty for too long because he was excited to play with new toys at Grandma's house, and he didn't make it to the toilet on time, making a mess of his underwear and the bathroom floor. Luckily, both were an easy clean up.
The kids had a lot of fun the next few days running outside, riding the mower and just having fun in general. There was so much space for them to run and play that they didn't know what to do with themselves.
They were also able to spend some time with Erin, Brian, and his girlfriend Fran. The kids, especially Hyrum, attached themselves to them whether they liked it or not. Hyrum was able to go shopping with Grandma and then a second trip with Erin. He was just so excited about his adventures.
We had church as a family. It was fun to be together. Hyrum gave his own little sermon and insisted that I be his podium, since we didn't have a makeshift podium (a chair with a pillow on it) like we had a home. It was an interesting experience having Hyrum preach from me. We spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing with legos, and Lila was able to play with instruments.
The time passed too quickly and it was time for us to head out on our next adventure. We hit some weather in Texas that slowed us down. It was a little scary driving through Dallas. We were grateful for Google informing us of accidents and detours to take. There was one in particular that completely blocked the interstate. It wasn't raining that bad, but the roads don't drain well and people drive too fast. Lila didn't do well on this drive either, so by the time we made it to Port Neches we were all glad to get out of the car.
The kids discovered the trampoline in the backyard and pretty much spent the rest of the visit jumping with cousins. In between jumping the kids had a couple of water fights, played with cars, bonded over Paw Patrol, and had plenty of fights. We were surprised with how well Lila did with jumping. You will notice that her hair is up. It was SO hot and humid. I felt so bad for Lila because she ended up with really bad heat rash all over. I guess it was all worth it in the end.
The kids also enjoyed tasty snacks. Grandpa Zimmerman made eclairs that Hyrum got all over. The right picture shows Hyrum messy, but more importantly Lila slurping down smoothies with Dad. That girl loves her smoothies. We had to cap her at three glasses.
Hyrum also enjoyed his watermelon and he also made a huge mess. Again, in the end it was all worth it!
Our time in Texas ended quickly and we headed back to North Carolina. The weather was great all the way to Montgomery, Alabama where we stayed for the night. We didn't have much luck with this hotel either. Someone was smoking something and playing really load music at one in the morning. We really struggle to find a good hotel! The kids were crazy again before bed, but we were better prepared. Everyone was asleep in less than an hour, except for me. Because the time change was not in our favor, we decided to wake up an hour earlier to get on the road. We were making great time until Google couldn't redirect us and hit an accident that completely blocked the road. We also met a very nice Sheriff...at a gas station. Hyrum enjoyed chatting with him, but what endeared the Sheriff to him was the giant Snickers bar he gave Hyrum. I guess Hyrum still has the touch and can get great free stuff with a smile.
Lila did much better on the ride home. We still had some fussing, but not the endless hours of crying. I think she was getting used to sleeping in the car. It also helped that Tim put the suitcase vertically, so there was no way Hyrum could bug her.
It was great to finally get home and get back into our normal routine. We decided to put both kids in the same room to sleep. Before our vacation, Lila was still sleeping on our closet at night. They had done well for our two-week vacation being together and we figured why not. The first night was a little hard getting them to bed, but day two was pretty easy. We have one more day with Tim before he goes back to work. He only has a few more weeks of being a first year resident. The year has passed quickly and I expect year two to be even faster, especially with a new baby. I still struggle with a upset stomach, but nothing too bad. I am almost 18 weeks and find it hard to believe I'm almost to the half way point.
We continue to stay at home. We received word that the earliest we will go back to church is July 5th. It's a bummer, but I expect it to be longer. North Carolina is very slow in opening up. We'll continue to play outside to pass the time. Hope everyone is doing well. Until next week!
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