We are back from our I-35 adventure. We left in the very, very predawn hours last Saturday in a rented minivan loaded with snacks, CDs, toys, and DVDs. Let me say at the start that we are blessed with a very flexible little boy who was a dream to travel with. I may not be singing the same tune in a few weeks when we fly with him to Connecticut for Christmas ....
The first leg of the trip was about 12 hours. The novelty of the van and the excitement of being up driving in the middle of the night bought us a happy toddler. I was very strict about the use of the DVD on that leg. Only one video every few hours (25 minute Baby Einstein and Elmo installments.) One small problem presented itself pretty quickly. McDonald's playlands -- our oasis of exercise during this summer's pilgrimage to Amarillo, and what we were counting on for this trip as a way to let John burn off his energy -- don't seem to exist along I-35.
Our first stop was to see the Rankins in Kansas City. We got to check out their new place and even roast hot dogs and smores in their new fire pit, plus a trip to Union Sation. A bonus -- meeting up with Uncle Jack for a little while, since he couldn't make it to Mpls. for Thanksgiving. All in all, a great visit.
From there, we got up Tuesday morning and drove a blissfully short and quick 6 hours to meet Nana in Minneapolis. We relaxed there for a while, and then piled back in the van to head for the farm. Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mike came up on Wednesday, and then Thursday we had possibly the best Thanksgiving dinner ever. ;-) John was especially fond of the sweet potatoes. Tommy and I even got to sneak out with Sarah, Mike, and Paul to see Casino Royale. Now that John's fully mobile, he could enjoy all the farm fun -- checking out the machinery, surveying the fields, and going for tractor rides with Uncle Paul. On Friday, Nana and I checked out the Black Friday mayhem at the local Pamida, and then we watched football. Not much to report there. :-)
Saturday morning meant that it was time to head home, via St. Louis to visit the Gibsons. We left at 6, and arrived at 6. A long day, again with no playlands. I started to loosen the DVD rules. And John got his first Happy Meal. (Granted, he had apple slices and soy milk with it.)
The Gibsons were just getting over a stomach virus, so we used the quarantine as an excuse to play lots and lots and lots of Phase 10. Oh, and to eat chocolate chip cookies. Just like the good ol' days. The only thing missing was a big tub of Tootsie Rolls. We took it pretty easy, taking the kids to a great park on Sunday afternoon and eating more cookies.
Which meant that driving home Monday was rough. We managed to save the longest drive (13.5 hours) for the very end, when we were up against a deadline to get the car back to the people who didn't fully understand why we kept asking them to be sure we had unlimited miles. The DVD rules were completely out the window -- Baby Einstein's Neighborhood Animals was on heavy rotation. This is the third time we've driven to Minnesota for Thanksgiving, and I'm fully convinced that the 3 hours from Dallas to Austin is the hardest part of the whole thing.
But we made it. We're home, and we had a great time. If you need me, I'll be doing laundry til New Year's.
1 comment:
You are officially my hero for making that kind of trip with a toddler.
Just the phrase "a short 6 hours" makes me want to crawl under something and die.
Sounds like y'all had a great time!
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