Roadtrip with the Gang...

WARNING: This is a long one!!

Once again we packed the car to the brim and set out to visit friends and family...and find some adventures along the way! Since Brock has been working in Tulsa/OKC during the week and it was also Spring Break, the boys and I decided to load up and go along with him. We left last Sunday and headed toward T-Town and seven full days and heaven knows how many miles later we rolled back into Loma Linda.

*Before I continue with the details of this roadtrip I find it necessary to add this statement...At some point during my four years of being a parent I have convinced myself that I am capable of all things and that the forces of nature (otherwise known as my children) WILL cooperate with me and at the end of each day we will all have smiles on our faces! I credit this bit of disillusionment (among other important things) to my success as a mother. To anyone out there reading this now or later, I ask you...Don't you have to be a tiny bit crazy to pull this parenting thing off AND live the kind of life that you want to live at the same time? I realize that not everyone has the same lifestyle that we do: moving frequently, traveling frequently, having babies frequently!...but everyone is busy, right? And I am convinced that in order to raise well-balanced, well-behaved children, and not stay home all the time, it is essential to maintain a healthy combination of confidence and CRAZINESS! Mastering the Art of Flexibility (and I don't mean bendy body parts) doesn't hurt, either!

Now back to our roadtrip (a.k.a. Exhibit 'A' supporting the above statement)...
Sunday- **Before leaving town we took Cash by the urgent care just to make sure that that cough and running nose he had wasn't' RSV. It was not, so with a Xopenex script in hand we headed Southwest. First Stop in Tulsa...The Home and Garden Show. We got tons of ideas for the future house and ran into lots of old friends, including Pastor Bruce and his wife Linda (made my heart happy!) Then off to the hotel. We spent Sunday and Monday nights at the historic Mayo Hotel in downtown Tulsa. Super chic suite + plenty of room to RUN around + three boys = what were we thinking?! Actually the boys did great, but I'd love to stay there sometime with just Brock!

Monday- Brock went to work and the boys and I spent ALL AFTERNOON driving around looking for a place for us to temporarily live. Not much luck, but I did learn the ins and outs of Claremore (and the surrounding areas). Then spent the evening with the Becks...LOVE that family!

Tuesday- Packed up the gang and checked out of the hotel by 9:00 (a miracle!) Snuck in a quick photo shoot with Carissa. Then the boys and I went to brunch...yup, that's what I said, I took all three boys to Mimi's Cafe for pancakes by myself! Cash was not that into it but so kindly waited until AFTER we had already ordered to start crying! Tytus had to go potty, because we were strategically place in the very back of the restaurant, ALL FOUR OF US with diaper bag in tow (which I smacked two people in the head with) traipsed to the restroom. Once the chocolate chip pancakes arrived, life was better for all of us! Once we were all loaded in the car, Cash had a major explosive diaper that required special attention (a.k.a new clothes and a bath), so we made our way to the Ives household. Later, we made a stop at the park then it was back downtown to pick up Brock...and head to Grandma's. Despite the great pictures taken and the time with my best friends I really would have been fine with a late checkout!

Wednesday- ZOO TRIP! (more on that later)

Thursday/Friday- It was time to heat WEST! Grandma, the boys and I went to Taloga. We had planned to stay through the weekend, but our plans were changed by the Spring Break Blizzard of 2010! So within 24 hours we squeezed in visits with as many friends and family as possible. Then it was back to Edmond just in time to watch our Cowboys lose their first game in the Big Dance.

Saturday- SNOWED IN. Homemade soup and hours of college basketball!

Sunday- After church it was time to FINALLY make our way back home. I strategically packed the car (usually Brock does this task) so that we could stay the night again at the Mayo and drive the rest of the way home after Brock got done working on Monday. However, once we got on the road and the boys fell asleep, we just kept on driving! Did I mention the importance of Flexibility?!

*I'm kidding (kind of)! I credit my success as a mother and my well-behaved children to answered prayers, Brock, consistency, and the good ol' fashion kind of discipline!!

**Just in case anyone who reads this is wondering...Cash was over his cold by the time we got home, so no one can accuse me of being an unfit mother for dragging her sick child all over the state...he is the third child, enough said.

Roadtrip with the Gang: The Element of Surprise

As often as we jump in the car for a little getaway, I have decided to designate an entire section of the blog to document the "adventures" we encounter on our roadtrips!
This past Friday we (me and the Sundance Kids) loaded up and headed to Edmond for a weekend packed full of activities and SURPRISES!! I LOVE surprises! Brock was already in OKC on business so it worked out nicely for us to meet him there before all the playtime began. Our two main purposes for going were to celebrate Mom's 50th birthday and to attend the wedding of our sweet family friend, Jordy Mercer. The weekend plans were altered a bit when our Uncle Russ who was in the hospital after taking a terrible fall became critically ill. Our family was gathered around him with love and prayers. Thankfully he is doing better, but his road to recovery will be a long one.
The first surprise of the weekend was a party for Mom (look for pictures in a following post). We secretly gathered family and friends together at Ted's and pulled off a great surprise party! She was SHOCKED to find us all waiting for her, complete with cake and gifts and every person in the room wearing BLACK!! On Saturday, Kandy and I (and Cash), along with several cousins and aunts gathered to SURPRISE Grandmother for her 80th birthday. We had such a nice time and Grandmother was overwhelmed when she saw us. She is a wonderful lady and deserves to celebrated! Needless to say we thought there were no more surprises in store for us, until...our trip to Wal-Mart!
Early Sunday morning Kandy called to inform (and warn) us that Mark and Paxton were both sick with a stomach virus. Everyone seemed healthy in my family so we went to church, had a nice lunch, and went to get some groceries. All was well, until I hear Mom yelling for assistance a few aisle away. I turn the corner and am SURPRISED to see that Tytus has thrown-up EVERYWHERE in the middle of Wal-Mart...all over the floor, all over the cart, all over the food in the cart, all over himself! And that was the beginning of him being a very sick little boy for the rest of the day. So, Monday morning I decided it was time for the boys and I to head back home, as we had successfully spread our germs and Mom was now not feeling well at all. Unfortunately Brock had to stay for meetings in OKC all week. We arrived safely home only be SURPRISED yet again as soon as I opened the door to the house. It seems I had forgotten to take the trash bag of dirty diapers out to the dumpster before we left four days before. You can only imagine the smell I was greeted by! Despite how the trip ended we had a great time seeing lots of family and friends. It was definitely a roadtrip for the books and I should clarify my previous statement...I LOVE A GOOD SURPRISE!!