Greetings from sunny Florida. We have arrived, by the skin of our teeth and by the edge of my sanity… we are here.
Our adventure began a week ago when Dan finally made it back to Illinois. And with him came boxes piling up and furniture being sold, I think the boys finally grasped what was happening, and they were not willing to go down without a fight. Although I couldn't blame them for the upheaval they unleashed on us, our faculties didn't seem to care. When it wasn't a full on a assault of whining and brazen lack of listening, we were also refereeing when they turned on each other. Listening to a twenty minute screaming match in which a five year old and a two year old disagree on whether or not they are truly in fact brothers will crack even the most sound of minds. ("NO YOU ARE NOT MY BRODER CONNAH!" "YET I AM YOGAN!") Rough as it was the dust eventually settled and after many brutal goodbyes, the road trip was in full effect.
The first day was truly a success. Nothing to report, our timed stops went without a hitch and so did the evening; truly i barely remember it happening. While the apocalypse was looming, the unimaginable happened half way into day 1 of our 20 hour trip… OUR DVD PLAYER DIED and along with it a little bit of my heart. Our first stop in Tennessee was to the local Target to acquire a new DVD player, or AKA the lifeline of children's road trips. Crisis averted. Day 2 began with a fight on which movie they would watch on their new device. The two year old creature with the attention span of a cracked out Jack Russell wanted to change movies every 90 seconds for the first three hours… and let us know loudly in a variation of different animal mating sounds or maybe alley cat warning mews… I don't know exactly how to describe it but I will tell you I hear it in my nightmares. The next four hours after DVD drama, were spent fighting his nap. After squeezing myself awkwardly into the middle seat (thanking the good Lord for my pocket sized stature) and cuddling, fielding hair pulls and snot in my eyes, and Shh Shh Shhing until I thought I might pass out to no avail. And even when my mom of the year moment of some giving "night night juice" (benedryl) made not a dent. I began to assume that he was just possessed or the Incredible Hulk. I fought the urge to give myself some night night juice to quell the noise but he finally dozed off thirty minutes before reaching our final destination. That meant that i got to spend an extra hour in the car awkwardly cradling a 37 pound sleeping rattlesnake, although said rattlesnake is rather delicious to hold, I couldn't feel my arms for an hour afterwards. Day three was better, we got to see some of my favorite people on earth on the way down, which brightened up my weary spirits… The boys enjoyed attention from a sweet nine year old boy who is basically a god in the eyes of my five year old.
Once back in our home town anxiously awaited by ecstatic grandparents, Dan took me to our new home. Joy would not do what I felt justice. Its a beautiful little house, in a beautiful little neighborhood and it is all ours. I am beyond elated that there will be no more goodbyes said to my children by my husband. Everyone is working so hard to make our little house a beautiful home (especially my mom) and I could not be more thankful. My son started his new school and I could not be prouder of how he is handling this transition, and my other one is in the midst of his terrible twos but at least he is an incredibly adorable monster. I can't wait to keep you all in the loop of our next adventures. Thank you for reading.
