Days 1 & 2 - From Bad to Better

Day 1 was the bad and it wasn't even really a whole day (thank goodness) but Day 2 was much, much better. We got started a little bit later than we had planned (between 4 - 5 p.m.) and didn't actually get on I-85 until about 7:00. The older two had been a little trying - Karlee got in the car around 4:00 and was "ready to go". Well, as you just read, we were not quite as ready. So, she proceeded to ask every five minutes "Is it time to go yet?" while climbing in and out of the car that Ken was trying to pack. Normally this would drive us crazy anyway, but asking Ken while he was trying to figure out how to fit all our "stuff" (in my defense, I am packing for FOUR children - two of them babies) in the van was just about to put him over the edge. This lasted a least an hour and was a good indicator of how the first leg of the trip would go. Once we got out of the drive way the questions abruptly stopped as Karlee declared. "I"m hungry" - a statement Kendall immediately echoed. So they worked their way through the snack bag between our house and Watkinsville. Now, any mom who has traveled with young children knows that you must have an arsenal of "treats" to combat boredom, tantrums, hunger, etc. I - being the super savvy mom that I am - had several. Most were simple things but new (at least to the girls) or favorites. There are as follows - 1. The purple bucket (containing: marker stampers which Karlee saw in the house before we even left, new coloring books, a lift-the-flap book for Kendall & Junie B. Jones book for Karlee, doodle pads, stickers and Leapsters) 2. The snack bag (containing: smarties, pretzels, Scooby-Doo graham crackers, Reese's snack mix, fruit snacks, craisins, M&Ms and peanut butter crackers.) 3. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl DVD. Twenty minutes into our trip, I had used up numbers 1 & 2, leaving me with only Kit Kittredge for the next two days and I doubted it was going to work for Kendall anyway. Well, back to the actual trip. About 45 min up the interstate, Karlee finally fell asleep, the twins settled down and Kendall stopped shrieking anytime she wanted something/we got on the phone/we asked her a question and Ken and I finally had a chance to talk about how far planned to travel that night and call some hotels. Kendall was being very good - just jabbering and singing to herself. Once Ken and I had made some reservations, I turned around to check on her and she was completely ORANGE!! She had colored every part of her skin that was exposed with an orange marker. And she proudly announced "Mama I paint my toes too!" She had done several "coats" on them. We cracked up - she is such a riot - but no markers for Kendall today. We made it a little north of Charlotte and it was way after eleven before we finally got everyone to bed.

Saturday started out a little slow again but quickly improved. Everyone was fed and in good spirits as we headed out. We had an uneventful morning except for one more marker episode. I did not let Kendall have any markers due to the small issue with coloring her whole entire body orange yesterday. But she cried and I felt bad so I gave her two – both yellow. And sure enough about 30 minutes later, her hands and arms were yellow. She didn’t do quite the job she did yesterday, but it was still impressive. Kourtney and Kamryn have been super content to sit in the back and watch their Baby Einstein video as long as they are fed every so often. Around lunch time, we stopped and picked up some sandwiches and then drove about 15 miles to the Virginia Welcome Center for a picnic and some fun on the playground. After we were full and played out, we climbed back into the car and headed to Norfolk. We arrived too late to do the Nauticus discovery center but we did get to tour the USS Wisconsin which served in WWII, Korean War and Desert Storm. We crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel late that afternoon. The CBBT is the longest bridge-tunnel complex in the world spanning over 18 miles from shore to shore. It takes you over and then under the Chesapeake Bay on a series of bridges, causeways, tunnels and man-made islands. Then arrived at our hotel around dinnertime. Ken picked up pizza and spaghetti for the girls and yummy local seafood for us – shrimp, scallops and crab cakes. Then he and Karlee took a dip in the pool before bed. All said it was a very nice and pleasant day and we look forward to the Cape May Ferry tomorrow.