Every day is a learning experience with these guys, and our 4 days on the road for our second trip to Texas were no exception. Some things we learned on our way there and back:
Poor Isaac has inherited Mommy and Daddy's car-sickness genes. Pass the bucket!
Lucy could do sticker pages all day and all night. Even in the dark. (No car-sickness genes for her!)
As long as the DVD player is running, my kids will not sleep. Not a wink.
The real trick to getting the Fab Four to sleep in the car is to say that it's nap time and then quit talking to them. (They didn't sleep at all in the car the first time we drove to Texas, so I was elated to find a way to get them to take a nap!)
Asleep at last!
In the car, Dahlia is always the last to succumb to Mr. Sandman. Always.
Jude is really, really nasty when he wakes up from a car nap. Stay clear!
The most effective way to settle down a restless Fab Four: Turn on some Beatles. Instant peace.
Speaking of peace, it's harder to come by now that the kids' arms and legs are getting longer. We're running out of space in this van!
It is possible to hear the question, "Are we in Texas?" a bajillion times without strangling anybody. It is possible, but just barely.
And, last but not least, we confirmed something we already knew:
It really stinks to live a 2-day car drive away from our abuelitos!!
While we were in Texas, the kids were thrilled to have the run of my parents' completely toddler-proofed house. Mom and Dad really went the extra mile to prepare for our extended visit, installing all sorts of safety locks, putting down rugs on the tile floors to cushion any falls, using booster seats to transform their kitchen table into a feeding table, and hanging blackout curtains in the kids' room. They even put several items of furniture into storage—both to accommodate our four PeaPods in the guest room and to create this veritable toddler heaven of toys, books, and stuffed animals in the dining room:
No longer being confined to their "gated community" meant that the kids had the freedom to explore and experience all sorts of new things—like hiding pacifiers in the recycling bin, tearing up the newspapers that my dad left laying around, and watching their beloved Baby Einstein DVDs at eye level (and within hands' reach, to boot!):
The kids also loved being gateless because it allowed unlimited access to one of their very favorite things: shoes. They all enjoyed finding their own shoes around the house—and putting them on and taking them off, seemingly ad infinitum—but Dahlia was the first to commandeer a "pair" of grownup heels:
Lucy, of course, was quick to follow in her footsteps (with a little plastic bling to complete the look):
For me, the best part about not having gates was that the kids burned off tons of energy running all around the house (and I expended quite a few calories, too, just trying to keep track of everyone!). One afternoon, Jude thoroughly entertained himself (and us) by repeatedly running to the kitchen and "hiding," calling out his own name while he was out of sight, and then running back to the living room to say "boo":
I was worried that the kids would stage a revolt once we got back home and they realized that the gates were back in business, but so far I've heard no complaints. And as long as they're still happy, I'm not changing a thing!
After giving the Fab Four a quiet day to explore their new surroundings and get reacquainted with theirabuelitos, it was wedding time. Tio Ner and Tia Glenda had flown in the night before, so we had a house full of people to get gussied up by lunchtime. We were so busy that I got only one picture of all of the kids together (as you can see, Dahlia couldn't wait to go see Tio Johnny and Tia Holly):
I absolutely loved seeing the kids dressed up in the outfits that Abuelita Joanna ordered for them! Here are some closeups:
The wedding, which took place at Johnny and Holly's place, was an even greater joy to witness. My dad opened with a prayer, and then a justice of the peace led the bride and groom through the exchange of vows, their rings, and a kiss. Afterward, Johnny changed out of his suit into something a little more compatible with the Texas climate, and the happy couple stepped outside to pose for pictures:
Due to several factors (including a missed nap and the fact that Mommy forgot to bring the diaper bag—oops!), Ted and the kids left shortly after the ceremony ended. Thanks a million to Tia Glenda for going home with them so that I could stay and enjoy the reception!
When your brother decides to get married, you don't let a little thing like a 2,200-mile round-trip drive with 21-month-old quadruplets stop you! No, sir. In fact, the minute Johnny and Holly told us that they were planning a September wedding, Ted and I started figuring out just how we were going to pull off our first road trip as a family of six.
Now that our Texas "vacation" is behind us, everyone's been asking me whether Ted and I are still sane—and thanks to our awesome kids, the answer is YES! To be sure, there was a little of this:
But there was also quite a bit of this:
Looking back, Ted and I are convinced that preparation was the key to keeping the Fab Four (mostly) content for a total of 40 van hours. For instance, in the week leading up to the trip, Ted took the time to carefully plan a route with stops that would accommodate our eating schedule and afford the opportunity for the kids to burn off some energy (thank goodness for Chick-Fil-A playgrounds!). As for me, I took stock of our supplies and determined what we'd need to take with us (and how to pack it), what we could leave behind, and what we'd have to buy on the road (milk!).
I also researched how to keep young toddlers busy on long drives and, based on what I learned, decided to sit in the middle row for the entire trip. This made the kids happy and gave me easy access to books, toys, and snacks—and anything else the kids dropped. During their awake time (which was almost all of the time), I kept them entertained with DVDs, lots of touch-n-feel books, empty water bottles (one of their favorite "toys"), balloons (in lieu of balls), and stuffed animals (anything with a buckle or a zipper was a hit).
The kids also loved the photo albums I made with pictures of people we were going to see on the trip—these held their attention for what seemed like hours! Check out Jude's reaction to seeing a picture of Tia Glenda:
The worst part of each 2-day drive was definitely the hotel stay in the middle. By the time we ate dinner, checked in, toddler-proofed the room, unloaded what we needed from the van, set up the PeaPod tents (love those things!), and changed the kids' diapers and clothes for bed, it was MELTDOWN time. Fortunately, we were going to bed much earlier than the other guests, so hopefully not too many people were disturbed by the screams that emanated from our room!
Two things we learned for sure: (1) Keeping four toddlers happy on the road for 2 full days at a time is no easy task, but (2) it's totally doable! And the sweat and the tears (no blood, fortunately!) were definitely worth it to witness Johnny and Holly make it official.
Picture posts coming up next to show how much fun we had before heading back home ...
