Two days before our road trip, Caroline got sick. She woke up sick to the stomach and she threw up all day long. The following day she was able to tolerate rice and Gatorade, so we decided to keep our plans as they were. The first day on the road, however, started out pretty rough for her. We gave her Dramamine, but that didn't stay down. As the miles passed, she perked up more and more and by the afternoon she was laughing and joking with her brothers. We made it to our halfway point in Alabama and I 'made' us go to a sub shop for dinner. It was the blandest thing I could think of for Caroline to eat. She was not happy with that decision. She only came around when the kid's sub came with a cookie. Magically, everything was better after that.
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As we drove in the car early on the second morning, Josiah announced, The snack bar is open. He was the keeper of all the snacks and his proclamation was more than just informative; it let Todd and I know that Josiah himself would start eating the snacks. Somehow the individually packaged cookies never quite made it to the front of the car. The second day of driving always feels so much longer than the first. We were so happy to make it to Grandad and Nana's house. I beat everyone to bed!
The next morning, the kids had the breakfast they had been looking forward to: waffles and bacon. We played some badminton in the backyard followed by wiffleball in the afternoon. Josiah and Caroline took many videos of themselves playing the piano. They were more free-spirited in their playing and followed no composer. Henry (and later Caroline) learned to play Joy to the World. Both picked it up pretty quickly and each practiced it a lot!
Todd and I had bought tickets to Busch Garden's Christmas Town months ago. We prayed the weather would work out and it did. The day we went there was no rain, but it was quite cold. We actually went out the day before and bought everyone hats and gloves. As we were getting ready to leave we insisted the kids bring their hats and gloves, that they wear several layers of clothing including long socks. They were incredibly resistant to our suggestions. I think it was on the tram ride from the parking lot to the front gate that they changed their tune and appreciated the hat and gloves.
The first ride was Finnegan's Flyer and Todd, Henry, and Caroline got in line for that. It was essentially a giant swing that goes beyond 90 degrees. Josiah and I could hear Caroline's screams (of delight).
We tried the sky tram.
Josiah and Caroline took a ride on the Merry Go Round.
Next to the bumper cars was a real roller coaster, so Todd and the kids got in line for it. They were in line for a long time. Definitely the longest line they had been in all day. They had finally reached the platform and the ride was in sight. It was at that point that we heard the announcement. The ride was closed because of the cold. Once the temperatures dipped below 36° the coasters close. There was a wee bit of disappointment. We walked to the Festhaus after that for dinner. It was cafeteria style and some of our kids thought that meant buffet style. For instance, Josiah picked up a slice of cheese cake (because the desserts were first), then in the next bank he chose some fried mozzarella sticks, and then he helped himself to a cup of mac and cheese. At that point I told him to take his $30 cheese tray and move along. Henry and Todd went for what the Festhaus is known for, the German sausage plate. Caroline went for pizza, which was enough to feed a couple of us. She and Henry also grabbed giant slices of cake. If we were trying to see how much we could spend, we did a good job at it.
What better thing to do after eating a full plate of food, but more rides. They chose the battering ram next, which is a calmer version of Finnegan's Flyer. Their first round they sat in the middle and it was a nice swinging ride. The second round, from which Todd opted out, the three kids sat at the end. That meant they would have much higher swings. We watched them and about halfway into the ride, Henry put his head down. Then his cheeks puffed out and I was convinced he was throwing up. As the ride stopped, he rushed out of the gate and I thought he was going to throw-up some more, but alas, he was fine. We determined that would be his last thrill ride for the day.
We took the Christmas train around the park and saw all the lights. That train ride was surprisingly not as cold as expected. We made a wise decision and sat in the back of the train car, so we had a nice group of people blocking the wind for us.
Then it was souvenir time. Henry looked, but often doesn't want anything. Caroline looked and settled on a baseball hat. Josiah would buy the entire store if we allowed him. He settled on some discounted 2022 Busch Gardens items. And because they were discounted, he made the executive decision to get the mug and the stationary pack.
The next day we went to the outlets to get Josiah some shoes. His shoes, which were only six month old, had gotten too small. We were in the New Balance store and he kept trying on bigger and bigger sizes and each time it felt like his toe was at the front already. He settled on a size 9.5 men's shoe. He should be in swimming with those fins.
We played a lot of wiffleball in Grandad and Nana's backyard. The team that always won was Henry's team, mainly because he was never on the parents' team. We didn't always adhere to the three strikes and you're out rule; everyone was allowed a hit, so speed and agility won each time. Todd and I lacked both. When we weren't playing wiffleball, the kids constantly tried to kick their parents out. They much preferred having Grandad and Nana to themselves.
The kids also liked to play outside when the temperatures reached the teens. They asked if we could all go play wiffleball. Uh, I don't play in 14° weather. They came back inside when the ball cracked after hitting the hard ground. It was still the teens when they decided to give each other wagon rides as well. I watched them from the heated house.
Nana set up the table one night with Prize Bingo. If you won a round of Bingo, you got to pick up a cup and receive the prize underneath. There was the promise of cash prizes, so the motivation to win was high.
Josiah won the first round.
Then Todd, Caroline, and Todd again.
After that, Todd adapted my style of playing - when I ran out of chips to cover my numbers, I never got bingo. After these first five rounds I was hoping Henry would get a win. You could tell with each win, he was getting a little discouraged. But then he won. And again...and again. He won five times in a row. Then I prayed he would stop winning!
It was a fun night and a good idea.
Finally Christmas came. We brought the kids one gift each from Texas and, of course, they had gifts from their grandparents. It was a fun morning. There were toys and games, candy and cameras, Legos and fidget toys! We ate our traditional sausage balls (sausage, cheese, and Bisquick).
Josiah had drawn pictures for everyone for Christmas. After he handed me a picture of Farmer Alfalfa from Richard Scarry, Henry told me to look under the tree for his gift. He had scrunched himself up under it.
At lunch time, I left to go see my parents. Grandpa had covid, so we masked it up, but had a good visit. The kids were very sad to miss the trip to see their grandparents and were even more disappointed that they missed meeting their dog. I sent them many pictures of Maggie. It was so nice to finally see their house for the first time! Grandpa tolerated my frequent checking with his pulse oximeter. And for fun, I checked Grandma and myself. All our numbers passed. It was a short visit, but always good to see the parents. I'd love to take the kids up again one summer.
It wasn't too long after that we packed up to go back home. We stopped at our Buc-ee's in SC again. Santa Buc-ee was gone, but we got a picture outside. On the second day, we were so happy to finally see the giant star which meant we were back in Texas. Since then we have had a third Christmas at home. We had a gift for each kid under the tree and they also got to open up Grandma and Grandpa's gifts. It was a very spread-out Christmas. Grandma and Grandpa got the kids a Glow Battle game that they have played for several nights now. It has light up light sabers and light up jewels and they know all the rules and there is a lot of laughing as well as competitiveness.
Since she has been home, Caroline has been making bracelets galore with her new loom. She's made three for herself and one for Josiah.
Josiah took his new giant sketch books and decided to write comic strips. (He says he likes to misspell narwhal.)
But the best part of coming home was seeing Benson again. We had been worried about him and were praying for him every day that he would eat and sleep well. When we dropped him off at the kennel, he had his tail between his legs and was shaking. Josiah and I felt horrible to hand him over. They did have perks and we signed up for all of them. On Christmas, he got a meal of chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, and some other veggies. He got a holiday picture with a toy that we bought. When we picked him up, he was definitely thinner. He came home and only ate and slept for two days. Then he perked back up and was his regular self again. Caroline is back to loving on his ears.
Josiah already has class this coming week, so we're back to business as usual.
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