We're Going on a Vacation (Oh the Work!)

Well, tomorrow the family and I will pack most of what we own (or at least it seems that way with a baby in tow) in the minivan and begin the drive to the tiny coastal state of Delaware to visit my family. We will leave sometime in the afternoon, or early evening (since we never ever leave on schedule) and drive as far as Emily can stand before stopping at a hotel for the night.

Now understand that although we have made this trip many times, both my husband and I alone and with Emily, we have never done it in two days with Emily. We always just drove all night while she slept. It worked great except that last time we did that, Andrew and I vowed never again, since neither of us could stay awake.

So this time we will attempt to stay in a hotel. Emily still sleeps in her crib and she does not sleep well anywhere away from home. Since she has learned how to climb out of her play pen and we can't take the crib with us, the hotel sleeping should be quite the adventure...not to mention once we get to "Grammy and Pop-pop's" house. Did I mention they also have a dog? That barks...a lot. And there's only a full-size bed in the "guest room" (my old bedroom). So Emily will be attempting to sleep on her little Tigger fold-out couch. She loves to play on it and has napped there when she was sick, but to sleep all night....let's just say that it would be nothing short of a miracle. Oh and did I forget to mention that my parents' house is currently undergoing remodeling? Big remodeling.

We are planning to provide entertainment for the car ride. We have figured out how to hook up a laptop computer to play DVD's for Emily. What Dvd's are we bringing you might ask? The Wiggles of course (the child is FASCINATED by these 4 Australian guys) who sing songs like "Hot potato, hot potato/Cold spaghetti, cold spaghetti/Mashed banana,mashed banana". Yep, they have a whole song where those are the only words. The play list also includes a Sesame Street video (she has never ever paid any attention to it before...), a Clifford movie (I just bought this one as a surprise...she likes the books) and the crowning jewel, Cinderella. (At least that one's okay.) So pray for our safety, but also our sanity. Seriously.

Of course, so far, I have absolutely nothing packed. Not one single thing. I'm still doing laundry, though one more load should do it....I think. I've been trying to clean up so that my friend from church, who is coming to feed our two cats next week, doesn't think we're total slobs. I also don't want to come home from vacation to a dirty house. (Okay, mostly, I just don't want Marcy to think we live like pigs.)

Add to this that poor Andrew finds himself absolutely hammered with work this week. I don't think he has been home before 10 pm any night. Last night it was midnight and tonight doesn't look much better. Emily hasn't been napping much and the grass absolutely had to be cut before we left. (It was starting to look like a jungle.) So, what's a girl to do?

Well, I cut the grass of course. With a non-self-propelled push mower in record setting heat over the course of two days. Yesterday, I did it while Emily napped (I started at 4:30 when it was 94 degrees with a heat index of over a hundred) First, I had to find the instructions and figure out how to start the dang thing. (Yes, I have cut the grass before, but always on a riding mower.) With that accomplished, I made it about a half hour before I thought that heat exhaustion was likely, and I came in to drink Gatorade and cool down a bit. Then I went back out and did another half hour's work, finishing one side and the front (the front is all up-hill, seriously...) With that done, I had a sufficiently bad headache that I was pretty much useless the rest of the day. So tonight, after I put Emily to bed, I started cutting the grass again, beginning around 8:30 pm. I finished around 9:30. It's done. At least I think it is. It's too dark to see and I'm too hot to care anymore.

All I can say is that single moms and mom's who are military wives have all my respect. They definitely don't get enough credit for doing everything. It's not easy or fun.

But, I digress. So, beginning sometime later tomorrow, my family and I will be headed out East to begin our week-long vacation. I will not be posting during that time, but rest assured. I'll be back, and I'll probably have plenty of things to write about....right after I get the laundry done. This vacation is a lot of work!