We left an entire day earlier than we thought we would and we’re glad for it now. Road tripping with two little ones, no matter how patient everybody is, is an adventure in its own right. We’ve made it closer to our destination and the weather is forecasted to be full of sun and blue skies from here on out!
It became apparent as we talked with Maggie more about this trip that she had very high hopes that we were going back to Canada to Harrison Hot Springs. She was devastated to learn that vacation isn’t always going to ‘the little house’ with some of her favorite people.
I’m choosing to believe that she has figured out this is a pretty awesome vacation that we’re on, too. My aunt (or was it Grandma that started them?) always gave her kids ‘car presents’ while doing long road trips – wrapping up almost anything and tossing one back to the little ones when the time is right. We’ve started the ‘car presents’ tradition and here is what we have learned: 1. Maggie doesn’t have the stomach to draw in the car. (no puke though!). 2. The more challenging the present is to open, the more rewarding it is. 3. Glow sticks are awesome to use in the car at night. And in the bath tub. Best couple of bucks I could have spent.
I felt myself getting giddy about this trip months ago and now that it is actually here, I’m still giddy. Our family functions best when we’re all together. Sure, we break off to do different things (runs, book stores, walks…), but we thrive on time together. Being smooshed in the car all together may seem like a nightmare to some, but we’re happy little campers around here. Some of my very favorite memories from my childhood are from trips that my family took – trips that weren’t overly extravagant, but definitely where being together was the sole purpose. (Thanks, Mom & Dad!)
I have been dreaming about coming back here with Barry for a long time. There’s something about Montana that I absolutely adore. Is it the cowboys? The laid-back, recreational feeling? The mountains? Whatever it is, I’m so thankful to be able to share it with him and our girls. We spent today walking the streets of Missoula and it feels very much like a distant cousin of B’ham, another place I’ve lived and loved.
As we were getting out of the car to start our trek, the parking attendant pulled up in her little truck and hopped out to dote on the girls. We ended up talking to her about all the different places that she thought we’d like, which was beyond the scope of the 2 hours we’d paid for parking. She encouraged us to not worry about getting a ticket because, since we’re from out of state, it’d only be a warning. We took her suggestion and by the time we found Bernice’s Bakery for some coffee and a shared cinnamon roll, our two our parking limit had vanished from our thoughts. At the end of the day, when we returned to our car, there wasn’t even the warning.
The girls were both so awesome today ~ Audrey took a massive nap in the Ergo as we walked and Maggie stayed close and walked SO far. It wasn’t until we were at a park that she took a spill and she started crying….it was then that we decided to head back to the car. I’d passed Audrey to Barry and was in charge of snuggling/carrying Maggie and she’s heavy. I decided to put her in the Ergo to see how it went and it was awesome! It felt nice to have her close for the walk back to the car, where she busted open a car present and munched on it on the way back to our hotel.
Tomorrow is a longer car day for us all and if we played our cards right today, and I think we did, we’ll get off in the morning and both girls will happily nap. Maggie, despite the fact that she has plenty of ‘activities’ to do in the car, turns into quite the chatterbox once we’re moving. There isn’t a favorite topic of conversation, just lots of talking…..
Audrey has been the most amazing baby in the entire world. She continues to be relaxed and happy to go with the flow and has literally only cried once, exactly opposite of ‘someone’ that has never been a great car rider. As long as she’s fed, she’s pretty happy.
And if all else fails, we’ve still got Car Presents!
