We have returned. Today has been about getting back on track and settled after five crazy days on the road. Both Auntie E and I commented about how ridiculous our trip seemed once we had completed it. So many miles with four small children in such a short period of time was truly ridiculous. But we both agreed that the main reason for our trip was an important one and we were glad to have accomplished it. We had a nice visit with Dad's cousin George and got to catch up with some younger family members as well. It was so much fun to see our kids running around with their extended cousins and nice to keep the connection. With all the big kids grown up now, there are fewer weddings to get us all together and now that we aren't in Cowtown anymore, we don't see as many people as we used to. 
The trip actually went fairly smoothly. We travelled to Cowtown on Thursday without any major problems. There were more stops because of Baby R, but everyone was happy to get out and stretch their legs when we did stop. McDonalds was our fast food of choice on Thursday. The kids all got their Happy Meal and toy which kept them occupied for an extra 3 minutes. We made it in record time - 8 hours and after we dropped Auntie E off at her mother in law's house, I took the kids over to have a quick visit with Auntie T and N, while we ate our pizza supper. We rolled into Team Indi's after 9pm and bedtime was a long and restless process. The kids aren't used to sleeping in the same room, so in the end I had to actually lie down with them to get them to settle down. Probably for the best, as I was exhausted.
Friday was another busy day. Up and out of Cowtown early. We made it all the way up north in time for lunch. Today's choice - Wendy's! Another goat herding experience, trying to keep the kids organized in the restaurant, eating their food in a reasonable amount of time. We headed over to the hospital for our visit. It was like a flashback from being a kid. George's wife doted on the kids, bringing them ice cream cups with chocolate sauce and then offering them lots of sugar cookies. The kids did great. They got restless at the end, but we managed to have a nice visit for almost an hour. We carried on to visit one family for a couple of hours and then to our final destination. The kids were able to get all of their energy out running around and playing.
Saturday was another travel day. Up and gone by 10am, we stopped halfway for lunch at Boston Pizza. It seemed like a healthier option, but took twice as long. Bean had one meltdown and it was hard to keep the kids at the table. We made it to Cowtown mid afternoon and headed to Team Indi's house. The weather was gorgeous so the kids had a great time running around in the back yard and park. Grandma Lady and Sam showed up for a visit. They were passing through Cowtown on their way home for the day, so we got a quick update on Grandma Lady's travel plans. The evening was busy with a BBQ party with another family (with 3 kids). I learned my lesson from the first night and lay down with the kids to get them to sleep. Auntie V, Uncle D and I stayed up until after midnight talking about the trials and tribulations of parenting.
Sunday was supposed to be our day to drive home, but Auntie E and I decided to try and give the kids a break from the car. Looking back I'm not sure if it was for the best, but it was still nice to have a longer visit. Team Indi went to a birthday party over lunch so I took the kids for lunch at a healthy cafe. Both kids were miserable. I spent the entire lunch trying to manage their fits about one thing or another. They were both overtired from being out of their comfort zone. We made homemade pizza for supper and I got the kids into bed at a reasonable hour. Bean managed to have a monster meltdown, which only escalated when I took his beloved brown seal away. Forty-five minutes later, I got him to at least lie down and eventually go to sleep. Auntie V and I went out for a nice walk in the warm evening air and were back in time to watch Desperate Housewives together.Monday was driving day. It seemed to take forever to get home. We stopped a lot, for one reason or another. A perfect example of trying to coordinate four small children on a big drive. But we made it. I had planned ahead with lots of snacks and lunch for the kids in the car, but we did eventually stop in Cranbrook for ice cream for the kids and sandwiches for the mommies. Everyone was happy to get home and Papa was happy to greet us. The kids had a nice long bath and were tucked into their beds by 8pm. We had a quick dinner and headed to bed shortly afterwards. It felt great to be in my own bed after 4 nights on the road.
Today was an adjustment day. The kids were SO happy to be at home. They got up at a reasonable time and fell right into playing their usual imaginative games. I packed them up to go to the gym so that I could adjust too. It's amazing how much I missed my exercise being away. No exercise, plus the fast food, not a good combination. We picked up some groceries and headed home for the afternoon. Bean managed to have a nap this afternoon and Schmoo had some quiet time. I loaded the washing machine and crawled into my own bed, in an attempt to catch up myself. After supper, Papa took the kids out in the backyard to run around. The snow is finally gone and Papa had worked hard all weekend to get the garden started and the grass raked up. We're back to preschool and gymnastics tomorrow. It's going to be an exciting weekend ahead with Grandma Lady arriving on Friday and Nana and Auntie J arriving on Saturday!!
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