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The second day of traveling went pretty much as well as the first, as long as you don’t count the kids asking, “Are we in Wyoming yet?” every 20 minutes. They really weren’t asking the classic question of “Are we there yet” because we had been talking about the different states the whole way, and Montana is soooo big. E4, who had been a trooper the whole way, melted down about an hour out. We got her calmed down, she ate, and then she fell asleep as we went the last little bit.

This is the door to the house I lived in from the time I was born until I graduated high school. Many things changed over the years- the whole house was remodelled when I was two, the door has been a couple of different colors, etc.- but it was always filled with warmth and fellowship, laughter and love. All were welcome. Those things have never changed.

We’re on the way to Wyoming! My parents offered to give the kids and me a ride to and from if we wanted to see friends and family, since K has to stay home right now. Of course, we jumped at the chance! So the seven of us packed into their Mountaineer and took off down the road (after a brief delay to get a new battery).

The kids traveled really well, and we made it to our favorite stop in Post Falls, Idaho. We got in around 10:00 or so, and even though it had been 17 months since we’d stayed there, they remembered that they got to choose out of the vending machine before bed. We ate our snack and watched Mythbusters to unwind, and they still all fell asleep before midnight.

This day’s lesson is- even if you’re in a hurry, take more than one picture and take them off of the card before the day is over. This one was horribly out of focus and not framed well, so I played around with the cool effects in PSP. I did post the original in the Image Event album if you are curious how it looked.

We have been getting tired of the same ol’ books around our house, so I ordered some new ones from Usborne. We’ve always loved their books, and these are no exception.

Well, I took a picture on this day, but when I went to take it off of the memory card, it wasn’t there. I panicked, then realized it was on K’s camera, which is now 1000 miles away. So, I will post this one eventually, it’ll just be out of order.

 My sister-in-law, V, sent fun stuff for all the kids with my parents. The thing they brought for E2 was a volcano model that you build and then use baking soda and vinegar to simulate the eruption. It’s so neat, and we all were really excited about seeing it in action. My original plan was to get before and after eruption pictures, but it took longer to dry than the directions stated, so all I got was the before so far. We’ll get to the after later.

 My parents visiting means that I get to drink ice tea. That seems kind of silly, because I can make it for myself and often do, but there is just something about having it around all the time as we do when my dad visits. It brings up all kinds of memories of home, as we always had tea around. It was not uncommon to go through more than a gallon in a day, especially if we had company. New visitors to the house would almost always comment on the tea, as it was not just regular tea but a blend of two different kinds of teabags. I make it the same way as we did then, but it just isn’t quite the same when my dad isn’t here.

 I am so grateful that even though my parents live quite a distance away, it usually works out for them to visit us at least once a year. We also try to take the kids there as often as we can. My kids are so blessed to have a relationship with their grandparents, despite the distance.

 I should mention first that we try not to make bedtime a big deal here. The quickest way in my opinion to create bedtime battles is to make it a control issue, so we use routine and guidance in order to help the kids get the rest they need. That said, their bodies are their own, and they are ultimately in charge of themselves.

Anyway, E3 is working on giving up her nap. Not that she doesn’t need it, as she still gets a bit cranky in the evenings if she doesn’t nap. But if she naps, she has a really hard time falling asleep at night. This night, she had been in bed at least 45 minutes without coming back out or making any noise, so I thought she had gone to sleep okay. At about 11:00, I heard someone in the bathroom, so I went to investigate. I was informed, “My hair is too messy to go to sleep!”

 E3 normally is a ham for the camera. As soon as I get the camera, she’s posing and prancing in front of it, saying, “Mom! Take my picture!” and then running back around to see herself in the display.

I guess she’s getting a little tired of it. This time she is saying, “Mom! I don’t want you taking my picture anymore!” That’s not a good sign- I still have over 300 pictures yet to take this year.

 Grandma and Grandpa coming to town is always very exciting. E1, who would choose to do some kind of craft over almost anything else, just has a great time with my very crafty mom. They brought her a Klutz book of sewing projects, and so they were barely awake their first morning before she was asking Grandma to make something with her. The first project was a needle and pin holder, and the second was a (cute but almost too realistic-looking for me) mouse. E2 wanted to be involved too, and E1 graciously let him use some of the materials from the book to make his own. After it was done E2 wanted to know all about mice, such as, could they run on walls? So Grandpa shared his mice knowledge, and the two of them had my skin crawling before very long.