We left the cold and snow behind and made our way south to the sun! We stopped for the night at a Best Western hotel in Mesquite, Nevada. It was a great hotel. There was a grocery store across one street, and a playground across another. First we walked over to the grocery store and grabbed some dinner. We stopped back at our room long enough to eat quickly, then scuttled over to get in some play time.
Bryce and Thane remembered they love the monkey bars. Their callous-less hands disagree.
Graham thought the border wall was the best equipment of all. Until he fell off.
Nellie enjoyed being contrary. She mostly wanted to run away.
Getting the kids to sleep in one big room went better than expected. I let them watch a show before bed (I believe they chose a cooking competition) and told them, "If you all go to sleep without fighting or complaining, when you wake up in the morning, you can watch another show while I'm getting ready." Worked like a charm! There are benefits to kids having very limited screen time.
It was really nice to have a night with just our little family. We LOVED staying with friends and family, but I realized built-in solo days are also beneficial.
The next morning, Nellie was a monster. She screamed and tantrummed the whole time we tried to pack up the room. I was already plenty daunted with the idea of taking five kids to the hotel breakfast buffet by myself, and Nellie's behavior did not portend a happy outcome.
Aubree saved the morning! I allowed Bryce and Aubree to serve themselves, but insisted the other three kids sit down and wait for me to bring them their food. Aubree fed Nellie while I filled plates. Nellie ate and ate and ate and ate. The more she ate, the happier she became. "Aha!" I realized, "She was hangry!"
Nellie wasn't the only big eater. All my kids did some damage, though I'm pretty sure Thane out ate all other hotel diners! It was impressive to behold (and, of course, ten minutes into our drive he started asking for snacks. I'm convinced he has two hollow legs!).
Before we left, two different guests stopped to tell me how well my kids had behaved, which was a major relief, because it was stressful!
With stuffed bellies, we were soon back on the road watching the scenery change to a desert landscape. Thane was especially interested in the saguaro cactus. It's all very different than what we're used to seeing in the Pacific Northwest. My sunglasses were called back into service after their long winter break.
At one not particularly noteworthy point during this drive, music was playing, the kids were talking, and all of a sudden I realized, "I am full to the top with joy." I reveled in the moment, letting the "peaceful happy moment roll." In that instant, I also realized, "All the work and stress of this trip was worth it, if only for this one powerful experience."
Our destination that afternoon was our friend's home in Gilbert. They moved from Washington almost two years ago, but you wouldn't know it from watching the kids interact.
Aubree and Bethelle still consider themselves best friends, and were so thrilled to be reunited.
When the kids went to bed, Elke and I stayed up talking about education and books. Oh yeah! Two of my most favorite topics. We are definitely kindred spirits! Her kids attend a classical charter academy, so she had a lot of great insights and ideas.
The next morning, Elke's kids had to go to school (the downside of a strict classical academy), but we made arrangements for Aubree to eat lunch with Bethelle at her school. Aubree could've worn her regular clothes, but she and Bethelle thought it would be much more fun to dress as twins.
The rest of us had a picnic lunch at a nearby park and enjoyed the glorious sunshine. Elke left her 4-year-old with me briefly while she went to pick Aubree up. Of course, while she was gone, Pierce got a terrible spontaneous nose bleed. That's why he has blood all over his shirt in the picture below (we had to get a picture with the big cacti for Thane).
We took a little walk around the park and the kids were fascinated with the ducks.
In the afternoon, Elke let the kids pick oranges and lemons off her trees.
They have a fantastic pool in their backyard, and Aubree desperately wanted to go swimming. When Bethelle got home from school, they changed into their suits and bravely entered the frigid water. The boys also wanted to swim, and I told them, "If Aubree lasts more than ten minutes, we can discuss it." She didn't.
It was sad to leave, but at least we know they'll be up in Seattle to visit this summer. It's a blessing to have such good friends.
We got in the car and I told the kids, "This time it's only a five hour drive." They didn't flinch, which took the punch out of my joke. "Just kidding," I amended, "we're only going five miles!" At least that earned a cheer.
Five miles later we were at Uncle Eric's house and were greeted with a hot dinner and four fantastic cousins. Even better, shortly thereafter Eric brought Mark home from the airport. Hurray to have him join us!!!
Before our family reunion last summer, it had been six years since these cousins had been together. Six months is a much better interval! They jumped right into playing board games and running wild.
Saturday morning we put on our exercise gear and drove out to the Superstition Mountains for a hike. It warmed up quickly, but everyone proved to be excellent adventurers. I really enjoyed the chance to catch up with Eric, Mary, Tyson, Cambrie, Chase and Ella. I spent most of the hike talking to Tyson (15). For the moment, he plans to pursue a degree in medicine with an ultimate goal of being a neurosurgeon. Ambitious much?!
On the trail, everyone had a hiking buddy. Mary told me about the following exchange between Ella and Bryce.
Ella, in typical fashion, chatted up a storm. As they walked, she told him stories and kept up a running commentary on all she thought and saw. At one point though, she turned to look at him before stating, "You don't talk much, do you?"
I asked Bryce about it later, and he reported, "I do talk sometimes, but she was doing a pretty good job by herself!"
Chase, who is just one month younger than Aubree, wanted to be her partner on the hike. Cousins are the best! The end point of our hike was a surprisingly cool and beautiful stream where there are petroglyphs carved into the rock walls.
On the way back, we stopped to tour Eric and Mary's new house that's currently under construction. It's already gorgeous and it's only half done! The kids thought it was the perfect place in which to play Sardines. I'm so glad we introduced them to that game last summer!
When we got back to house, we discovered that we'd left out our kids' toothbrushes and toothpaste, and their dogs thought we'd left them as a special present. Somehow they'd managed to get the toothbrushes out of the bag, take them outside, and drag them through the dirt. It was pretty funny, and our kids couldn't stop talking about it.
When we got back to house, we discovered that we'd left out our kids' toothbrushes and toothpaste, and their dogs thought we'd left them as a special present. Somehow they'd managed to get the toothbrushes out of the bag, take them outside, and drag them through the dirt. It was pretty funny, and our kids couldn't stop talking about it.
That evening, Eric and Mary got pizza for the kids, put on a movie for them to watch (with Tyson and Cambrie as babysitters), and took Mark, Nellie, and I out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The kids had a blast having an evening to themselves, and we appreciated the time to talk without little people.
Sunday morning we were all out the door for 8:30 am church, a minor miracle. Our little family only stayed the first two hours of church, so we could get back to Eric's to finish washing our laundry and packing up the car. Aubree was the exception. She stayed the full three hours and got to go to Young Women's with Cambrie.
After lunch, we said another sad goodbye (encouraging them to come visit us), and settled into our all-to-familiar seats to race the sun west.
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