Post Falls, ID to Modesto, CA

For a while my posts are going to be those that I wrote while traveling on vacation to Modesto, CA to spend Thanks Giving with family. I wasn't able to find the time to go downtown to get a wireless connection to my laptop in order to upload my thoughts. So the next series of posts may seem a little outdated, but I hope you enjoy them.

Thursday, Novemeber 16, 2006

We couldn’t wait any longer. We were supposed to leave on Friday, but since the car was packed Thursday night we left town about 8:00 pm on Thursday. The trip was torture this time. We have driven straight through with just the boys before, but never with all three children. Let’s just say we will not make the same mistake on the way back.

When we have done this in the past the two boys had room between them in the back seat, but this time with Jamie and our little Chevy S-10 Blazer they have no room to move. Not to mention they have to share one seat belt because there are only two seat belts in the back seat. So I had to listen to them scream at each other not to move because with every movement the belt would tighten up. It would have been a blessing to have been able to put Jamie between the two of them in her car seat. But truly they didn’t give me the biggest headaches like their sister.

Jamie has never had to make this trip before. We hoped that traveling Thursday night would allow her to sleep through the first part of the trip. Boy were we wrong. Apparently this girl doesn’t need much sleep. All three of the kids were awake well into the early morning hours. Jamie squirmed and screamed a lot. The worst part was when we got to Lodi, CA (about 30 minutes from our destination) and she woke up. She started screaming and DID NOT STOP until we got to Grandma and Grandpa’s house and pulled her out of the car seat. Nothing would calm her down.

No one was more grateful to be at Grandma’s then James and I. I had a headache and was ready to get out of the car and away from the screaming and fighting of the kids. Of course they were happy that they could get out and stretch their legs as well.

Lesson learned. It is possible to drive straight through with one of two children as long as they have plenty of room to stretch, but it’s stupid to do it with three. We will be stopping at a motel on the way back. No more straight through trips for us, at least not till the kids are older and we have a bigger vehicle.