::
AY Three::
On the road after our hotel breakfast for the long haul from Michigan to Atlanta. The first thing I heard from the backseat, courtesy of Gabriel; "So, where are all the dead Bambies?" {The roadkill on U.S. highways is plentiful}. The road was conspicuously free of carcasses. Good observation, Gabriel. . .
One hour later it was Caelah's turn to yell from the backseat; "I gotta go! And when you gotta go, you gotta go." So true. . .
I saw an interesting license plate: COAX ME . . . to what? . . .
With only six hours left to go Gabriel grew animated once more; "Halfway! Yesssss!" It's all a matter of perspective, eh? Sometimes we could all use a dose of four year-old perspective to pep us up. . .
May I just say that portable DVD players saved our sanity? Although one's sanity can be tested in a special way after being subjected to Monsters v. Aliens twelve times in a row. . .
The hills of Tennessee may be the death of our overburdened van. We can hear it kick into third gear with every climb. Aidan is wincing. . .
Just passed the whimsically named town of Stinking Creek. . .
11:00 P.M. At Maryanne & Pat's.
{She had been about to call it a night. I caught her taping little notes to the floor and on the bedroom doors so we knew where to rest our heads.}
Bed.
Finally.
::AY , FOUR & Five::
Boys running and yelling at 7:00 A.M.
I guess they felt right at home.
Almost immediately Josh and Elijah began to engineer Lego creations side by side. And Caelah and Anna were immersed in super girly pastimes, including dance performances and piano duets.
The other kids quickly learned to navigate their way around one another in a new space. Home away from home. However, Gabriel did have to be set straight on urination etiquette. While it may be somewhat acceptable to drop your drawers for a pee on the Interstate, it is generally unacceptable to pee into the neighbour's bushes in an urban suburb.
As for Aidan and I, we settled right in. Aidan worked from his laptop from the comfort of an armchair in the living room. If a tornado of kids hit the area, he simply moved upstairs. It was equally easy for me to find my place. My cousin keeps house a lot like I do, so it felt completely natural to take up a broom and fight the good fight alongside her. I told her I felt compelled to keep on top of the mess because she has made such a beautiful home.
Southern summers are made more bearable by both air-conditioning and swimming pools. We had both. We frequented the community pool the second evening to cool off. Elijah and Gabriel both scared us by slipping under. I actually jumped in with my clothes on to grab Gabriel. Swimming lessons are now at the top of the priorities list when we get home. I have held off with the ambitious intent to teach them myself. But that just hasn't been happening. Our tinies cooled off on a different scale--the kiddy pool on the back porch:
Maryanne and I were able to escape in the evenings and speak long and deeply, as we have done all our lives. Our mothers were intent on building lasting relationships between their daughters. Many hours of driving to bring us all together. This was not done in vain. All five of us girls remain deeply connected to one another. The beauty of the friendships we see solidifying between our own children is not lost on us.
AY Three::On the road after our hotel breakfast for the long haul from Michigan to Atlanta. The first thing I heard from the backseat, courtesy of Gabriel; "So, where are all the dead Bambies?" {The roadkill on U.S. highways is plentiful}. The road was conspicuously free of carcasses. Good observation, Gabriel. . .
One hour later it was Caelah's turn to yell from the backseat; "I gotta go! And when you gotta go, you gotta go." So true. . .
I saw an interesting license plate: COAX ME . . . to what? . . .
With only six hours left to go Gabriel grew animated once more; "Halfway! Yesssss!" It's all a matter of perspective, eh? Sometimes we could all use a dose of four year-old perspective to pep us up. . .
May I just say that portable DVD players saved our sanity? Although one's sanity can be tested in a special way after being subjected to Monsters v. Aliens twelve times in a row. . .
The hills of Tennessee may be the death of our overburdened van. We can hear it kick into third gear with every climb. Aidan is wincing. . .
Just passed the whimsically named town of Stinking Creek. . .
11:00 P.M. At Maryanne & Pat's.
{She had been about to call it a night. I caught her taping little notes to the floor and on the bedroom doors so we knew where to rest our heads.}
Bed.
Finally.
::
AY , FOUR & Five::Boys running and yelling at 7:00 A.M.
I guess they felt right at home.
Almost immediately Josh and Elijah began to engineer Lego creations side by side. And Caelah and Anna were immersed in super girly pastimes, including dance performances and piano duets.
The other kids quickly learned to navigate their way around one another in a new space. Home away from home. However, Gabriel did have to be set straight on urination etiquette. While it may be somewhat acceptable to drop your drawers for a pee on the Interstate, it is generally unacceptable to pee into the neighbour's bushes in an urban suburb.As for Aidan and I, we settled right in. Aidan worked from his laptop from the comfort of an armchair in the living room. If a tornado of kids hit the area, he simply moved upstairs. It was equally easy for me to find my place. My cousin keeps house a lot like I do, so it felt completely natural to take up a broom and fight the good fight alongside her. I told her I felt compelled to keep on top of the mess because she has made such a beautiful home.
Southern summers are made more bearable by both air-conditioning and swimming pools. We had both. We frequented the community pool the second evening to cool off. Elijah and Gabriel both scared us by slipping under. I actually jumped in with my clothes on to grab Gabriel. Swimming lessons are now at the top of the priorities list when we get home. I have held off with the ambitious intent to teach them myself. But that just hasn't been happening. Our tinies cooled off on a different scale--the kiddy pool on the back porch:
Maryanne and I were able to escape in the evenings and speak long and deeply, as we have done all our lives. Our mothers were intent on building lasting relationships between their daughters. Many hours of driving to bring us all together. This was not done in vain. All five of us girls remain deeply connected to one another. The beauty of the friendships we see solidifying between our own children is not lost on us.
