Christmas

May Have

Been Over,

But Christmas

Break Was

NOT!

Our wonderful friends from California, came for a visit and stayed overnight, the Monday after Christmas. 

They brought a little friend named BOB. 

The kids adored him.

We let the kids stay up as long as they could.  We watched Ice Age 3 and all the adults fell asleep and the kids were left wide awake watching the movie ‘til midnight!  Midnight!  Crazy kids.  They woke us to tell us the movie was over.

The night had gone by so fast and then it was morning already.  Their stay was so short the kids were begging to somehow stay longer.  We tried working it out so Yannick could take a rental back and have Tara and the kids stay days longer. 

It sadly DID NOT work out.

But when Plan A does not work, what do you do?

Put Plan B into effect. 

What do you think Plan B was?

Did you guess it? 

ROADTRIP TO CALIFORNIA, BABY!!!

I didn’t tell the kids and Tara kept it from her kids, so it was a huge surprise.  They left Tuesday afternoon and I went straight to get Dagen’s stitches out. 

Wednesday morning came, the kids were sad and complaining how they wished Andrew and Miles and Ruby could have stayed longer.  I asked the kids what they wanted to do this fine Wednesday and the complaining continued, how they don’t have good friends that live close, they’re soooo bored, why couldn’t their friends have stayed longer, can we play with our cousins and have THEM over?  yadah yadah yadah.  Then I asked them if they wanted to hang out in California with their friends.  They didn’t believe me.  “Mommy, are you joking.  Promise?  Are you joking, Mommy?”

Mike helped me pack up and went off to work.  I continued getting ready and we left at 12 noon. 

6 1/2 hours later, we were there.  Just in time for a WAY GOOD dinner.

Oh, and the kids knocked on their door holding out a toothbrush they had left at our place the night before, and said, “Here guys… you left your toothbrush at our house.  We had to come ALL THE WAY here to give it to you!”

Andrew and Miles just stared and then Miles fell to the floor pretending to have fainted.  It was a great surprise!

Mike flew over to meet me the next morning and we enjoyed another spontaneous trip together.     

Oh, did I mention that it was my first real road trip doing the driving?  I’ve done trips with Mike driving the other car like when we would leave for summer security sales, but this was a first WITHOUT Mike. 

I was a little worried, since I have a very hard time staying awake after the first hour of driving.  I took a Monster energy drink and downed it in 5 min right at the start, and it WORKED WONDERS!  I was awake, excited, happy, laughing for no reason, and ready to take on the road trip.  When I got there, I was talking to Tara and I swear my face was twitching the whole time talking.  I had to finally ask her if it was. 

Tara and I stayed up talking ‘til 1:30 and my body was tired, but my mind would not shut down.  I stayed awake with my eyes closed ‘til 3:30am or so.  That was the last time I remember looking at the time. 

We had dance party and then watched The Gremlin’s Movie.