Getting to Oregon

When you pack for a road trip you try to figure in all possible situations that could arise during the journey. Having to pack for a road trip with a 6 month old and an almost 2 year old, not to mention for yourself and your husband can prove a daunting task. To pack for a loooonnnnggg road trip there are some feelings of stress and fear...for me I felt hope. I love to drive. I love to explore and since I had been pregnant for two years I haven't left the house for much of anything in a long while.

In my truck we stuff suitcases, bathroom cases, toys, the high chair, the co-sleeper, the playpen, the walker, pillows, an ice chest, baby monitor, diapers to last a month, wipes to last a month, a bag of bottles and sippy cups, baby bath tub, extra blankets and a large box of foods. The box contained 2 large cans of formula, baby food, crackers, Rice Krispies, Cheerios, fruity cereal bars, graham crackers, cookies, bananas, dish soap and a bottle brush, chips, baby spoons and plates, a Ziploc bag half filled with soapy water and a wash cloth, another bag half filled with plain water and a wash cloth, three hand towels, napkins and a bunch of chocolate for my husband's seriously scary sweet tooth.

Am I prepared or what? Honestly, I grew up taking lots of road trips to camping, fishing or just for the hell of it with my parents so I pretty much always go with being a good scout. It must have worked because the 9 hour drive to Oregon was nice, relaxed and pretty much ahead of schedule. I had drawn up a "stop every two hour" plan so that the walkers among us could stretch and sweet Felicia could get a little rolling around time. All in all it was great. The weather was wonderful, the traffic wasn't bad (it would be another three days for the 4th of July traffic to hit the road) and we made it all in one piece.

When we drove up to my mom and dad's house we were excited and tired. Kenny had only seen them a few times before and Felicia had never met them. There were hugs, kisses and awes. My sister and brother were both there with their broods and both my kids got overwhelmed quite quickly. So much was going on! My poor little angels rarely see such excitement.

My sis and bro headed out and things got to be a little more peaceful. Felicia flirted with my dad and Kenny followed my mom around the kitchen begging for any food she could muster up. With the kids relaxed Jason and I unloaded the truck and set up the spare room for our family. The co-sleeper was made up and set by the bed, the playpen was set up for Kenny and we commandeered the upstairs bathroom for our use.

The first night was fun, a little hectic with all the visitors and such, but nice. We got the kids to bath and bed and then we went downstairs with the monitor and chatted with my mom until late into the night.

I couldn't wait for the next day. I had told my sister that I wanted to go to the beach and asked if her crew wanted to join us. So it was set. To the beach.....