I wish that I was typing this lovely memoir of an 18 hour trip to report only blissful memories.  If I sat in this hotel room, while my boys eyelids  are finally getting heavy and reported this trip accurately, well I can assure you, you would laugh.  Driving such a distance with an almost 2 year old and a 3 year old (or particularly my almost 2 year old and 3 year old) is not for the faint of heart.  The hours ticked by oh so slowly, the echoing voices of cooped up boys inside our wagon reverberated in my ears as the noises turned from joyful to plain old mad.  I believe there were several legs of the trip where I looked at the clock every 2 minutes reporting how much time until the next stop.  I pleaded with father time to please just fast forward. Pretty please.  And then just in the knick knack paddy wack of time we would stop the car, stretched our legs, pulled out the bike and the backpack and all was well with the world again.

Santee State Park

Seeing old friends in VA… and eating the best frozen yogurt the world has to offer…

Rutgers Gardens

Sherwood island state park

These kids just don’t deal with being caged in.  They just don’t.  We never made it more than 6.5 hours total in a day, which was appalling for the two grown ups in the car who have traveled back and forth across the country more times than we have fingers making stretches that lasted entire tanks of gas.  But, we knew what was in store.  And found some treasures along the way.

And I promise you, it was worth the wait.  We arrived in the green mountain state munching on a purchase of some home-made orange chocolate biscotti dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with walnuts while sipping on some frothy latte’s to the tune of two boys snoring in their car seats.  The most welcome sound I can think of at this juncture in time.  I just wish I could hear just a tiny tiny bit more of it, because between the chaos a schedule upheaval, the excitement of hotels and pools and restaurants, well… they are seriously. needing. more. sleep.  And maybe I am too.

In a few days, the biggest man of the house will head on back to Georgia to take care of the movers and drive the old route 95 again, but this time with two cats and a dog in tote.  The littlest men and I will take refuge at my parents home.  I have warned them of our current state, but I hope that they can fully remember the intensity that can be sleepy toddlers.  Cuz, like woah.  For real.

I promise there have been moments of shining goodness, which I will surely report soon.  But for now, Lee and I will continue to high-five one another after parenting moments filled with patience and occasionally exchange pained looks of frustration.  We will relish in the beauty this area has to offer and with some luck, find a home.