A True Travel Vehicle

Man, we have been so blessed to have that limo. We just completed a trip to Spokane Washington, how long was it? I think 27 hours in the car. There was a double wedding- we had to be there. My uncle Ron was getting married to Mary and my sweet cousin Haley was getting married too!

Leah and her family caravaned with us, but after CC started throwing up- no one wanted to ride with us so we got the limo all to ourselves... all seven of us. I had to snake through that privacy screen more times than I wanted to, a cop pulled us over looking for guns and drugs but all he found were babies and bubble gum, then he thought it was so funny he called the sheriff and one of his buddy's to come check out the preschool limo party. So we sat there and waited for them all to get their laughs and in the end, they didn't give us a ticket.

One of the things I loved about the trip besides being with wonderful family members like my mom, aunts and Nana was the way we could spread out in the limo. Now don't judge me here. After an hour in the car the babies have usually had it. So usually every 2-3 hours I would snake through the privacy screen, nothing graceful about it and feed the babies, lay them out on the bench to change them, put a blanket on the floor and let them floor surf while I change the next and the next. I would put in a movie in the VCR for Haz and CC or we would read a story. Then I'd throw everyone back into their car seats and snake back up to be with N8. The babies would be satisfied for a few more hours. No one could see what was going on in the limo because the windows are tinted dark- so no one knew there was a family actually living in there while driving and it wasn't some washed up ol' movie star.

There were tense moments, but I was really proud of the girls. Sometimes they would bicker. We would call back, "work it out girls, I know you can." And then we would roll up the privacy screen and smile conspiratorially because we were rescuing ourselves. They disliked being shut out so they would work it out then call to us, "Momndad, we figured it out!" (Nothing unites sisters like a common enemy.) We would unroll the screen. A few times Hazel would knock on the screen, "Mom, do you have a bottle for James he is crying." Then she would sit by him and feed him for me and get back in her belt. She has such compassion for the babies. Like I said, don't judge me. Sometimes Hazel and CC would sleep on the floor for a good nap too. (Let's judge her.)  When you were a kid, you took trips laying on top of a pile of suitcases with a mattress on top in the family van too. Didn't you?

One of the babies sat next to H and CC and the other two are on the back bench as you see here, then I could feed and sit back there in the back corner without any trouble. We  actually  enjoyed this trip, a bit.

Now, while you are traveling this week for Thanksgiving. If you have children, think about the grace and ease of this fine traveling machine. Maybe you would like one too, no? You have to be gutsy to drive it and thick skinned to put up with the stares and comments but other than that, I think I will drive this car until I crash it. I think I like it.