Road Trip!!!

Jackson & I decided to take a road trip this summer and hit some family reunions. We couldn't afford to fly, so this was our only option. And to cut down on costs and make it more fun (and safe), Maddie & Tiffany came with us. Jackson and I loaded up the day before to spend some time with Grandma & Grandpa Ussery in Portland. The next morning, we picked up Maddie & Tiffany at the train station and continued on our way. (They took the Amtrak train from Seattle to Portland.) We drove straight through from Portland to the bay area in California. We were there for a couple of days to help celebrate our Grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. Being a single parent is tough! I'm glad Tiffany and I were together to help each other, especially in the car when the babies needed something and I was driving - she was the designated "get the babies whatever they want" go-to person and I did all of the driving. There were times when one of us needed to use the restroom... again, very handy to have an extra person to help out. And then the art of taking a shower when you have not coordinated with your child's nap... SO nice to be able to trade off with each others' kids.

Our car was packed, but the kids mostly slept at the same time (a HUGE blessing!) and did EXTREMELY well in the car. From the bay area, we travelled 2 1/2 hours to our Aunt Lisa's house in the Sacramento area, in an attempt to get some of the long drive the next day to Salt Lake City out of the way. We were so glad that we did because it was a very long & boring drive through the Nevada desert! We only stopped for gas and used those stops to change the babies & grab some snacks to keep us going.

We made pretty good time and the kids were SO good! I think all 4 of us were glad to finally be there and unload and relax a little. We stayed with the Jones family and their 6 kids spoiled ours. Then we went to our Aunt Karen's house and stayed there for a few days until our Bromley/Pugmire family reunion started at Aspen Grove Family Camp, just outside of Provo - by Sundance. We had such a great time! The kids loved playing with Natalie (Karen's little girl) and all of the other cousins at the reunion. By the time we were ready to drive back to La Grande, I was about done being a single parent. We had been gone for a VERY long time! Luckily, Parker did get to fly in for a weekend and spend a little time with us at the beginning of the reunion. We missed him and were ready to sleep in our own beds again!!

I'm posting a few pictures of our messy car. I can't say enough how good the kids were... we were such proud Moms!!