Summer 2015 New England roadtrip!

Hello from Granddaddy’s house in Ashburn, VA.  It’s summer roadtrip 2015!  Our adventure started yesterday afternoon.  Coleson got home from work about 4pm.  We drove Maya and her crate over to Nana’s, wished Pop-Pop a happy birthday, and said hello to Jason & Amber.  We then starting throwing stuff in the back of the van.  As the kids get older, it gets easier to pack!  Just the basics this trip, not even a pack-n-play, although we did bring the napmat and a blanket for Chlo-Chlo.  She’s too big for a crib, but we’re still afraid she’d fall out of a real bed in a hotel room.  So anyways, we left home about 5:15.  We picnicked in the car and made it about seven hours before stopping at midnight at a Red Roof Inn in Durham, North Carolina.

Only a few hours into our trip, we’ve had our first casualty : Critter.  If you know anything about Chloe, you know that Critter goes everywhere.  Critter is Mommy-made and very special to both of us.  He is super well-loved and actually just had knee surgery two nights before we left.  We know she had fallen asleep with him in the car Thursday night, but I remember noticing when we were in the hotel room that she wasn’t holding him.  And of course, a couple minutes later when we laid down, she started crying for “Dritt-Er.”  We assured her that he was in the car, and she was able to fall asleep.  Let me tell you, we have looked everywhere for him.  We couldn’t find him the next morning in the car, we walked to the room and back several times, we’ve torn through our suitcases, I even checked the trashcans in the stairwells at the hotel.  We’ve check twice with the hotel office and they have our name and number in case he shows up.  He’s literally disappeared into thin air.  Chloe has taken it fairly well – fortunately Abby is not attached to her Critter, and so “Abby Critter” has filled in occasionally in the past.  Chloe has clung to Abby’s Critter today and is currently sleeping with him.  I keep praying Critter will show up, and I keep checking the car even though I know he’s not there. 

After checking out of our hotel, we got donuts from the gas station next door and coffee from McDonald’s before finishing up the last four hours to the DC area.  We meet up with Choi family in time for lunch today, woohoo!  We picnicked with them at an awesome park on Burke Lake – we have a box in the truck with bread, PB, honey, lots of snacks, apples, etc.  After lunch we rode a fun little train and watched the ducks [geese] down by the lake.  We finished up with ice cream and a rootbeer float for me at the park’s ice cream parlor.  It was a cute place and a fun afternoon.  After the park, we stopped by David and Kelley’s new townhome.  It’s a great place with a basement and nice backyard.  The kids enjoyed hanging out with Hannah.  She’s in between Abby and Chloe’s age, so the girls especially play really well.  It’s always fun to see the Chois and catch up on life! 

This evening we arrived at Granddaddy and Grandma Jo-Ann’s.  They had an awesome dinner for us – rice and beans and pork and corn.  It was delicious!!  The kids spent the evening in the basement playing ping-pong with Granddaddy and coloring with Grandma Jo-Ann.  They’ve also added a fun placehouse since our last trip.  The weather was a little drizzly, so we passed on a scooter ride with the kids, and instead Coleson and I snuck our by ourselves for a short run/walk.  It was a nice treat!  Thanks Granddaddy for watching our kiddos.  We thought briefly about checking out local fireworks tonight, but the kids were pretty tired.  Chloe asked for bed and fell asleep without a peep [and with Abby’s Critter]; the rest of us weren’t far behind.  We’re excited for a fun-filled Fourth of July tomorrow!  Unfortunately it’s supposed to rain, but surely there’ll still be lots of patriotic fun to be had!