Apr
27
Last week we drove to Coos Bay to visit JB’s family, and although 400 miles (ONE WAY) is never going to be fun, it was probably the easiest trip we’ve had since becoming parents. As endless of a drive as it seems now with two older kids who can entertain and feed themselves, I can barely believe we survived it with babies. Babies who constantly cried, crapped, barfed, and generally required one person to spend 7+ hours hunched over their carseat trying to keep them happy. At least these days I can take a nap or even read a book, while the boys engage themselves in a vigorous singalong of Row Row Row Your—Diaper! HA HA HA STINKY Diaper! Row Row Row Your … Butt! AHAHHHAHAHAAAAAA Your POOPY Butt!
We came home to a $300 vet/boarding bill and a $1200 bill to fix my stupid car and during the 8453rd load of post-trip laundry I accidentally washed a Pull-Up and holy GOD you do not want to do that EVER and somewhere in the midst of unpacking all our shit and cleaning out the fridge and dealing with two hyper kids who had been cooped up in a car for 7 hours I realized for the millionth time that whatever it’s called when you go out of town with your kids, “vacation” is most definitely not the right term, but even so, oh, it was so nice to get away. I just wish it didn’t take us so long to get there.
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Thank you so much for sharing these pictures! They are so beautiful.
I just had a strange, random thought – Will JB ever blog about you all? I’d love to hear his take on your family life and adventures. Of course, he doesn’t know anything about laundry probably but STILL…
God, Coos Bay just always looks like my idea of the most beautiful place ever.
But, I hear ya: we used to drive every other weekend up the NJ Turnpike, DC-NJ. It’s not 400 miles, but I swear to GOD that drive will kill you dead. EVERY OTHER WEEKEND. AND NJ ISN’T AS PRETTY AS COOS BAY. AT ALL.
Whew. Sorry. I little turnpike ptsd, there. Whew.
Beautiful getaway! Looks far more peaceful than our family vaca (with 2 young whiny children) to Disney was! Love the songs little kids make up. We have an “Everybody Poops” song.
And how did you find a starfish to match ever so perfectly with Dylan’s coat?
I heard recently that you call it a “trip” when it involves long drives with young children, and a “vacation” when it doesn’t.
Your photos are beautiful!
we used to do NH-NJ every other weekend, 320 miles, with a baby and two dogs in our car, not suv lol. Only now, years later, do I realize why my coworkers looked at me strange when they’d ask what I did over the weekend and I’d shrug and say “went to NJ.”
Oh and don’t you just love those VWs? My husband works for them and we still spend tons of money fixing the two we have!
Love the pics, especially the starfish, whoa, wish I could ever find anything cool like that on the beach when i go!
My very favorite quote from “Modern Family” (as spoken by Claire/Julie Bowen): “I’m a mom traveling with her kids. This isn’t a vacation, it’s a business trip.”
We’re heading up to Coos Bay this Summer for a vacation. I’m hoping to retire there one day.
The best long drives I’ve had is when the kids are watching a DVD with head phones, the wife is listening to a book on tape with head phones, and I’m in heaven because of the quiet.
“Trip” – with kids
“Vacation” – without kids!
I saw a personalized license plate on an car today that reads, “POOPY.” So someone let a 3 year old choose a license plate? Perhaps DIAPER was already taken.
Nice starfish by the way!
We are headed to Bend (from Seattle) in July. I am glad to hear it’s a bearable drive with older kids. The last time we went my daughter (who is Riley’s age) was 2 and that drive kinda sucked a lot.
This is like the trips we used to take in the car from Cleveland to Charlotte. Oh! How I hated the shit out of those 10-hour trips as a kid, but can look back on them through the foggy lens of nostalgia now.
And in some way, isn’t that the point of these trips? So that we can all “remember when” over a casual cup of coffee or while looking through photo albums?
Lovely pix as always. I know every year you attempt a Mother’s Day pix with the kiddos, but the last one you posted here is great. A pre-emptive maneuver?
We’ve all washed the diaper/pull-up once. I was told (after the fact) that salt will dry it up and help it rinse out. Mine? I put it in the dryer. DON’T. Really- don’t.
Your kids make the GREATEST faces!
Ah, so they are in full-on ‘diaper/butt’ mode, eh? There should be a vaccination for that. Seriously, we battled it with my boys for 8 months.
I’ve washed my share of pull-ups. Those were not good days.
So fun. That’s a great family photo.
I just won’t tolerate butt, fart, poop jokes, period. “Those are for the men’s campout, darling. Ladies don’t like those sorts of jokes.” Because otherwise, he’ll perseverate on them, do them at school, get expelled, etc., etc. The joys of raising the high functioning obsessive autistic boy child… Otherwise, he IS pretty much a joy, don’t get me wrong. We have a fun game called, “Going to sleep in the… (blank), which can be a REAL blast. Going to sleep in the gas station! Going to sleep at the auto dealership! Going to sleep under the Christmas tree! Going to sleep in the forest! Going to sleep on the moon! Going to sleep in Nana’s arms…
My parents used to live in Gold Beach, and we made the trip every summer/Christmas. When we started, we had 3 kids under the age of 5. One memorable time, the two girls took turns crying from Portland to Seattle. Non-stop. We got as far as Boeing Field and I made my husband stop the car along the side of I-5 so I could get out. It was either that or infanticide. I love the Oregon Coast, and your pictures make me want to go there RIGHT NOW!
Gorgeous photos! What a great shot of the whole family.
It is only a vacation if there are no kids. With kids involved it becomes a trip.
Great photos!
Totally agree with the above — Family trip with kids-not a vacation. And it doesn’t even change when they’re older. It just gets easier because they can carry their own crap and they don’t wear diapers.
Good grief, I and my 2 daughters went to Coos Bay the same week as you! Wasn’t the weather shockingly fabulous! Did you hit Mingus Park at all? The Choshi Garden is starting to bloom. But it is a drive from Seattle, no kidding! From Portland to Seattle on the way back I got to listen to intermittant Justin Bieber renditions as performed by an almost 6 year old and a whole lot of “Stop it!” – “No you THTOP it!” (that’s the 2 year old with the lisp) – “No, YOU STOP IT!” – “NO YOU THTOP IT!” A trip it was.
Holiday card – right there, no matter how much the boys change between now and then. What a lovely depiction of your family, just as they are – perfectly yourselves.
That starfish is AMAZING!
Thanks for making me giggle this morning. Needed that. (In fact, I always need that, come to think of it.)
And it gets better as they get older and then one day they are surly teenagers too cool to holiday with their family and they sit in the back of the car and sulk ALL the way….
I too know the pain of washing a diaper. I can’t even remember how I got rid of all that jelly stuff, but I remember it was a PITA!
Ummm, totally off topic BUT I’m gonna need a detailed review of that Tracy Anderson DVD. I have been on the fence about buying it due to the price but since you turned me on to the good stuff as far as at home workouts go (hello 30DS!), I wanna hear your innermost thoughts, please! Pretty Please! With sugar on top!
How did you clean your washer after you washed the pull-up? I did that last month and I am STILL finding beads everywhere!
The first time I went on vacation as a mom, I realizced vaction was not the right word. I now refer to it as a “change of scenery”. Interesting, maybe even fun, but never, ever relaxing.
Beautiful pics!!
Knocked my socks off with knwedolge!