For Mother's Day, David and I planned a trip to Arizona to see his parents. We hadn't seen them since September 2009 when we traveled there for his sister's wedding. About three weeks before our trip, David received an e-mail from his Dad asking to bring David's Grand Daughter Rebecca (who is 3 and a half) as a surprise. We pondered this, and having had Rebecca at our house when her little brother was born in December, we knew that Rebecca wasn't quite ready to be away from her Mom & Dad for an overnight trip without her Mom, Teresa. Teresa suggested that she go (she hadn't seen her grandparents in a long time), and that way she could also bring her 4 month old, William. David thought about it, and since Teresa could go along to take care of Rebecca and William, why not bring the other two grandchildren, Lex (6) and Calvin (2.5). So, we talked with the Boy's parents, and they agreed, and the three of us adults took 4 young children on an airplane to visit with their Great Grandparents for a long weekend (Thursday to Monday). We told David's Dad that we were only bringing Rebecca, so he got a great surprise as well when the HUGE van we rented pulled up at their house and all these people got out of it. It kinda remended me of a clown car... (and since he couldn't keep a secret and he told his wife that we were bringing Rebecca, it was nice to still have a surprise for everyone).
It was a warm weekend. Temps were just over 100, and humidity was in the single digits. I'm surprised that my contact lenses stayed in my eyes...
A blow up pool was purchased for the kids to play in, and between the hose and the toys, the kids had a great time! David's two sisters and their families also live in Arizona, so everyone had a great time with the babies. I think Uncle Geoff and cousin DJ had just as much fun, if not more, with the kids and the pool.
There was only one real meltdown at the airport the morning we came home from Calvin, which we all lived through. It had ended before we got on the plane, and the rest of the trip was pretty peaceful.
I hope you all had a great Mother's Day weekend!
You're brave to travel with that ratio of kids to adults! I say this as the mom of two little boys! ;)
Posted by: Paige | May 15, 2011 at 02:04 PM
The travelling actually wasnt bad at all, and the kids were preyty well behaved. What amazed me was the amount of stuff you need to take with you when you travel with kids - toys, things to entertain them on the plane, and CAR SEATS, which we needed for the van we rented. Although we all had a great time, it certainly wasnt a relaxing get away.
Posted by: Paul | May 16, 2011 at 08:31 AM
What a wonderful surprise!
The kid to stuff to adult is what I find shocking. Doesn't everyone under 5 need two adults to carry their stuff and a third to hold their hand? ;^)
xo
Posted by: Cookie | May 16, 2011 at 03:30 PM
It was a great surprise, and there were tears when we got there and tears when we left. And yeah, lots of stuff and lots of hand holding. And it was all worth it. Now David and I need to plan some time away to actually relax...
Posted by: Paul | May 16, 2011 at 11:08 PM
Sounds like a good time was had! :-) I can't imaging 100 degree weather. Whew!
Posted by: Saffron | May 22, 2011 at 04:28 AM
It was a very good time! The humidity was in the single digits, which made it not too bad. Although keeping my contacts in my eyes was a little bit of a challenge...
Posted by: Paul | May 22, 2011 at 08:20 AM
We have been planning a trip to Arizona for some time now, seems like a great place to enjoy nature and get some peace.
Posted by: acid reflux symptoms | July 05, 2011 at 08:46 AM
Hi Paul, What a treat it was to read your comment on my blog. I was delighted to see that you are still blogging. While your weekend might not have been restful, what a special surprise it must have been for David's dad. The kids look as if they were having a good time.
You have often crossed my mind while knitting. I moved on from knitting endless scarves to all manner of things, but mostly lace shawls. One of these days, I'll blog about them. Hope you are having a good summer!
Posted by: Kate Parker | July 05, 2011 at 10:45 PM