It was a smooth drive up, except that Isaac threw-up. He tends to do that on car rides. The first time he said he was going to get sick, I pulled over quickly and had him lean over. He then burped, smiled, and said he was lots better. However when I exited the interstate for a bathroom break, he very seriously said he was going to be sick. I was in the middle of an intersection, so I dumped the bag of beef-jerky onto the floor, handed him the bag, and he threw-up. Crazy.
... So it was a bit of an embarrassing check-in at the hotel. Basically I told off the staff, after the 4th time someone said something about Titus standing (okay, jumping) on the couch. Alright, you see a tired woman with 3 crazy boys and no husband around, obviously she needs HELP and COMPASSION, not judgment. I think they knew I had had enough when I started yelling and said I need help because I have a lot of kids. And then I took Titus by the hand and stormed to our room, and hoped that they had my other two boys following me. Not the brightest moment in my life, and I really regretted doing it as soon as the door was shut and all the tears started flowing. Think Shannon, think! Oh, well...
... Matt arrived soon afterwards and we had a lovely afternoon/evening. Dinner at Cracker Barrel--which I had some amazing blueberry pancakes--then the boys and Matt swam for a while at the hotel's pool. I took a nap.
Wednesday morning Matt slept in till 8am and felt like a new man. His schedule has been CrAzY the last 3ish weeks. He needed that rest. I downloaded the sound track to the 25th anniversary Les Mes musical. Magical! We then packed up the 4runner and went to see.... Mammoth Cave!! So exciting. Man, what a big cave! It's one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, and I think the biggest cave in the world. Like 30ish miles long. We just did a quick and little tour, since our time was short and the boys are little and wimpy. It was 52 degrees down there, and the boys only wanted to be near us because of the cold. Also the darkness scared them a bit.
So here are some pictures:
And Isaac got a bee sting on his neck. Sorry dude.
After the cave tour we went to a Dairy Queen for some ice cream. Everyone wanted something ice-creamy, except Eli who wanted french fries.
Matt's pass was up at 6pm, so we headed back to the base. We watched Matt perform some drill duties with the cadets, and then were able to go to a park with Matt for about 30 minutes. The parks on the base are amazing! Really cool.
After Matt left, me and the boys went back to a park and they played for a long time. I was able to talk to a couple who have been active duty for a bit, and they were able to answer some questions. At one point I wanted to cry (because that's what I do) because she told me something that contradicted what I thought I knew, like really knew. Something about housing.
AHH! It's so frustrating sometimes. I feel like I'm pretty prepared for active duty life, but there are so many things to learn. And once something is learned I really cling onto it; so to have a "fact of military life" wrong is hard to take. But I'm okay. REALLY I AM! I'm good with everything that is going on. I just have to go with the punches.
We got back to the hotel later that night and the boys enjoyed jumping on the beds in their new underwear. Each child picked out a package. Isaac--LEGO ninjas. Eli--LEGO Star Wars. Titus--superheros. So even though Titus isn't potty-trianed he loved wearing the underwear on top of his diaper. (Well potty train soon since he is ready. Just all the travel is throwing us off.)
Eli has learned to love hotels. When we drive up to one he says, "Oh, yeah! Ho-te-ow! I lub it, ho-te-ow." Isaac has learned the hotel rooms are full of fun and adventure. Titus is just along for the ride.
That night Isaac and I shared the bed. He's a good bed partner. Stays still, unlike his brothers who are all over the place during the night.
Thursday morning we left a little after eight, and got back to Bama-home around 2. Pretty dang easy compared to last time. Just stopped twice... and I don't think we'll go back up. I think Matt has another pass till end of July, and we think he'll be able to come down here. *fingers crossed*
3 comments:
That's tough man. What's up with those hotel peeps man?
I feel your pain man. I tried shopping at Winco the other day with all four kids!
Let's just say I won't be doing that again for a while. The guy up front goes "how are you doing today?". Which I answered with "I just wanna get out of here". So he scanned my food in silence and I left with a screaming baby and three crazy children.
I'm really glad you got to see Matt. Sorry about the housing.
That cave looked cool.
Miss you.
It's like a roller coaster. You're excited to get started, a little nervous, you scream at the scary parts in the middle, and afterwards you feel worn out but proud of yourself that you did it- such is military life I beleive!
Can't wait to see ya'll!
After a man told me twice at the commissary that I better watch my son climbing all over the cart, I literally cried through the check-out. It was nice to hear the girl say, "It's okay." and "Have a good day!" like she really meant it. Military life is hard, especially when you are first figuring it out. But it is great too! You will get it. And then YOU will be the one at the park telling the newcomer the ins and outs. Love your blog Shannon. You crack me up!
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