As we were getting ready to move we came across the dilemma of how to get our van from one side of the country to the other. When we moved to North Carolina Rich flew out and drove with us. However, this time around we didn't have that option. It essentially came down to two choices: the boys and I would fly while our van was shipped OR I would drive with the boys by myself. At first I felt crazy for choosing option 2 but after talking with friends who had done similar trips with young kids I felt very prepared. In fact, my mom and mother-in-law both offered to help drive but for some strange reason I felt very confident that I could pull it off.
Day 1: (Mooresville, NC to Knoxville, TN--approx. 234 miles)
We had a super busy morning. I had to finish packing the van and clear out of the house before heading to the closing. Unfortunately, the closing got pushed back several hours due to issues on the buyers end. While we waited we ran an errand and stopped at a park for lunch and playtime. Henry fell asleep on our way back to the attorney's office and didn't sleep for the rest of the day. Just as we finally got on the road it started pouring buckets of rain! I told the boys that the skies were crying because North Carolina was so sad to see us leave. We didn't get as far as I thought we would since our start time was pushed back but we still made it to Knoxville which made for a good day of driving. We stopped at a hotel (with fresh cookies in the lobby) around dinner time. We ran to get milk (essential with my boys) and Chic-fil-A-- and I was lucky that they had a Cookout nearby for one last fix before heading further west.
After dinner we went swimming to get some energy out and made it to bed by 9:00.
Day 2: (Knoxville, TN to Forrest City, AR--approx. 438 miles)
I had 3 criteria for the hotels we stopped at along the way: somewhere safe, a pool, and free breakfast. In the morning at breakfast a lady came up to me after watching me with the boys (who were being very well behaved) and told me, "You are amazing." That's a great way to start the day!
Around lunch time every day we tried to stop at a park. I had a basket of lunch food (sandwich stuff, apples, water) so we could hop out, eat a quick lunch, and run around before getting back in the car. Thursday we were lucky enough to find Centennial Park in Nashville, TN. Seriously, if you are ever in the area you should go. I'm so glad we took the 10 minute detour to get there.
Sadly, as Alex ran to catch his brothers up the steps of the Parthenon he took a nasty spill and cut his chin open. It was pretty bad but I was prepared and had some germicide and bandaids readily available to clean him up.
We had a fun time wandering around the Parthenon and went inside to use the bathroom. William and James went into the Mens and I took Alex to help him in the Womens. I forgot to tell them to wait in the lobby if they finished before me. When I came out they were no where to be found. After just a few minutes I saw them coming back into the building!! They thought I had left and had gone outside so they wandered around looking for me! That was a little scary... and I told them that I would never leave them without telling them where I was going to be!
We still had a little time so we stopped at the playground to burn off the last of their energy. Right as we were getting in the car to leave a lady stopped and asked me if there were some clean bathrooms. She explained that she saw my BYU license plate frame and knew I would know the answer! So funny.
After lunch was wonderful because Henry and Alex both fell asleep and the big boys are great at entertaining themselves. We started listening to "Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites" and the boys loved it!
A few other things to remember: the boys finally tried beef jerky for the first time and--surprisingly--loved it! Henry started to resist being put in his carseat but once we were all buckled in and on the road he was great. We saw a forest fire so close to us on the mountainside--so crazy! Thankfully it looked at though it was under control. And I had the funniest conversation with Alex at the pool that night. He explained to me, "We are lucky because we have a hotel room and a pool. The hotel is kind of like our house. And our car is like our house too. We drive in our house." I think it's because we spent all day in the car and did all the activities we would have done at home! He is a funny kid. (But technically he was right! We still hadn't found a home in Las Vegas and our old home was sold!)
It was a long day of driving and it must have worn the boys out because they fell asleep so quickly! But the boys were such great helpers with minimal whining!
Day 3: (Forrest City, AR to Edmond, OK--approx. 436 miles)
On our third travel day we left around 9:30... the time difference worked in our favor! This day was pretty uneventful. We finally pulled out a game from my "game box". The boys played Guess Who and were entertained for quite a while. It was also the first time we had to stop for a potty break. Not surprisingly it was for James. I stopped at a gas station, filled up and let James go to the bathroom. We decided to stop at a rest stop for lunch. If I had known that there was one just a few miles from our gas station stop we would have kept going! It was good to fill the gas tank though.
We had a great time at the rest stop and the boys got their energy out by jumping rope (thanks for those mom!), climbing the wall next to our table, and racing each other several times.
Before we knew it we were in Edmond at Grandma's house! Hooray!
(And for the record: day 3 = still no electronics!)
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