Well Thanksgiving weekend is over... we're on to the next holiday, Halloween! And as much as we're looking forward to dressing the girls up and taking them around the neighbourhood so we can enjoy some free candy, I feel as though I should give thanks for the blessings we celebrated this past weekend.
We decided to head up to Gagetown to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. They are always travelling to see us, so we decided to make the 5 1/2-hour trip ourselves this time. I'm thankful to my husband, for convincing me that was a good idea.
I had to work until noon on Friday, so Danny and the girls (and Charlie) met me at my office around 12:30 and we were off. I had Danny stop to pick up some easy lunch to feed the girls (chicken nuggets and french fries - not at all healthy, but a helluva lot cleaner to eat in the car than a chicken wrap and apple sauce!). I doled out the food to the girls, and off we went. Since I was already in Kentville, the trip was half an hour shorter than I was expecting. I'm thankful that I wasn't allowed to take the whole day off and spent my morning counting down the hours till lunchtime - hey, at least it saved me half an hour driving!
We hit the highway, and Gracie said "are we almost there yet?" That's right... three minutes into our drive, and the questions started. She also repeated that question at minute 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 22. I"m thankful my two-year old speaks so articulately, and with such volume.
Have I mentioned before that Ella refuses to talk? Apparently Gracie does enough talking for the both of them, so Ella has decided that screaming, grunting, and pointing is enough communication for her. So she screeched and grunted her way through the next 2 hours of our drive. Did I also mention that her nap time is at 1:00, and for the most part, my kids refuse to sleep in the car? I'm thankful that after 2 hours of screaming and screeching, she finally fell asleep!
Gracie, for her part, was a pretty good traveller. Around Truro we put on The Backyardigans, and except for the occasional verbal diarrhea, she was pretty great. We stopped in Moncton for a snack for the kids, and made it to my parents' house just before 6:00. I'm grateful for grandparents, on whom I unload my children and my dog, and who had a delicious pot of seafood chowder waiting for us when we arrived!
After 5 1/2 hours of driving, we attempted to put the children to bed at their regular time. Ella went to bed pretty damn easily (I'm thankful for that - no sarcasm!). Gracie had a total meltdown. It was fun. I'm grateful I slept downstairs and let my mom deal with the 3 a.m. wake-up call. Sucker.
The weekend was pretty good. On Saturday we went to the toy store (our children have never been in a toy store. They were pretty amazed!), bought some tea, and went to Costco. The girls had their regular naps, we played in the leaves, had a bonfire, and had an uneventful bedtime. Sunday was pretty good too. Dad and Grampy took the girls pumpkin picking (or, as Nanny says, "punkin"), Nanny and I went shopping, and we had a delicious turkey/roast beef supper. I'm thankful that Ella is an incredibly picky eater who screeches and grunts and shakes her head "no" through every single meal while barely touching a thing... that means more leftovers for us.
On Monday we had breakfast (ooooh - I'm thankful for bacon. I ate three packages throughout the weekend. It. Is. Delicious. Yummy.), packed up and headed home. Amazingly, our children were pretty close to silent for the first two hours of the trip. We put on The Backyardigans, and they just zoned out until we reached Amherst. I'm thankful we're crazy parents who only let our kids watch TV on the weekend because it means they stay incredibly entertained for two solid hours when travelling.
In Amherst we got lunch and while we were putting Gracie back in the car, she saw somebody smoking. We told her that it was unhealthy, and yucky, and she was never, ever, ever, ever, allowed to smoke. I'm thankful my two-year old has a such a strong mind of her own, because she promptly lost her shit, told us she was going to smoke when she got older, and she would decide for herself once she was a "big girl." That was 10 minutes of pure tantrum throwing, screaming, grunting, and crying. I'm thankful she's not a teenager. Yet.
Gracie spent most of the next 3 hours being mostly really good. Ella did not. She screeched, and screamed, and cried, because heaven-forbid that girl have a freaking nap. Just after New Minas, she let out one last scream and then passed out cold. Danny also fell asleep, and Gracie watched her shows. The last 20 minutes of the drive were pure heaven.
I'm thankful for restaurants, where we ate supper, and early bedtimes, which we all enjoyed. The girls were in bed by 6:30, and Danny and I followed. Although we watched TV for a bit, I'm fairly sure I was unconscious long before any adult should fall asleep. I also slept through my alarm this morning and feel a little like death now. Kids are exhausting, travelling is exhausting, and I'm exhausted. But in all seriousness, I am thankful for my family; my kids, Danny, and my parents. They're all pretty amazing, and give me lots of (serious) things to be thankful for! :)
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