Nightmare Trip or Successful Trip???? Your Call.....

We all know of my love for a field trip and getting out to do fun things.  We also know that Ford loves Mar, rockets, planets, and outer space, etc.  So, Trey and I dreamed up a little road trip to Huntsville, Alabama.  It’s about 3 ½ hours from here and they have a Space Center.  As soon as we told Ford about our mini vacation he was beside himself. 

“My” plan was to leave at 12:30.  Trey didn't get home until 1:00 then we had to eat, pack the car, and get all the little things situated.  At 1:45 we finally pulled out.  We got to the second stop sign on our street and realized we left the hotel conformation sheet.  We turned around.

After an hour I needed to go to the bathroom.  We stopped.  After about 20 miles after our first stop I decided that something smelled like death so I unbuckled to do the smell test on John Brantley.  I told Trey to pull over.  As soon as I got him out of his seat I knew it was curtains.  EXPLOSION just like at the pumpkin patch.  Trey wasn't much help because he doesn't do well in a crisis.  We had no trash bag and had to figure out what to do.  After a complete wardrobe change and about 10 minutes we were on our way.

At the next available gas station we stopped to throw out the diaper.  Ford wouldn't nap and John Brantley couldn't go back to sleep after all that excitement.  We finally stopped again to go to the bathroom and Trey got some snacks.  All the while Ford has talked almost 200 miles, JB has squealed and made all kinds of noises, and I’m pretty sure Trey wanted to abandon ship right then and there.

 

Our trip took 4 hours.  Ford was THRILLED when we got to our hotel, The Hilton.  Once we got in the room they needed to jump on the beds a bit.  

 After everyone got freshened up we decided to go out to eat.  I will be honest, I thought it was a recipe for disaster.    It was 7:00 and we normally never leave our house at that time.  The boys are getting ready to go to bed.  Trey wanted to go downtown and eat at a nice restaurant.  When I say nice I mean: white table cloth, candle, lights dimmed, valet parking (which we didn't do), etc.  We went.  We were brave.

 Looking in the toy store next door

 Right after we sat down a cute couple who looked 40ish made a comment that we were brave to bring our kids in there.  There were no other kids within a 5 mile radius.  The food was delicious.  The boys acted great.  And we even got dessert!  Go to Cotton Row if you are in Huntsville.

After stuffing ourselves we headed back to our room for bed. 

At 2:14 John Brantley stood up in the pack-n-play and was yelling.  I put him in the bed with Ford and me.  He tossed and turned and kicked me.  I positioned pillows where he couldn't fall out and at 3:18 I got in the other bed with Trey.  At about 6:00 (note it was still dark) Ford woke up and asked if it was time to go to the Space Center.  At 6:13 John Brantley woke up so that party was ready to start. 

I decided I’d shower and get ready.  All the while the boys are running in and out acting like they have no home training.   Right after I got out of the shower John Brantley comes into the bathroom and proceeds to throw up all over the floor.  I yelled for Trey.  I cleaned it up and Trey bathed him.  I decided it was just teething and continued to get dressed.   Thirty minutes later I see him acting funny and noticed he is throwing up AGAIN in between the beds.  I grabbed him and ran to the bathroom.  He continued to throw up in there too.  All the while, he is acting fine.  After we cleaned him up yet again, he decided it was time to blow out his diaper.  By this point it was comical.  The room was a disaster.  I was worried about going to the Space Center, but Trey and I were determined to all go.  

 This little guy was beyond excited!!!!

 Not feeling too perky…

 Ford and I saw a ride called, “Mars Mission”.  He said he wanted to ride it.  We got inside the spaceship and the big movie screen popped up.  It was like a roller coaster.  Ford started freaking out, and deep down I was too.  I HATE a roller coaster.  He wanted to get OUT of the spaceship and I was laughing at the entire situation.  Needless to say, that was the only thing we rode.

 Mars Mission

 Do you see little Ford down in the bottom right corner with his head tilted back looking at the rocket???

 I think this rocket was his all-time favorite.

The ceiling was too low, I couldn't fit in there.  

 I thought this was a good quote from an astronaut.

 Fortunately, Bitty never got sick again.  He acted very much unlike himself in that he was calm and quiet.  He fell asleep in my lap during the 45 minute IMAX movie.

 I loved their matching shirts!!!

 By 1:00, when we finally ate, he was DONE.  It was OVER for Bitty.

 But before we could leave we promised Ford that he could get a space suit from the gift shop.  I honestly don’t think there was any little boy on planet Earth that had a bigger day than Ford Lamar did yesterday.

 I love my family and I am glad we got to go on a mini vacation for a total of 27 hours even though some parts were nightmarish and challenging.  We created memories and our boys had a wonderful time. And this morning I woke up with the stomach bug!!!

Cotton blog below....