The Counts Family: Good Ol' Summertime

i am not particularly close to my extended family. it isn't intentional, it's simply a fact. my parents moved 5 hours away from their hometown before i was born, therefore i have not had the opportunity to grow close to my family as others have. perhaps i felt jealous at the relationships some cousins had with both sets of grandparents when i was growing up, yet i really have never believed i had missed out on anything. it was simply a different way of growing up. we traveled back and forth a few times a year - for holidays, birthdays and anniversaries until kids had their own schedules and plans.
by the time i moved out, traveling to see family seemed unimportant.
then i had warren. i found my heartstrings pull when i would think of my grandparents. living in columbia we were only 3 hours away and made the trip a few times for celebrations. living in ste. genevieve made the trip more challenging. warren and i traveled to kahoka for a funeral, he and i went with dad for a birthday party and soon after ellie arrived.
besides ryan's work schedule (oftentimes 7 days a week) just the idea of 2 kids in a car for 5 hours was exhausting! my dad's parent's have never met her. they have plenty of pictures, but obviously that isn't the same.
earning a week's paid vacation this year has allowed us to make plans to visit my grandparents and other family. i'm pretty excited, but just as nervous. showing off ornery kids isn't fun.
it will be a short trip, but overall pleasant if the weather cooperates and the crowds aren't forced indoors. my aunt has offered to host a lunch at her home, our friends offered us a bed and my sister will expect us the following day. after celebrating georgia's and barry's birthdays, we'll be heading back home monday.
we were also hoping if ryan is able to get caught up with work, we would take a day off for grant's farm or the transportation museum. but we'll have to see how tired we are after driving 12 hours the weekend prior.

my mom phoned a week ago and surprised me with an invitation to take the kids and go with her to kahoka for her family reunion. at the time the idea seemed wonderful except she wanted to drive up and back in one day. i wouldn't be seeing her side of the family during our vacation trip, so the timing was perfect. then i remembered i was to be by myself at work that week covering for two people. and i would have to work 5 days (i know, i have it so rough). by last thurs. i was too tired to think about traveling and called her to back out. she informed me that we could stay over at hotel so the kids could swim and we would leave the next morning. that sounded a lot nicer than the kids sitting in carseats for 10 hours! i mentioned dad could come over and stay with ryan then sun. we could all go to the county fair when we returned. the plan was in motion and she told me to expect her at 6am on sat.

6am... that meant getting up before 5 to get myself ready then fight with the kids to wake them up, get them dressed and ready. and that's exactly what happened. was far from a fun hour in our house. besides our clothes, we had to have diapers, wipes, toiletries, snacks, juice, dvd player, sunscreen, medicines (just in case) AND i decided to bring food to prepare at the reunion and a crockpot. i'm certain mom was not impressed when she pulled up to the house and saw my stack of luggage on the patio :)

we left after carseats were buckled in and i was to drive the first half, then she would finish up. we made it in record time. the benefit of leaving that early meant no traffic through st. louis. ellie slept most of the way and warren wouldn't stop talking. we ate breakfast in troy, switched drivers, then the fun began. ellie did NOT want in her carseat. i started a movie for the kids to watch, but ellie wanted to hold the tv and push all of the buttons. when that didn't work out, she found it entertaining to kick warren in the face. my mom laughed for at least 30 minutes listening to me tell my kids the exact same things she told me 25 years ago... we stopped in hannibal to reserve our room at the holiday inn and were smart to do so - they only had 2 rooms left! the sky had looked dark off and on, so we made sure to get a hotel with an indoor heated pool. driving through canton was sad. the flooded crops, homes and vehicles made me ironically thankful that ste. genevieve was spared this year.

we arrived at my cousin's home by 1045. my mom had mentioned an inground swimming pool, but it was larger than i had anticipated. warren HAD to go swimming instantly and without water wings, i was pool side constantly. ellie, of course, wanted to stand next to the pool and watch. but she wouldn't sit still, nor could i leave her side. i had to remind warren to stay where he could touch and follow ellie everywhere. i don't think i finished one sentence within 3 hours because i was either chasing ellie around the house and yard - or making sure i could see warren's head above water. mom helped, i'm not trying to seek out pity here, but this was her party and i wanted her to be able to visit with her siblings all she could (12 out of the 13 were there!). i couldn't begin to estimate the number of people... over 100 i'm sure. was chaotic, loud and so nice to see this group of people together laughing, eating and catching up on each other's lives. mom attempted to go swimming with ellie, but she threw a fit and wouldn't stay in the water at all. then i had to fight with her to keep her clothes on. she wouldn't get dressed, so i let her run around in her little swimmers the rest of the afternoon. every 5 min. i had to pull them up because she pulls them down (i guess her little crack enjoys the fresh air).
rain and lightening dampened the festivities (no pun intended) and after 3 hours i was spent. i kindly asked mom when she would like to leave and she was honestly ready. she was 'visited out'.

back on the road we went... this time... both kids slept! we were looking forward to a relaxing evening with a good meal, swimming, a few cocktails and a wonderful nights sleep!

it was pouring when we go to the hotel and cold. we got up to our room and mom & warren went to get the luggage from the car. within a few minutes, warren knocked on the door telling me 'grandma said i could come back - she'll do it herself'. i thought it was odd but maybe mom worried about the rain... then she came in the door with a flushed face and a frown. warren had ran off, into the elevator with strangers and back to our room. how in the heck he even remembered what floor or room we were in was beyond me. but mom never told him to come back. after a bare-butt spanking and a stern lecture about kidnapping, i made him call his dad. i had hoped his attitude about things would change.

we unpacked, looked at magazines and travel brochures about the town and chose to drive around, eat an early dinner, swim until the kids were worn out and enjoy some peace and quiet. we drove around in the rain and saw more 'tom and becky' memorabilia than you can imagine. we ate at a dive with overcooked food and ellie refused to eat or sit in her high chair. by the time we got back to the hotel, we were asking ourselves why we even left southeast missouri. warren went to the bathroom, and locked the door and shut it on his way out. i had to call the front desk to have them open it. i was just about at my wit's end. then we went swimming. the pool was freezing. ellie didn't want in, warren slipped and fell twice; so back up to the room we went. warren threw a fit, ellie wouldn't keep her diaper on and i have a feeling my mom was about to disown me. finally the kids played hide and seek long enough to let us relax and i found a movie on tv they could watch. we were so bored we went to bed at 845.

up the next morning at 5, ate the free breakfast at the hotel and southbound we went. ellie slept until we stopped to get gas and warren kept occupied watching tv. i took over driving after filling up the tank and mom had to deal with 'kid duty'. ellie was angry until we got home. we tried everything to ease her, but nothing worked. that was until mom gave her a note pad and what i thought was a pencil. we were almost home when i turned and saw her beautiful chubby legs... covered in black ink. ha! i don't think i've ever been happier to see my home.
as soon as we saw dad and ryan i told them "do not mention the F-A-I-R!" and mom said "gary, i think i'm ready for you to take me home". :)

after unpacking and cleaning up, we all napped. i think i could have slept all day. but after doing dishes and loading the washer, i felt as if we 'needed' to do something. so yeah, we took the kids to the fair. :D ellie hated the animals, warren wanted to spend all of our money on junk games but we loved it all! there is something amazing about county fairs, no matter where you're from. we then had dinner at our friend's house and visited with them for hours.

we all went to bed early and anxious for our 'normal' lives to start today. then warren came in my room at 5am with an earache... i know... it never ends. to work and school we went, then a dr. visit on my lunch hour and he has infections in both ears. he has spent the afternoon with his dad and ryan hasn't called yet, so i'm hoping warren hasn't locked any doors or ran out into the street.

as our weekend was hectic we just have to look forward to doing it all over again this saturday! we'll see some of you this weekend!