CROSS COUNTRY ROAD TRIPPIN': PART ONE

Now that I've been able to recover for a week, I am ready to tackle writing about my most ambitious undertaking as a parent: a cross country road trip with my six littles - and our favorite teenage neighbor friend - SANS HUSBAND. We covered nearly 2,500 miles, crossed through 6 states, and visited 2 national parks. We spent about 50 hours in the car, met up with 4 friends, and dealt with 2 major car issues. We had some on-top-of-the-world highs and some stress-inducing, anxiety-riddled lows. When all is said and done, it was worth every minute - even the ones stuck at a stand-still on I-15 in nowhere Idaho. I learned a lot about myself on that trip, specifically that I am capable of so much more than I realized.

Now, before I get into the photos from my trip, let me show you how I handled six littles in a car for a combined 50 hours over a period of 5 days. First, our road map. I made an interactive road map with our car attached that showed states and pit stops along the way. Every so often, I would move the little car along the road to show the progression of time/distance. Next, our behavior clips. Each little had their picture on a clip and if they could make it to the next stop without arguing with a sibling or having a meltdown, they received a roll of smarties. Not everyone earned a treat at every stop, but this really did help to keep a positive atmosphere along the way. And finally, our backpacks. Each little was given a small backpack that was filled with: a coloring book, a composition notebook, a reading book (or two), a bingo board, an activity book/pack, an I-spy book, a dry-erase game packet (made by your truly), crayons, pencils, dry erase marker with eraser, a lego to-go box (also made by yours truly), and two small toys of choice. These backpacks REALLY made the trip. And my tunes... But seriously, the backpacks entertained the littles for hour upon hour in the car. The only two things that I would change would be WASHABLE dry erase markers (still cringing over everything that was colored on). And ditching the lego box - or at least saving that for when we ARRIVE at a destination. In the car, not so much.
Pictures from the actual trip tomorrow

FIRST DATE

So excited to post about our epic cross-country road trip, but my OCD brain tells me that I need to keep things in order. So we're going to go back a couple of weeks to when the mr. and I recreated our first date for our littles. We thought that our 10th anniversary called for a fun family date. What we DIDN'T take into consideration was that our first date happened in the fall - NOT in the dead of an Arizonan summer. Golfland Sunsplash for a round of goofy golfing. 110 degrees. That game lasted all of ten minutes before we called it a wash and left. Onto Mesa Frozen Yogurt. FOR THE WIN. Can't go wrong with a sweet treat like that. The kids loved it and the mr. and I were able to reminisce about high school years when we both frequented Mesa Fro Yo. Delish. \

ICE IT UP

If you've followed me for a while you'll know that this post is a summer standard. Ice painting. I started doing this activity three years ago and YOU WOULD THINK that I would remember how badly this gives me anxiety. Food coloring and clothing? A big, fat OCD NO. That being said, I'll probably continue to do this activity every summer despite my stress. The kids enjoy it and thats what matters most. An ice cube tray, food coloring, and popsicle sticks make for the perfect summer art project.

ANNI IN PAGE?!?

When the mr. and I decided to do a little getaway for our TENTH ANNIVERSARY, everyone told us to do Sedona. So naturally, I decided to do something different. Because that's just who I am. I only had to think for about a minute before realizing that this would be the opportunity to check off my biggest bucket list item for the state of Arizona: Antelope Canyon. The mr. jumped right onboard, despite not being familiar with my choice. We researched things to do, SAFE gluten free places to eat, and where to stay. Words cannot express what an AMAZING time we had. I never would have guess that Page, Arizona could offer so many amazing adventures, but it did not disappoint.

THURSDAY

drop kids off with my parents

drive 5.5 hrs north to Page

check in at our bed & breakfast

check out the town and surrounding area

visit the Carl Hayden Visitor Center at the Glen Canyon Dam

have a good dam time

try to check out the Hanging Gardens, but flip flops...

find Page Shores Amitheather and sneak around

eat dinner at Bonkers - hamburgers, FTW

hit the hot tub before bed

FRIDAY

enjoy breakfast on the balcony overlooking the canyons

drive a few short miles toward Antelope Point

go on a guided tour of Lower Antelope Canyon
amazing. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING

back to the b&b for lunch

spontaneous trip to Lake Powell Paddleboards

rent paddle boards and head to the dock

spend 4 hours paddle boarding in canyons on Lake Powell

fall a few times but ultimately have so much fun

quick change of clothes before going out to eat

Bonkers again - steak dinner for our anniversary

hit the hot tub before bed

SATURDAY

breakfast on the balcony for a second morning

pack up our stuff and head out

make a brief visit to Horseshoe Bend

terrifying and awful - almost die (maybe exaggerating)

continue on our way, but make a side trip to Lee's Ferry

marvel at the Grand Canyon and the rafting groups

hike a little to see where Lee's group settled

try putting my feet in the Colorado River

FREEZING water - almost die again

check out Navajo Bridge

drive home to our children