Lessons from a Road Trip

We took a trip to Flagstaff last week with Aaron's family, and we had so much fun. It was the first vacation we'd had with everyone since Jake got home from his mission, so it was like a mini family reunion. We rented a gorgeous house on the country club that fit all 13 of us quite easily. It was hard to come home after staying there. I felt so dissatisfied with my house after that, especially with our master bathroom. As if it even deserves the name. Now this house had a master bath. I loved loved LOVED the two-headed shower and the extra deep soaker tub and the wall-to-wall mirrors and the gorgeous slate tile. One day. If you can believe it, we were actually excited to drive to Flagstaff. It's only 4-5 hours away from Albuquerque, which would make it the shortest trip we've taken since we moved here. The kids were amazing. I think we're finally starting to figure out this road trip thing. Here are some things we've learned: 1. Always pack with a list. A very, very detailed list. I found the coolest site that lets you customize a packing list based on the number of people, their ages, what type of vacation, destination, min/max temps, and number of days. After we get back from our trip, I go over the list we used to pack (I make tons of notes while packing) and add in anything we forgot and take away stuff that was useless. 2. Always leave a seat open next to the baby. 3. Potty training goes out the window on road trips. Put the kids in Pull-ups. 4. Set a limit to the number of toys/entertainment the kids can bring. For example, Katie and Paul each got to pick 2 movies, 2 books, and 1 toy. Then I knew exactly how many things I had to round up at the end of the trip. 5. Sticker books are terrible at home, but excellent for road trips. 6. Magnadoodles are The. Best. Ever. 7. Stuff a ton of empty plastic bags under the seat. They will always get used. 8. Bring several gallon ziplocs. Again, something that always comes in handy.