Vacation Days 7 & 8

We were up and headed out pretty early on Day 7. It was basically a day in the car, which the kiddos did great with. However, the biggest disappointment came at the end of the day when we got to the hotel, Springhill Suites, in Grand Junction, CO. The kiddos immediately put on their swimming suits to go swimming (duh). Mac jumped in and literally started CRYING because the pool was so cold. You have to understand this kid...he will swim any time anywhere, so for him to even notice the pool temperature, you KNOW it was cold. Jim felt the "hot" tub and it was luke warm at best. So the kiddos got to "swim" in the hot tub for a bit. Better than nothing, I guess.

It was super hot during the drive. The hottest I saw on my phone was:

Also, we did NOT make it to Monument Valley OR Four Corners. With the drive already being so long, we didn't want to add to it. Maybe that will be for another trip.

Day 8 did NOT start out well for me. I MAY have drank a bit too much the night before and was definitely feeling it this morning! It probably didn't help that when we're on the car for a long time, I tend to not drink as much water as I normally do because I don't want to have to stop every hour to use the restroom! So I was definitely dehydrated. Oops. Bad judgement on my part.

Thankfully, Jim, 'Rama and the kiddos packed everything up and we headed out around for Ogallala, NE, another 7 hour drive. I started to feel better around Noon (sheesh!), thanks in part to ginger ale and some saltine crackers. We stopped in Vail (which oddly is a place the kiddos LOVE!) for lunch at...McDonald's! The kids were in heaven because Jim had told them the first day of our trip that we most likely would NOT be stopping at McDonald's for the duration of our trip! And they even got ice-cream!

So after a long day in the car, we were about 5 miles from our hotel, Holiday Inn Express and Suites. Cruising along, minding our own business. Ready to get to the hotel and stretch our legs. All of a sudden, we heard a loud noise and I saw something go flying. I turned around and immediately told Jim to pull over, which he did. He and I got out and our cargo carrier no longer than a top on it! Oh, and throughout our trip, we've kept ALL of our luggage in there. I was freaking out.

After a quick inspection, we realized we "only" lost the kiddos life jackets, the dirty clothes bag and (unfortunately) Finn's entire suitcase. But because we were on the freeway, we couldn't go back to get it because it wouldn't be safe. Thankfully we were able to load the rest of the luggage in the van (it was a tight fit but at least we are near the end of our trip and not the beginning!). Finn was understandably beside himself, but we talked through it and explained that "things" can be replaced and we didn't think we lost anything that couldn't be replaced. I am thankful for two things in this ordeal: 1. Finn packed his Kiki in his lap bag IN the van and not in his suitcase (that can NOT be replaced) and 2. As we pulled off the freeway, we saw there was a Walmart literally across the parking lot from our hotel!

So we made a list of things that Finn NEEDED to have for the rest of the trip (underwear, shirts, shorts, life jackets, Pikatchu stuffed animal (obviously!), swimming suit and suitcase) and the two of us walked over to Walmart while 'Rama stayed with the Littles and Jim disposed of what was left of the now useless cargo carrier.

We came back to the hotel and the kiddos were able to swim for a bit (and the pool was normal temperature). Then we ordered pizza. While eating pizza, Finn kept messing with his tooth. It's been loose since before we left, but with him, it could be weeks before it actually comes out. But he said it was actually hurting him, so we strongly encouraged him to pull it out...which he did!

Poor kid. Lots of tears shed tonight, but I bet he's going to sleep well! I'm not sure how Tooth Fairies work on vacation, so he wrote a note like normal:

"Dear Feather Willowweb, My tooth came out while eating pizza tonight! I hope you an find me. Love, Finn"

And he put a box on the note to put his tooth in since he doesn't have his tooth pillow with us (obviously)! So clever, that kid.

Jim and I went to Casey's to see if they had chocolate coins (Jim's seen them there before) but no luck. That is what our tooth fairies usually bring: chocolate coins and real coins. So instead, Jim gave me carte blanche to pick out candy for him from the tooth fairy. So I picked extreme sour airheads, a jumbo sized Hershey chocolate bar, skittles, a movie box of Junior mints and a large double fudge cookie. I think that should do it. This is the note his tooth fairy wrote back to him:

"Dear Finn, Wow! You lost your tooth on vacation!?! That is crazy. Sorry I don't have any chocolate coins, but this will have to do in a pinch. Please share with your siblings. Enjoy the rest of your vacation! Heart, Feather Willowweb"

After the kiddos were sleeping, I traded Finn's note and tooth with 'Rama for my note and candy. Hopefully that works! So for a day that should have been very uneventful, ended up producing far more memories than planned. Tomorrow is a shorter drive of 5 hours and we are heading to Omaha and our final night of our trip! Crazy.

No drinks for me tonight, so I should be good to go for a run before we head out and actually help pack up!