Roadtrip! (Part One)

Yup, we did it.  The one thing that we said we were absolutely, under no circumstances, doing until well into the new year.  We packed up the kiddos and the dog and headed north to PA.  I wish I could have taken a picture of our car, but it was too dark.  This was one of those rare occasions that I am thankful we have the Yukon.  We were packed to the rim, and the backseat consisted of two carseats and a dog.  That's right.  All three of our girls shared the backseat.  It was a sight, that's for sure!

Mike had off the week after Thanksgiving, which had been planned since before I was even pregnant with Emma.  He was planning to spend that entire week hunting with our families.  And then Emma came along, so we decided to just stay here and relax that week.  And then the idea came to us that maybe we should have Emma baptized that week... in PA... like we did with Addy.  Oh boy.  So we thought about it... and thought about it.... and thought about it some more.  And eventually we just bit the bullet and said, "We're doing it!" 

Mike ended up getting off of work for an extra couple of days, so we ended up in NJ/PA for a total of 10 days.  The day we were leaving I had a babysitter for the girls all morning until their nap time so that I could concentrate on packing without having a whining toddler and a crying baby to contend with.  And even with that babysitter, it still took me an ENTIRE day to pack for this trip.  Packing for 10 days for yourself, an infant, a toddler, and a dog is no joke.  And then there is the husband who feels the need to rattle off everything he packed for himself and ask me if he forgot anything.  Seriously?  Like I don't have enough to think about without trying to make sure you packed for yourself adequately?  I'm just kidding...kind of ;)  But, seriously, he does this every time we travel.... and most times I am not paying any attention as he's rattling off his list of packed items.  And every time, he forgets something.  Maybe I should start listening ;)  (And I should probably give credit where credit is due.  Mike packs for Daisy, I don't.) 

Anyway, I digress.  So we were all packed up, and we hit the road for NJ around 6:45 PM.  And miraculously, it was one of the smoothest car trips we have ever taken.  Despite Addy being awake for a good chunk of it!  I don't think we've ever taken a long car trip where Addy was awake and pleasant.  If she is awake she is usually miserable.  But not this time.  Check this out for proof:

We made it to NJ around 3:45 AM and of course, Addy had no intention of sleeping.  She had to share a bed with Mike and I (which she never, EVER does), and she doesn't doesn't associate us with sleep.  So its 4AM, Mike and I are bleary eyed and exhausted, and Addy is jumping on the bed, banging on the headboard and yelling, "Emmy crying!" every time that Emma made a noise in her sleep.  Good times folks, good times.  Here was Emma's cozy sleeping quarters:

Yup, that is a dresser drawer.  Ha ha!  She slept in a dresser drawer, on the floor, in a closet.  Gotta love some good creativity when it comes to sleeping arrangements!

 

We were so glad that we were able to leave a few days early and spend Thanksgiving with my family in NJ.  It had been years since I'd been to my grandparents house, and I was so grateful that we were able to go, and that they were so accommodating to us crashing in at the very last moment.  I literally didn't know we were going until that day! 

 

So the conversation with my grandma went a little something like this:  "Hi Grandma, it's Jess.  How would you like a few extra house guests tonight?"  And my awesome grandparents just rolled with it and made it happen!  My family is not super easy to accommodate, since we now consist of two adults, two children under the age of two, and a dog.  And my mom, my great uncle, Tina, Jay, and Holly were already staying at grandma and grandpa's!  But nobody made a single complaint about us totally taking over the joint.  On the contrary, they were all so happy to see us, and everyone just rearranged themselves to squeeze in a couple more.  What my mom said is totally true.  When it comes to family, you can always make room.  I love my family!

 

My sister getting some quality time with Emma

 

Jay's first time meeting his newest niece!

 

Love this picture of my grandpa with Emma!

 

We had an early Christmas :)

 

And by the end, even the dogs were tired.

 

 

On Friday we headed west to PA to get Emma baptized and spend a few days at my dad's house.  Once again, the selflessness of my family amazed me.  We came crashing in like we owned the place and completely took over with all of our baby/toddler/dog gear.  But nobody minded at all.  My dad and Beth even gave up their own bedroom... and the entire upstairs floor to us while we were there.  That's six nights!  Six nights of them sleeping on cots in their basement so that we could be as comfortable as possible.  Not to mention that they postponed Thanksgiving dinner until we could be there on Saturday, and they offered to host Emma's post-baptism party at their house the very next day!  If all of that isn't love, then I don't know what is :)

 

Addy is ready to chow down on some yummy Thanksgiving dinner!

 

 

And here are the baptism photos:

 

Our little angel :)

 

Why is it that family photos with our baptized girls are all so completely awkward?  This is the best one I could find.

 

Then Addy joined in for a quick pic.

 

Emma with her godparents, Aunt Lauren and Uncle Alex :)

 

 

Aunt Tina and Uncle Jay

 

Pastor Langkamer stepped in for a pic

 

Pap and Grandma Hetrick

 

Grandma D

Ha ha I had to include this one.  How scared does Emma look?

 

Grandma and Grandpa (or Pop, as Addy calls him) Hertzler

 

Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa H

 

Pop and Great-Grandma D

 

We had such a nice time and were so thankful that our family could be there to celebrate Emma's baptism with us.  After the church service we headed back to my dad's house to continue the celebration.

 

We ate cake...

...Addy and Luca played in their favorite spot, the dog crate...

.... and everyone took turns snuggling with Emma.

 

It was a great day :)

 

Phew, there is so much more that I want to post about this trip, so as always, it's going to be a two part-er.  Or maybe even three ;)  But I really need to wrap some Christmas presents, so I'll leave it off here for now.  Goodnight!