Drive

We couldn't talk about our trip without mentioning the drive. The drive was doable but long. The boys and dogs really did surprisingly well. Truthfully, we were shocked at how great they did. The weather on the way there was very cooperative as well. On the way home.....not so much.

Mark and I woke up at 4AM, finished the last minute things that one might do to head out for 3 weeks and were on the road by 4:45am. Cooper woke up because he was so excited to hit the road but Cruz pretty much stayed asleep.

Since we were bringing the dogs with us, we didn't have much room in the car. Everything we took with us had to go on the roof or scattered amongst the seats but the waaaaayyyy back was reserved for the dogs. Not the most ideal situation for them but it worked.

The drive took about 12 hours (including about an hour and a half of stretch our legs time and potty breaks). We arrived in St. George at about 4pm which was perfect. Early enough that we were able to drop the kids and dogs off at my parent's while we found our rental house. The trip was pretty uneventful thanks to a DVD player and games. The only negative (which I'm embarrassed to admit) was a diaper leak by Cruz. He was so good that he didn't let us know that he was wet and when his diaper hit maximum capacity, he remained content. When we stopped to let the dogs run around about 2.5 hours away from our destination, I realized his car seat was soaked! Poor kid didn't even care. That's what a trooper he was.

Exciting road trip photos...........

Cooper's face when we finally turned on the DVD player.

Pit Stop time. Brothers holding hands.
This was back when Cruz LOVED holding hands. Three weeks later, that is no longer the case. How quickly things change. Cruz can no longer be bothered with silly hand holding.




More hand holding.

Doggie Play Time.

To sum up the drive home, the kids and dogs did great again but the roads SUCKED. The drive took about 2 hours longer and was bumper to bumper for about the last 2 hours. Luckily the boys slept during that time but that meant that they were AMPED when we got home at 10:30pm. Mark and I were spent and ready for bed but the boys weren't having it. They (which meant we) stayed up playing until about midnight when we finally forced them to go to bed. We were lucky to have a 6 AM tandem-ready-to-play Wake Up call the following morning. Needless to say, I am still tired.

Home with a Recap

We've returned home from our fabulous Holiday vacation. And Fabulous it was! I couldn't possibly try to recap 3 weeks into words.....Well, I could but call me lazy. Why would I when I have pictures to tell the story? Excuse me while I photo bomb the heck out of this ole blog.

Over the River and Through The Woods......

and then maybe some more rivers, a few more woods, several highways....to Grandmother's (and Grandfather's) house we go!!!!

Tomorrow we're heading to St. George for the Holidays! We can't wait! We'll be there for 3 weeks. This time will be a little different in that we're renting a house and Grandma Mickey will be joining us. We get to spend the Holidays with BOTH Grandmas at the same time. Of course we'll be loving on Grandpa Pat as well.

Brace yourselves Grandmas (and Grandpa)! I hope you're ready for us............





Here the boys are a year ago (almost to the day) on the eve of your journey to Utah. So much has changed but one thing has not. I STILL tend to put off packing until the very last minute.

As much as I dread the car ride, I am soooooooooo glad I'm not flying alone with these two this year!

Cocoa Talk

A little coffee cocoa talk with Cooper.........

Cocoa Talk from A Mendonca on Vimeo.

Coop'nCruz'isms

Here are some of my favorite 'isms as of late........

Coop

Hardwork Store: sometimes known as DIY store, sells household hardware. When you live in a small town, you call it a Hardware Store because Lowes and Home Depot aren't available choices. And yes, after returning from such a store, usually Hardwork is involved. It totally makes sense.

Hospibble: is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. An added bonus.....when you drive by a hospibble you can usually guarantee an AMBULANCE sighting! Even better, if you go inside a hospibble often an ELEVATOR ride is in your future. If you later find out that the doctor's office is on the main floor and you've been promised an elevator ride as a trade off for visiting the doctor, an elevator ride must still happen. Try not to look too obvious after you've finished your appointment and head straight to the elevator for said ride rather than heading out the front door.


Cruz

Although Cruz isn't saying much yet, I am amazed at how much he truly understands. Best of all, I can put him to work and have him retrieve something for me when I'm feeling lazy and just want to sit on the couch eating bon bons. The statement "Cruz, go find Mommy a......." has turned into a great distraction for him.

Words he does say: DaDa (no MaMa yet), HI!, DU (duck) and NO! He uses the word NO! when speaking to the dogs. To him, NO! means dog. Poor doggies. I guess he's used to us telling them NO! all the time.

He's also learning his animal sounds. It goes a little something like this.................

US: Cruz, what does the dinosaur say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaa! (spoken in the cutest little raspy roar sound)

US: What does the lion say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaaa!

US: What does the doggie say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaa!

US: What does the duck say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaa!

US: What does the kitty say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaa!

You get the idea...........

Doggiedeer

Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer, and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!...............

On, Kokanee! On, Targhee too!

"Seriously, lady? Didn't you get the memo that we don't fly? You're confusing the children!"

Poor doggies........

Stood Up

It finally happened! My dear husband stood me up. Here's how it all went down;

Mark came home yesterday afternoon for lunch and suggested we have a Family TGIF celebration at the local watering hole/hangout down the street called, The Rock. It's where the locals (especially Parkies) hang out after work. I said sure, let's see how the rest of the day goes. The rest of the day turned a little cuckoo. I'll spare you with the boring details. Let's just say I was frazzled and ready for an adult beverage when Mark got home from work. I must have looked like I needed a break because he immediately suggested I head down The Rock early and he and the boys would meet me a little later. It felt weird. I immediately kicked into Mommy mode worrying whether or not Mark would be bringing snacks and sippy cups or if should I bring them with me? Because that is what a Mom worries about before heading out on a Friday night. It's all about snacks and choosing an arsenal of entertainment to ensure a peaceful dining experience. It's never about what shoes to wear or what outfit looks hot. Those are all concerns of the past. Mark pretty much shoved me out the door and told me he was all over it.

So down to The Rock I went. Feeling awkward and a bit off my game. It had been awhile since I walked into a bar (really not knowing a soul) and tried to be chummy with people. But I did it. Unbeknownst to me, Mark called the bar and asked the bartender to flag down one of his fire buddies. He asked him to watch for me and hook me up with "my dates". Apparently, Mark talked to some girls earlier in the day that mentioned they were heading to The Rock after work. He told them he wanted me to meet them. I guess that's where the scheming began. It was a total set up!

I walked in, Mark's buddy met me at the door and whisked me off to a table where my girl "dates" were waiting. I did my best to NOT talk about my kids and before long (after the initial introductions) we were yapping it up and having ADULT conversations. It didn't take long to figure out that my family would not be joining me for dinner. Within minutes I received a text from Mark that read:

"Go ahead and eat without us."

The jig was up. My sneaky husband was trying to play match maker and introduce me to some friends. I know for a fact that there is no way I would have headed down to The Rock by myself on a Friday night without my family. After ordering my food, I received another text that read:

"Have fun. Be yourself and don't just talk about the kids.

Stay out as late as you want."

He gave me some pretty solid dating advice and I took it. I might have mentioned my kids in conversation a little bit but how could I not? All in all, it was a pretty awesome first date. I even got some digits! I think this means that my dear husband has officially released me back into the dating world. He's my own personal Chuck Woolery. If you had to google who Chuck Woolery is then I am much older (and nerdier) than you are.