See Ya Later, Alligator!

Well, as of Thursday I am going to be staying with my brother in Utah doing the whole Visit The Family thing. Well, that and I am going to the Kenny Chesney concert. Wahoo! I'm pretty excited about the trip, but nervous too since I am taking both boys BY MYSELF for an ENTIRE WEEK with no husband. That might not seem that much to you, but to me? HUGE. It's huge!

Greg helps a lot around here. I haven't given them a bath in....I don't even know how long. I am not even sure where to begin! And don't even get me started on how nervous I am for the whole bedtime routine since we are all three going to be in the same room. I have no idea how to keep them quiet so that the other one doesn't wake up. Duct tape? Threats? Somehow I don't think that will stop either of them. They like to prey on the weak (me). They smell fear.

It isn't just that I am doing it alone though. It's hard to be away from home with kids, period. It is exhausting. It makes me tired just thinking about it. If they throw their noodles on the floor at home I don't feel ONE twinge of guilt if I leave it on the floor for a half hour before attempting to remove it. But at someone else's house? No way. Especially at my pregnant and very sanitary sister-in-law's house. I love her. I don't want her to judge me and think I am a lazy bum who doesn't know how to clean. I DO know, I just don't care sometimes.

So here are my somewhat lofty goals for the week ahead:

--I will not get overwhelmed when both kids are wailing while I am trying to make lunch, change multiple diapers and shower at the same time.

--I will take things one at a time as to avoid the above-mentioned scene. But if I have to multitask, which duh, I will, I will do so with gusto.

--I will take deep breaths when I notice I am getting frustrated. This should assist in curbing any desire to Royally Freak Out on my dear, sweet and innocent children.

--I will not try to do everything. I will accept help from others and not pretend I am Superwoman with magical powers. Even Superwoman knows when she needs a break, methinks.

--There will be no weeping. This one is big for me. I always end up crying when I am away from Greg for long periods of time. I am a huge, huge baby in this department. This is why I didn't marry someone in the military like my sister. I am WAY too stingy to let my husband serve our country. I whine when he has to go on overnight camping trips with the scouts. I hate when he has to go to work at 8:00 am. I just like him around. Not only is he great with the kids, he is nice. Plus he is hot. And he helps out. And he is smart. And funny. *sigh* I miss him already.

I am pretty nervous about this whole thing, if you can't tell. Ten to twelve hours in the car with two kids, one of which is gonna have to crane his neck to see the dvd player in the car and will therefore be unhappy. (Rear facing carseat..oh the things we do to keep our children safe) I bought all sorts of snacks for the road, I am planning to bring an umbrella stroller that the non-walker can lounge in while I pee at a random truck stop along the way. Hopefully I've got the car covered.

The rest of the trip should be okay if I can figure out the logistics of the nap and nightime routines. Hopefully the kids will be so exhausted from playing with their little cousins all day that they will just crash at night. Could I be that lucky? PRAY that I get that lucky.

Have a good time while I am gone, be good and try not to miss me. I won't be blogging for about a week so you'll have to find something else to obsess over, Jamie and Alicia. Ha ha.

Have a fantastic week!

Emlouisa