Road Trip to California

Dave and I decided about a month ago that we were going to go to Sacramento to visit Dave's sister Jami and her family. We are glad that Shane & Jami didn't have any plans for Memorial weekend so that Dave didn't have to take off very many days of work. We woke up at 5 AM on Friday the 22nd and headed out to Sacramento. I have never driven through Twin Falls and definitely want to venture back there soon. I had a packed schedule the week we left with Bunko night & a Pampered Chef party (did I mention that Dave was working the swing shift) as I was busy trying to get everything together I neglected my son just a little. OK, not really that bad but a few time I just put him in his high chair and gave him a snack. I usually give him fruit or pretzels, in the two days before we left that snack was cherries. WARNING - don't give your child a fruit that will clear out their system on your drive. Yes, you guessed it a blow out. Dave and I needed gas and a chance to stretch our legs so we stopped in Twin Falls. We thought that it would be a good time to change Ryker's diaper and let him run around for a little while. I went to get him out of the car and without noticing put him on my hip as always. Dave came around the car to grab Ryker and he noticed the POOP on my shirt - YUCK! Yes there was poop on my shirt. Luckily for me I had layers and just shed the first one. I went into the bathroom to clean Ryker up and the poop was everywhere. Poor kid had poop running down his legs and up his back and tummy. This was by far the worst blow out EVER but luck for me it didn't have a terrible smell (explaining why I didn't notice when I went to get him out of the car). I totally would have put Ryker in the tub if we were at home; clothes and all. Instead I used a whole thing of travel wipes. We shopped around at the Fred Meyer and found me another shirt because after getting pooped on and cleaning up the worst diaper I deserved it. Some how the poop missed the car seat which we were all grateful for.

Other than that the road trip to Sacramento was uneventful. We stopped in Elko for lunch at the Start Hotel and then dinner just outside of Sacramento. We arrived at the Scoville residence just after 9:00 MST. We unpacked and got the tour of their beautiful home. Ryker was thrilled to be out of the car and happy to be around the kids and their dog Copper. After a long day on the road we went to bed around 10 PT (11 MST) I was exhausted (Ryker went to bed earlier but we were sharing a room so we stayed up until we felt he wouldn't stir when we went into the room). Saturday Day 1 - The guys had a tee time for 12 and so we all just hung around the house for a while and got all the kids ready to go to the Folsom City Zoo. Jami called to get directions and it turned out they were having a special family day so we got in FREE. We had fun walking around looking at the animals. There were so many chickens, roosters and chicks running all over Ryker would get so excited. When I asked him what a rooster said he would repeat "Cock cock". Isabel is 5 and is very helpful with the younger kids. I loved to see them all getting so excited when we would see something new. Ryker loved all the animals. They even had a train to ride but Ryker and I opted out of going. Brigham & Nolan loved the train. Ryker had fun just pushing the stroller around and trying to chase the chickens. After dinner Jami & I left the kids with the guys and went shopping at the outlets. We had a great time and Jami got a cute Maternity dress. Sunday Day 2 - We went to church with the Scoville family. Ryker is at a very hard age right now where holding still is impossible. He wants to be out exploring everything in sight. After church, I needed a nap and so did Ryker. Ryker fell asleep on the way home from church (only 10 minutes away) and so I went and laid him down and took a nap myself. Once we were all rested and fed we set out for Calaveras National Park or the Big Trees (Redwoods). We enjoyed hiking along a trail with so many HUGE trees to look at. Being outdoors made me think about camp fires and camping. I love the smell of the woods, nothing better than the smell of nature. After the 2 hour car ride to the park the kids needed to run around so this trail was a great opportunity for them to get some energy out. Ryker fell asleep on the way to the park but didn't sleep on the way home and was very cranky during dinner. He went to sleep like a champ that night.

Monday Day 3 - Again the guys went golfing first thing in the morning. Jami and I wanted to do something fun with the kids but waited around for the guys to get home. We were going to go to the train museum but there was a big Jazz festival going on in that area of town that day. We decided to go with plan B, Fairytale Town. Jami had taken the kids there once before and said they enjoyed it. This was a warm day so after applying sunscreen and forcing Ryker to wear a hat we set out. At first we just kept Ryker in the stroller but he wanted to get out and run around like all the other kids so we gave in. I am glad that we did. Ryker had so much fun running around and playing with all the creative toys. Ryker loved all the slides (especially one just his size) and LOVED all the animals. Ryker makes the cutest "mooing" sound ever. After a couple hours in the sun we all headed out. We enjoyed an evening in relaxing and catching up the Jami & Shane.

Tuesday Day 4 - I didn't sleep very well the whole trip so instead of getting up early we decided to just get up when Ryker woke up. We were able to get ready and leave by 9 PT. We were sad to leave the Scoville family. We enjoyed their company, hospitality, good food, and fun.

Dave really wanted to head back through Lake Tahoe stating that it would only take an extra 45 minutes - Yeah right! Dave lured me in by saying we would stop at Buffalo Wild Wings in Reno if we went that way (he knows my weakness). I first had Buffalo Wild Wings when I went to San Diego with my parents when I was 13 weeks pregnant and just starting to get over being sick all the time. This was the first food that really hit the spot and I have been craving them ever since. Even just typing about them is making me hungry for them. OK back to the trip. The drive to Tahoe was BEAUTIFUL! The water was cold and Ryker didn't care for that at all. We only stayed for about an hour and walked around enjoying the scenery and letting Ryker get out some energy. We did eat at Buffalo Wild Wings and MMM... it was delicious. This detour ended up taking us more than 2 hours out of our way. We didn't even get to Elko until 9 MST by then Ryker was done with the car and he let us know by screaming for several minutes. We quickly found a McDonalds and let him run around in the play area for 45 minutes. Ryker fell asleep just outside of Elko and Dave and I enjoyed the silence. We decided to spend Wednesday in Utah so we went to my parents house that night and arrived at 1:15 AM. We were so tired!

Wednesday we ran a few errand and had a nice BBQ with my parents and my sister Tiffany and her family. We left around 6 and Ryker slept the whole way home. We had a great trip! Ryker was for the most part really good in the car. Ryker's sleeping & eating schedule was all messed up and I still feel like we are recovering from all the changes. At the end of a nice trip nothing beats the feel of sleeping in your own bed in your own house.

We can't wait to see the Scoville family when they come in July. I forgot to mention that Jami is having another boy. We also learned after we came home that Dave's other sister Erin is having TWINS! We are so excited and happy to have more nephews and or nieces in the Carlisle family.