A Road Trip

In early January, I had a Mommy & Son Road Trip with Tate. I really enjoy so much any time I have when it's just the two of us. His first three years of life, there was a lot of that. Now it rarely happens, so it is a treat.

We had four fun days together logging almost 1,000 miles on the road. He got to get out of school early one day and miss school the next day. That in itself was absolutely crazy, funny to him. (I made sure he knew that wouldn't be a regular occurrence).

We started like every road trip should...a stop at a gas station convenience store where I let him pick out any drink and snack he wanted. Again....this won't be a regular thing, so enjoy it now. :) He picked Gatorade & Mini Oreos, I picked Diet Coke & frosted donuts. Snacks of Champion Road Trippers!

Our first leg of the drive was to head to Little Rock. A random moment I want to remember: We stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner (another road trip staple). I was explaining that he would soon have a school holiday for MLK Day. We talked for almost 30 minutes about Martin Luther King, Jr. I've told Tate about him before, but in pretty vague terms. This was the first time I really explained the injustices that were happening, and what King did to try to stop them. This moment felt so memorable and truly made an impact on me as the realization he's getting old enough to start hearing some of the hard parts of the world we live in.

Anyway back to the trip...We made it to Little Rock late that Thursday night to be greeted by our dear friends, The Reynolds. I need an entire post in itself to describe our friendship with these people. Lifelong friends that feel more like family than friends. So as a result, our kids are destined to be friends. Good thing they like each other. Tate actually thinks Anna is a blast...and hilarious (just like her mother, of course). And as soon as Max & Will are old enough, I'm convinced they will become BFFs. :)

The next morning, Paige, Anna, Tate, and I got on the road for the second leg of our trip. A short drive to Memphis. I have to say that Memphis is such a kid-friendly city. We were fully entertained with so many fun options. We spent the majority of the first day at their very impressive Children's Museum. Both Anna & Tate absolutely loved it, and we were some of the last to leave.

I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of the hotel, because in the life of an (almost) 9 year old and 6 year old, staying at a hotel is monumental. Maybe I have no pictures because I have a negative mental block since this was the location where I got zero sleep. Tate's asthma started acting up, which makes for a horrible cough...all night long. Oh mercy, it was a looooong night.

But we still woke up ready to go. After breakfast, we headed to another museum, The Pink Palace. It has a lot of science and historical exhibits, and both kids enjoyed it.

Paige & I most enjoyed the display of the dress from the Cotton Carnival's Queen of Cotton. This is not made up. Totally legit dress and totally awesome.

We also saw a wonderful documentary at their IMAX theatre. Before we knew it, it was time to get back on the road to Little Rock. One more night there with my favorite pizza ever for dinner, several games of Battleship & UNO (Tate's new discoveries there), and wonderful time with our friends.

It's always sad to say goodbye. Sure wish we all lived closer but so thankful for these times together making some pretty fun memories. And so thankful our kids are creating their own memories together as well.

Thank you Reynolds for being such great hosts. And thank you to my Tater Tot for joining me on a fun road trip. Can't wait to do it again!