Prior to our departure, the Dreamer was on a mission to create a shirt to wear on the road. She was very stubborn in her determination to decorate apparel, and completely unwilling to take no for an answer. I gave up on this battle after I discovered her rifling through her shirt drawer, frantically scouring her wardrobe for a suitable item to adorn with swirls, cats, and whatever fleeting fancy she felt necessary to include. Cardboard was inserted between the layers of fabric, and the fabric markers made their grand entrance on the scene.
Now, on to packing bags...
As I carefully brought suitcases to ground level from their loft upon the top shelf of the hallway closet, I explained to my offspring the necessary items to fill up their cases: panties, shirts, shorts, swimsuits, etc. This little speech, however, was performed in vain because when I entered their joint room a few moments later and unzipped their suitcases, stuffed animals made up the entirety of the bags' contents. So much for my attempt at delegating independence.
Under my intense supervision, the packing was completed, and stuffed chums were limited to 2 choices per child. Mimi picked us up at our door, and we were on our way. The duration of the commute was relatively uneventful, with the exception of an anti-sleep policy being enacted by the back seat passengers along with a straw-in-the-nose compromising situation in which the Caveman found himself.
We were all very happy to arrive and stretch our legs 3 hours later when we were welcomed at the car door by my very excited eight-year-old cousin who immediately disappeared with the Dreamer into her home to showcase her bathroom, room, hamster, and in-ground swimming pool! The Caveman tentatively stood back for a time and only agreed to enter the house under the condition of being firmly attached to my side with all four of his appendages. His shyness was eventually overcome by his curiosity to explore and play, and he accompanied the girls to play restaurant in the Cousin's backyard play house before resorting to playing with the individual "tubs of fun" that my aunt had purchased for each child, stamping roses with a leftover celery heart, playing with a hamster, celebrating my uncle's birthday, and swimming for the remainder of our vacation. If we had had more time, we could have spent a moment searching for earthworms...
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