Spring break 2006 -- family gone wild

Well, we successfully completed our very first family vacation! Even though it was only for the weekend, I think a congratulations is in order. The three of us packed up the car and drove to Chicago. Yes, Joseph, the “I don’t really like the car very much” kid made it all the way and back. And somehow, my friend Tamara made it through the ordeal as well. She was kind enough to let us stay with her, even though she only has one bedroom, and even though Joseph gets up MUCH earlier than she would like to get up (even on a weekday), and even though I don’t get along very well with cats (and she has two).

Joseph loved Chicago. He got to see many dogs, bikes, and pigeons (this is pretty exciting stuff). He still talks about Tamara’s cats, telling me that there were “two” and they like to “hide” under the “bed” (The words in quotes are his. I fill in the rest). We ate a delicious brunch that I can’t stop thinking about, and went in some fun shops. Joseph especially enjoyed running around the yarn shop, where Tamara wanted to stop so she could show off the sweater she made Joseph for Christmas. And of course no trip to Chicago would be complete without going to Ikea. We didn’t have room in the car for anything big (adding a kid to the car as well as all of his required things takes up a lot of space), but we did buy a few small things, the most important being a bag of Daim candy that I just can’t stop eating. As a matter of fact, I am eating more than an unhealthy serving size of them as I write this. (You can see a recipe with these candies as well as read a little about them over here at Chocolate & Zucchini).

When it was time to leave, Joseph was pretty sad. Tamara came up to the car window to make sure we knew how to get to the freeway, and when she walked away, Joseph started crying and calling “Tam!!!!” But we were able to calm him when, after his nap, we stopped at a mall and let him drink some chocolate shake and run up and down a wheelchair ramp.

So there you have it! It can be done with a little determination and a kind friend (thanks Tam). However, we’ll see what happens after we have the next kid.