Chris and I have been down in civilization now for about two weeks - we are absolutely loving it!!! The drive down was a very interesting one and anybody who has children can understand that sometimes you get to where you want to be on time and sometimes you don't! We left Teslin at about 2:30 in the morning of the 29th of March. We packed the car the night before so we didn't have too much to do when we got up. We got the kids up, changed their diapers and loaded them into the car - they were both back asleep before we even left the driveway. We got into Watson Lake at 5 am and ended up sitting around for an hour waiting for a gas station to open. Dani woke up when we got there so she got to sit up front with Chris and I while we waited. After we got gas and a little snack (fruit cups that we paid a stinkin fortune for) we were once again on our way. We were on our way to Liard Hot Springs and ran into the most rough "highway construction" we have ever seen! The road went from gravel to boulders in a matter of seconds. Right after the construction was the Hotsprings so we pulled over to give the kids a break and so I could feed Zach. Just as we were getting ready to pull out a bunch of warning lights went on in the dash. The abs light, traction control light and the sevice engine light - we both thought oh great here is just what we need a million miles from nowhere and now the car is broken - we kept driving anyway! We stopped in Muncho Lake to get gas at an unheard of price (till last week anyway) of $107.9 a litre! With gas in the car and dirty diapers changed we were once again on our way. About half an hour down the road Dani started to cry and was unconsolable so we figured she was just tired of driving so we kept going and were trying to calm her down by saying almost there just go to sleep and we will be there soon. Well no matter what we said to her she kept on crying and then she started coughing and puked all over the back seat!!! What a stench!!! I'm sure it was the greatest thing for everybody travelling down the Alaska highway that morning to see a naked baby in the driver seat of a car, a guy standing way on the other side of the pull out and some woman bent over in the back seat of the car scooping puke out of the car seat with her hands. Don't try to picture it, it was not a pleasant sight!!! After we managed to clean the car and Dani up the best we could with all the baby wipes we had, we carried on to Fort
Nelson. Once in Fort Nelson we stopped at the grocery store and at a pharmacy for some baby gravol, wipes and some much needed febreeze. We went to a restaurant for some lunch and to give us a chance for our stomachs to settle as well as to feed the kids. Back in the car we go and set out for Fort St. John - hopefully without any more incidents!!! We managed to make it to Fort St. John without incident and checked in to the much needed, much deserved executive jacuzzi suite!
The next morning we set out for Edmonton and made it to Grand Prairie before the next mishap - lucky for us it was an easy one to fix! Dani ended up crapping right through her clothes! We stopped for gas and I was heading in to change her diaper and I knew that she was poopy so standing right in the middle of the store, waiting for Chris to bring in the diaper bag and Zach, I started to pull her pants off - well as luck would have it she had crap coming out of the diaper, all down her leg, inside her pants and all over my hand! The looks from the people in the store was priceless - and of course here I am thinking about pretending to lick my hand and say mmmm yummy - just to get them going!!! Anyway needless to say Chris and I took a five minute shopping trip in Zellers to find somebody a new pair of pants - there was no way we were going to try and dig out the kids suitcase just for some clothes -that would have required time and energy, both of which we did not have much of!
We finally made it to Edmonton at 9:00 pm, fortunately without any more incidents! We met up with our friend John at Kelseys for some kibbles and bits and then went for a much needed sleep in yet another fantastic hotel room - this time the honeymoon suite!
After a quick trip around West Edmonton Mall we started on the last day of our journey south. The whole day went by very quickly, the roads were fantastic and it was awesome to drive on a twinned highway again! We had a quick stop in Calgary for dinner with Chris's cousin Terri and then hit the road as soon as the bill was paid. We rolled into the Crowsnest Pass around 9:30 pm, Dani started to cry so I took her out of her chair to go into the gas station for a diaper change and a short break from the drive. I am so thankful that I took her out of her chair - just as I finished wiping her she started to cough and ended up ralphing all over the bathroom floor in the gas station! I kinda felt bad for the lady working there but I was more happy that she did not do it in the car this time! We finally rolled into Sparwood at 10:00 pm, it felt so great to get out of the car and not have to worry about going anywhere for a while - except to take the car in to see what was wrong with it - the lights never did go off! Turned out that our hub needed to be replaced, the sensor for our abs brakes was gone. So they said they would try and get it warrantied but if they couldn't it would probably cost us close to $700 to get it fixed. Lucky for us they warrantied it under our power train warranty. The car is fixed now!
My sisters held a baby shower for Zach on Saturday - it was so nice to see all my friends again. He received some very awesome outfits from everybody - Dani even took in her fair share of loot!!! On the way up to Elkford from Sparwood however... I figured it was only 35 minutes and that Dani would be fine for that short of drive - boy was I wrong!!! About 5 minutes from Elkford she let loose yet again! I had also picked up a friend of the family so it wasn't even just Chris and I in the car, it was Diane and I! Good thing she has a strong stomach! I pulled over and was running to the other side of the car but I had forgot to unlock the doors so I had to run back, Diane didn't understand what I wanted when I was standing outside her door hollering like a lunatic for her to unlock them, Dani was still puking during this whole time. Some people that had driven past saw me out running around so they turned around to see if I needed any help and I said "no, she just barfed all over the car" they laughed and carried on their way - glad to make somebody's day!! Well as if it wasn't chaos when we finally managed to get to the house! I thank my lucky stars for the great sisters I have - and for how many I have!! Katie-Jo brought Dani into the house, Bobbi-Jo stripped her down, Katie-Jo bathed her, mom put the laundry on and Kelli-Jo helped me scoop puke out of the back seat!! My dad, who is not a big fan of puke, hollered from the front door of the house, to Kelli-Jo and I out on the road where I had parked, that the paper towels were in the back seat of his truck! Once dad figured most of it was cleaned up he made his way out to where we were but wouldn't come any closer than the trunk of the car - poor dad!!!
Sunday was the day we had Zachary baptised and I think it was the most uneventful day we had since we left Teslin. The service was at 4 in the afternoon and like always the regulars tried to out do one another in the verses and hymns. I wonder how the pastor stays sane! The one got all pissy cause we took "her" pew in the front row - must figure if she's at the front of the church she will be first in line at the big house! After the service we all went back to my mom and dad's place for a bbq and family pictures.
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful aside from a trip to the dentist for both Chris and I and a trip into Lethbridge to meet up with some friends and Chris's sister. The highlight of our trip into Lethbridge was picking up the kids' new ride! We went and bought a chariot double stroller for the kiddies to ride in - we have taken it everywhere with us these last couple of days and I just love it! It kinda looks like a cross between a hybrid and a Mr. Bean car! On Friday we went to Chris's grandma's house over in Christina Lake - it was a nice but very short visit. On the way home you will never guess what happened - then again maybe you can guess by now - it seems to be a routine thing these days. Wouldn't you know it but somebody spewed in the van!!! We went prepared this time though! We had a bucket to catch it, some water to wash it out and face cloths to clean the kid up! She started to cry just as we were coming down the Salmo Creston Pass, about 10 minutes from Creston, so I grab the bucket because by now I am well versed in the cry, cough and spew from Dani. So she starts to cough and then starts to puke - lucky me I caught the whole mess in the bucket. Chris told his dad that we needed to pull over, well he hit the brakes so hard the second row in the van just about wore the bucket that was still being filled!!! We spent about 45 minutes on the side of the road cleaning out the bucket, getting the kid fresh air and changing dirty diapers - welcome to travelling with kids!!! On Tuesday we went with Chris's mom and dad to a fancy restaurant about 20 minutes from Sparwood - the food was delish and I am a serious glutton!! They just about needed a stick to roll me out to the car I ate so much! On Wednesday we took Zach in to the doctor to get his chest listened to seeing as he has been raspy for the last little while - his lungs sounded good and clear so now we have nothing to worry about. We made our way out to Cranbrook Wednesday after Zach's doctor appointment and i think we will be here for the next few days. Bobbi-Jo, Chris and I are going to a Blue Rodeo concert Saturday night and mom is going to stay here and watch the kiddies for us! Some time this week we are going to go out of town and do some shopping and looking around for a bridesmaid dress for me for BJ's wedding in December. I am just looking forward to doing some shopping!!! Anyway I am going to go now and get some sleep before my young man wakes me for a feeding! I will post again in a few days.
