We got back into Bakersfield Thursday, early afternoon, after dealing with unexpectedly heavy traffic (we expected traffic, but the amount of it at 10am was unexpected). Including, a moment just outside of Valencia when the cops put a halt to all traffic going one way on I-5. We assume this was to let construction equipment be safely moved, but it was frustrating nonetheless as we were too far to see the cop cars, but close enough to see the large stretch of unused highway. It was even more frustrating, because this was the moment Cadence decided she really needed to pee and that helpless feeling sucks when it comes to my children, but we made it to a bathroom accident free. Phew!
Since we had a few hours until check-in time at our next hotel, James and I took the girls bowling. It was a blast! The girls thought it was the funnest thing ever and couldn't wait for their next turn, though once we broke out the thing of fries they lost a little interest. James and I continued doing our traditional golf bowling (aim for the lowest score, gutter balls are an automatic 10pts). This was a little more complicated with the rails up, but in the end, it was so close I can't remember who "lost". Anyway, better than pictures, we have video:
By the end of the game, Cadence was quite capable of doing it all on her own, as you can see.
Megan gave up trying to push it and insisted on kicking the ball at every turn, which usually mean James and I tried to time rolling it with the same time her foot collided. She never noticed our extra help and still enjoyed herself.
That night, James and I left the girls with Nana and Poppa and ran off to a king-size bed jacuzzi suite all to ourselves. We also went out to dinner at our traditional Bakersfield date spot, La Mina Cantina. Sadly, I found myself a little disappointed in the changes to my favorite dish there. However, I enjoyed the sides, the chips, and the mason jar soda. And lounging in a jacuzzi tub, then climbing into a king-size bed (necessary for happy sleeping between myself and my bed-hog husband) was wonderful. Though, I did call Nana 8am in the morning and headed over, despite her insisting all was well. I missed my kids, what can I say?
We spent Friday in Taft. James's brother was in town with his girlfriend, who showed us the ring he'd given her only days before! We're expecting a trip to South Carolina sometime next year. It was an enjoyable visit, despite the girls taking awhile to get over the grumps from their nap in the car. We also got to visit with James's grandparents, though we ended up keeping that visit short. Sadly, James's grandmother had just started chemotherapy that day. She didn't mind seeing the girls, of course. And, James's aunt was in town, so she got to see the girls. The last time we saw her, Megan was still a mid-sized bump that most people hadn't noticed yet (not saying much, since I showed up to church with a newborn and still surprised some people...).
Friday night was spent back in Bakersfield for a BBQ dinner and the last chance for everyone to get together. We stayed later than we should have, but it was worth it. One more night in a hotel, then a Saturday morning visit with Grandpa to see his house and hang out, one last jaunt over to Nana's to retrieve a missing blanket and give one last round of hugs and "I love yous", then a half an hour spent at the park to meet up with our nephew Talon.
The trip home was smooth and uneventful, other than a mad dash to pull about 6lbs worth of stuff out of our largest suitcase to shove it into the new one we'd just purchased (thank goodness) at check-in. Okay, so things weren't completely smooth. Our second carseat got jammed in the x-ray machine and we shut down one of the two security lines for about five minutes. Just as one of the security people began to make sad eyes and explain to us that the carseat was really jammed in their and about to send us away (I assume) down a carseat, the carseat slipped loose and we were able to go on our way again. The girls were restless in the airport and on the airplane and more prone to fussing. I ignored the seatbelt light for a good 20 minutes as I let Cadence play on the floor and Megan sit in my lap to keep the content. We had one moment of crying during the descent, but we were off the plane soon and, other than a mad dash to cram into the parking lot shuttle along with 30 other people (I used my 2 year old as an excuse to body-block people trying to squeeze in front of us), we got to our car without incident.
We had a late night dinner, since we flew right through dinner, stopped at the grocery store to get stuff for dinner Sunday (so we wouldn't have to go to the store), and finally got into bed. We all slept in. The girls slept in for two mornings in a row. Poor James... at least he got to sleep in on the 4th of July when he had the day off!
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