a Day Away

You know how you don't talk about a no-no in the middle of one? It's that same spirit that makes me sorta nervous to SAY we've turned a corner.

But I think we've turned a corner. 

By that I mean that, between recent quick-turnaround trips to Dollywood and Nashville, I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tantrum tunnel (cue a Jones Pressley meltdown right ... NOW). 

Just as they did AMAZINGLY well on a long, napless day at Dollywood last Friday, the boys made it to Nashville and back - riding 8 hours round trip in the car, skipping two days' of naps and staying up until 10 pm (for the first time, probably, EVER) last nite without so much as a whimper - except when Jones got scared of a quick-coming storm yesterday and when that same son got a little dicey as we left a pit stop in Knoxville today.

In other words, taking trips with my sons is starting to not suck NEARLY as much (understand it's not the company that sucks OR the taking of the trips - it's trying to maintain the equilibrium of home for two toddlers when we're on the road). They're getting to where they can roll with things (like missing a nap and, apparently, staying up three hours late) a lot more easily.

Thanks be to God!

We went to Nashville to see our friends the Morgans and to ride Thomas the Train.

We had a free nite at the Embassy Suites, so we stayed there (the same one where Jones got his hand stuck in an elevator door as a baby). I'd forgotten how much I used to love staying in hotels as a kid, until I watched MY kids loving staying in hotels. They saw the long hallway to our room as track and took off the second the elevator stopped.

When he found out he'd be sleeping on a sofa that made a bed (a "shuffle bed," he called it), Jones very nearly LOST HIS FLIPPING MIND. Both boys jumped on it before laying down for a quick rest before heading out to the main event at the Tennessee Central Railway downtown.

We got there just early enough to meet Topham Hatt ("Top Hat," as Jones used to call him). Also, the boys got tattoos - their first, I think. It SHOCKED Me that Jones let them do it. I feel like, even earlier this summer, he'd have shied away from new experiences like this, but Saturday, he stood there, excitedly watching as they stuck Diesel 10 (Freddie got Percy) to his arm.

Then, Brooke, Michael, and AJ arrived, and not long after, we took off for the 20 minute cruise along the Cumberland River.

To be honest, Thomas was a total rip-off. We didn't even SEE Thomas until the END of our ride, and when we did, it was for about six seconds, due to a wind tunnel and rainstorm that blew in, fast and nasty, as we were chugging back into the station.

It got pretty scary there for a minute. We were surrounded by tents - with the metal rods that hold them up - and the wind was instantly ferocious, blinding even, as it stirred up dust from the gravel around the railway. I was nervous, and Jones started crying from fear.

Thankfully, the storm went as quickly as it came, and we were soon in line behind Brooke and Michael, heading back towards Brentwood.

After eating the birthday cake Brooke had bought for Jeremy, she and I left the boys with their daddies and went out to meet Liz Hankla Smith, whom I know from Furman and Brooke knows from many, many photo sessions with her boys, Ben and Hank. We had the most UNBELIEVABLE dinner at Chuy's. Even better, of course, was the conversation that went with it.

The entire time we were there, I was nervous that the boys would meltdown from their long day. But when we got home - around 9:30 - they (along with AJ) were playing just as sweetly as you please! I was SO proud.

We left and headed back to the hotel, where it took all of about 16 seconds for them to fall asleep. Jeremy and I weren't too far behind them.

The next morning, we went back to Brooke's for breakfast before hitting the road. While we were there, Jones played OBSESSIVELY with AJ's Sock Monkey Jack-in-the-Box. It kinda made me wonder why this poor child has never had one of his own! He LOVED it.

On the trip home, we made an extended stop in Knoxville. The boys were beginning to get restless, so we let them run around near Neyland Stadium. When we drove by, I pointed out the massive JumboTron and said, "Do you see that giant TV? Pop bought that!" A few minutes later, we drove back by, and Freddie said, out of nowhere, ""Dat's Pop's, Jones. Dat's Pop's."

We then went to the Student Union. When I got him out of the car, I pointed to Neyland and said to Jones, "that's where one of the best ever played. His name is Peyton." Jones said, "No, Mama. Payton's name is Bobo."

Different Peyton, Buddy, but still one of the best.

After playing around in the bookstore for a while, the boys left with a football (Jones calls it his Tigger football, because it's orange, and because "T is for Tigger") and a visor, and we made it home safely after a wonderful day away.