Whirlwind Weekend

Since we've been doing so much traveling lately, I decided to keep the momentum going and head out of town for one more weekend.  Destination: Pop's house.  We hadn't been to see him for a few months and Nicholas and I were both missing him.  So, the two of us loaded up Friday after work and hit the road.  Now, our road trips are usually easy as pie because Nicholas is really good at quietly watching movies and keeping himself sufficiently entertained in the backseat, but this drive was a very different story.  He had been complaining of a tummy ache all that morning and after being disturbed from his very short in-car nap, it was ON.  He whined, he cried, he begged and pleaded with me to get him out of his seat and hold him....for hours.  "HOLD ME!  HOLD ME!  HOLD ME!" were pretty much the only words I heard for 3 hours straight.  Every so often I'd pull over to a gas station parking lot, hop in the backseat with him where we'd cuddle for a few minutes and allow my brain to defrazzle.  Getting some hugs and kisses from mommy would pacify him for awhile but then the crying would start all over again.  By the time we reached Pop's house, he was running a fever and had completely exhausted himself so I gave him some Ibuprofen, a little dinner, then it was off to bed where he slept for 12 hours straight.  By the next morning he was fever free and back to himself which was a massive relief.  I have no explanation for the same thing occurring Sunday on the drive home but it was a little less intense and we eventually made it back in one piece, although my ears and nerves were completely wrecked. 

Nonetheless, the "meat" of our trip was spectacular and just what we both needed.  Aunt Julie spent the entire weekend with us too, which is always okay with us.  She loves my boy and we love her like no other!  Also, Uncle Jeff, Aunt April, Alli, Jake, & Kami all came up Saturday afternoon to spend some time with us.  Uncle Jeff had the very brilliant idea to take everyone to Fantastic Caverns, which is a ride-thru cave just outside of Springfield that I hadn't visited since I was a teeny tiny girl.  Big surprise - it was fantastic!  Deep inside a cool, dark cave is just where you want to be when it's 100+ degrees outside and the whole tour was actually really interesting.  Nicholas loved riding on the tram and sitting by side with his very awesome cousins.  During one portion of the tour, the guide turns off all the lights so you can get a true idea of just how dark it is down there.  I'm not gonna lie, it was DARK and I could even feel my claustrophobia kicking up.  I guess Nicholas takes after me because he kept asking for the guide to turn the lights back on with an increasing panic in his voice.  No joke, he kept us in pitch blackness for about 3-4 minutes which was bordering on a little more than uncomfortable, I tell you!  After the ride was over, we scooped up some souvenirs from the gift shop (pretty little necklace for me, caver helmet for Nicholas, and a classically overpriced souvenir photo to remember the whole thing by) and headed to dinner at Chuck E. Cheese.  The kids were like little bullets in that place, ricocheting from one side of the restaurant to the other playing games and climbing on everything.  We practically had to tie them down to the table to get them to eat, and then they were off again.  Nicholas' favorite game was a racecar driving game that he wanted to play over and over.  He didn't seem to mind that all he did was crash and that I had to push the gas pedal for him.  As you can see below, it made for some pretty comical video.  I swear we were there for almost 2 hours and it was worth every penny spent to see the amount of fun they all had.  Our whole weekend (minus the drive to and from) was one of the very best ever and I'm so glad we made the split second decision to go.  But, I am also glad to be home and I intend to stay put for a bit.  As Nicholas would say - See you later, alligator!  (Sounds much better when he says it.)

Nicholas Boone, if you please.

In 1867, 12 women from the Springfield area answered a newspaper ad seeking bodies to explore the vast, unknown cave.  They documented their expidition by adding their names on the cave wall, which are still clearly visible today.  Also another neat fact is that this same area of the cave was used as a speakeasy in the 1920's, deep in the prohibition era.  They had booze, dancing, and even a stage which was used for performances well after the speakeasy was shut down.  Who knew a simple cave would have such rich, fascinating history!

Gum stealer.  If you won't give it up, he'll come get it himself.

Here we are having cupcakes and milk at "our place", called The Cup. 

Best Red Velvet cupcakes on the planet! I'm praying someone wises up and

opens one here in Oklahoma!