What A Day!

I would just like to say that this is my second posting for the day. If you only have time to read one...pick the other one! It has a more meaningful and important content than this one will have.
I have had quite the day! It is quite the trip to my aunt's house and this year we decided to load up the kids and go. It was the least we could do since there will be no more Fourth of July Blowouts unless someone else carries on the tradition. My aunt and uncle are starting to feel their years a bit more than before so they have decided to retire. I just dread knowing that unless I do it, there will never be another. They have been going on since my mother was a kid. However, the thought of having all of those people at my house is quite overwhelming. I have never hosted for more than fifteen people (my crew included) and I also worry that no one would show up if I tried to do such a thing. I have had parties before where no one showed up..those aren't very fun let me tell ya!
Anyway, back to my story. We load the kids up in the van. When we get into the van it seems like a normal sized van. However, once you have ridden in a van with four kids for over two hours, a van just isn't a van. It is more like a compact car. We did make it however, and I was finally able to see some family members who I had not seen in 15 years. It was a great day and well worth the trip. My husband had a heck of a time getting me back into that van for the ride home. He thought (and still does he he he) that it was because I was enjoying myself too much to leave. Truth be told, I just did not want to ride all the way back home with the kids! I knew that they were tired and I can't handle too much whining. I was blessed though. They fell asleep about 5 minutes into the car ride and slept almost all the way home. They did wake up hungry, but that was no surprise. They always do. I was prepared, however, since I have been doing this mom thing for quite a while now and had cookies and juice to last through the rest of the trip. It was quite the day for all of us. As I sit here writing this I listen to the sounds of snoring. A sign that I have done my job and given my children a happy and carefree day that has totally worn them out. Ahh silence!