Day 26

Today was our final day of travel! We made the 620 mile trip from Columbus AFB to our friend's house in Sanford, NC. What a trip! All together this trip has been over 5,000 miles, not including the plane ride from Alaska to WA. The last leg was rough! Everyone was tired of being in the car and it showed! The kids fought, I yelled, even the dog was restless. Things you shouldn't have to say to your children got said. Such as, " Do not throw that water bottle over the baby!" They were playing "keep away" from the baby with a water bottle. Also, "Do not paint your legs with yogurt!" The important part is we made it all the way, and tomorrow we get the keys to our very first house EVER! We even stopped by Sears and bought a washer and dryer that will be delivered tomorrow! Yay for finally being "home"! :)

Day 25

Today we drove from Killeen, Texas to Columbus AFB, Mississippi. We got a really early start this morning. We planned on leaving at 4am, and only got off 30 minutes late. Pretty good considering that my hubby went out to load up the car, and found a nice pile of doggy diarrhea in the car! Ewww! So, so glad I was not the one cleaning that up!!! The kids all did pretty good today. It's a 12 hour trip, just driving time, so a long day for us! Our hotel room on post is super nice. They gave us a 3 bedroom in the TLF(temporary lodging facility). We were joking about how sad it is that it's only for one night! Only one more day of travel for us, which is great because we are so DONE!!! :)

Day 24

Today we spent hanging out with old friends and just relaxing. We got to go over and spend some time with my friend Danielle and her beautiful little boy who is just a few weeks older than little dude. My hubby is good friends with hers, but unfortunately he was out of town, so mine spent most if the day washing the car and doing laundry to avoid getting stuck hanging out with us! Haha! Her little man is an only child so I was worried he'd be a little overwhelmed by all my crazies, but he really seemed to enjoy them! We got to go over and see my friend Wendy and her family as well. All her boys got so big since we last saw them 4 years ago! It's crazy to think its been that long. I love that I have friends that no matter the time that's passed or the miles between us that we can just pick up where we left off, only with taller babies! We went back over to have dinner and finish up our laundry at Danielle's and then back to the hotel to sleep and pack. Early morning tomorrow, we have 670 miles to cover!

Day 23

Today we drove almost 400 miles from Hobbs, NM to Killeen, TX. We got a late start(big surprise) and it was a tiring trip. I think this "vacation" is starting to wear on us all! We made it here, with only 2 stops, about 5:30. We were just in time to check into our hotel, drop off some bags, and meet up at Chili's for dinner with my cousin. She drove 2 hours to have dinner with us from San Antonio. It was super awesome to catch up! We haven't seen her since Christmas 3 years ago. She didn't even mind my crazy kiddos who jumped all over her, and were obnoxious at the dinner table! What can I say, my family is awesome, and anyone who drives 2 hours just to have dinner with us, rocks! :)

Day 22

Today is my oldest son's birthday! He turned 12 today. I know, I know, I look MUCH too young to have a 12 year old! HAHA! He seriously is just an awesome kid! He is so smart, kind hearted, responsible, helpful. Did I mention smart? Scary smart, no joke! So to celebrate, since we're on the road, he got to pick where we ate lunch and dinner! Lame, I know, but don't tell him that! :)
We got to spend some more time with my hubby's grandma today, and then we all got to meet his uncles, his aunt, and his other grandma. I really enjoyed finally being able to meet his family, and they were all super nice to us.
We finished the night off with a cake from Walmart(yuck) and singing happy birthday to my big boy. I still can't believe it was 12 years ago that I birthed that gigantic 10 lb 13 oz baby boy! I'm telling you, DON'T BLINK!!!!! It goes by so fast! I'm so glad he's such a fantastic kid, it makes this whole thing just a smidge easier.

Day 21

Today we packed up and drove the 344 miles from Los Alamos to Hobbs, NM. It was a sad goodbye to "the handsome uncle"! The drive was decent, we only had to stop twice. Of course the first time was within the first 30 minutes we were on the road! We drove through Roswell, which was hilarious. I never realized how flat that part of New Mexico is! The highlight of our day was going to visit my hubby's Grandma and her husband in Colorado City, Texas. It's the first time I have met her and she is fantastic. A sweet as sugar southern woman with a strong faith, who just welcomed us right in, and got to lovin' on her great grandbabies. I keep teasing my hubby that it took him 14 years to introduce me to his family, but apparently she was worth the wait! :) I would love to be able to spend more time with this awesome couple! Even my little dude, who is slow to warm up to people, let her kiss all over him! What a fantastic day!

Day 20

Today my uncle took us to the local science museum in the morning and to Bandalier National Park this afternoon. It was a really nice walk through old native ruins, most were built into caves naturally formed by volcanic ash, and some were hand dug. It was a really cool experience for the kids, and the sun shining off the rock was beautiful! Jeffrey even said cave. It sounded suspiciously like his word for cake, but beggars can't be choosers! :) Today my baby also decided to start sitting up! So much excitement in one day! Haha!

Day 19

Today we drove 332 miles from Holbrook, AZ, through the petrified forest, to Los Alamos, NM. The petrified forest was really neat. We got some really great photos of the painted desert, and took a really small hike to see some native ruins. We made it to my Uncle's house right about dinner time, because following a theme here, he is a fantastic cook! We had a great dinner and great conversation!

Day 18

Today we made the 537 mike trip from Coronado Island, CA to Holbrook, AZ. The trip was super easy, and the kids did really well. Highlights included seeing the Mexican border fence and beyond into Mexico, being stopped at a random border control check but waved through b/c we're so pasty they thought we might actually BE vampires, a beautiful sunset, and tons and tons of cactus(cacti? cactuses?). The low point was my little dude freaked out tonight because of the new hotel, and spent 20 minutes screaming on the floor. 9 days and our new house can't come fast enough!!! We're getting all rested up for the night here so that we can drive through the petrified forest and maybe even crater park tomorrow during the daylight!

Day 17

Today we went to the San Diego Zoo with my brother and his family. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of walking! I think this time the kids were even wore out, because we only made it until like 3ish. We packed a lunch, which is what we should have done at our previous 2 places. It saved us a ton of money and was much better FOR us as well! The kids all got to pick a souvenir again, and loved to see all of the animals(besides the ones in the mirror). I think my favorite today was the panda bear. It's obviously a big thing there, because it's habitat was jam packed with people, even though it was a pretty slow day at the zoo. You'd think I'd be stick thin from all the walking this last 4 days! Holy cow! I almost wish I had a pedometer to see just how far I walked, maybe I'd feel accomplished! HAHA!

Day 16

Today we went to do a little shopping on base and off, and then drove up to Carlsbad to have dinner with some friends! We were initially supposed to go to the zoo, but it was raining, so we pushed the zoo off to Sunday. We wanted to go visit my hubby's grandma, but that didn't end up working out. It was a good, fun day, and felt like a day off after all the running around we had done the 2 days before. We had so much fun out for dinner with our friends! We have been friends with this guy since I was in the Army back in 2001, and we haven't seen him since 2002, so it's only been 9 years! Since then we've had 4 more kids, and he got married and had 3! His wife is super nice, and his kids are beautiful. It was a blast to catch up! :)

Day 15

Today we took the kids to Sea World! My brother and his family joined us again, and his mother in law as well. We walked around and saw everything, had a great lunch, and even caught a dolphin show. Some of my favorite exhibits were closed, so that was a bummer, but I don't think anyone else even noticed! The kids all got to pick a souvenir, and my middle daughter lost hers, so here I am 10 minutes before the place closes running all the way to the arctic area to get her a new one. HAHA! I'm not sure why they don't sell the same things in all of the shops. I suspect it's because you buy something in the first shop, and then everytime you go into one of the other shops, they have different things, which then encourages you to buy even more junk(er I mean souvenirs)! About 2 my hubby and I were both EXHAUSTED and ready to go... so sad for us the kids weren't! HAHA! They ran us ragged until the park closed! We drove by the Los Panchos in National City to pick up our favorite, carne asada burritos and horchata for the whole family. This is my favorite restaurant in the area, and we try to make sure we eat there everytime we are in town! We finally got the kids in bed about 7pm(normal for us, not normal for our vacation!) and they were all out cold by 8! I think we may have worn them out, but not as much as they wore us out! HAHA!

Day 14

Today was the best day of my oldest's life(according to him). Yes, that is correct, we went to Legoland! My brother, his beautiful bride, my niece, and her beau joined us, and it was a blast! We got a much later start than we anticipated, but it was still 5 hours of bliss for my lego loving family! It was worth every penny we paid. Afterward, we had a wonderful dinner that my lovely niece cooked, and had some really nice family time, I'm praying that tomorrow goes just as well! To borrow a phrase, my hubby and I will truly need a vacation from our vacation when this is all over! HAHA!

Day 13

Today we said a sad goodbye to my aunt, uncle, and cousin and made the 600 some mile trip from the San Francisco Bay area to Coronado Island. The trip went pretty well. We hit traffic in San Francisco, but we took this awesome bay street right next to the waterfront and through all of these wonderful old buildings before rejoining the 101. It was awesome! We made really great time until we hit LA right at 4:30. What was I thinking??? Haha! Apparently I'm a bad co-pilot! We made it through the concrete jungle hours later! We stopped for dinner at Carl's Jr(yuck!) and then checked into the most amazing hotel ever! This is the view from the back patio! And yes, that IS the beach! :)

Day 12

Today we spent the morning with my fabulous family and then a friend of mine drove all the way from Placerville with her little boy to come hang out with us. We met up with them at Applebee's for lunch where my children acted like wild monkeys! THEN my littlest(6 months) grabbed my water glass and dumped it all over us. Thanks to my slow reaction time I was soaking wet and looked like I peed my pants for the remainder of the day! Haha!
We took the kids to toys r us to look at toys(because we like to torture them!) and then ran a few little errands. It was just so much fun to be with old friends! We had dinner with my family, followed by a viewing of Tron. So, so much fun! Although, apparently no more late nights for my little ones since after 7pm they turn into pumpkins! They went to bed last night at 9 and were holy terrors until they finally passed out! Bed time needs to be consistent in this family, even on vacation!!!

Little dude's speech

Ok so a quick update for all of you who know what life is like with my little dude. So he was evaluated at a 19 month old level for his speech, which is a full year behind. He is a very particular child who likes things a certain way, but since he can't tell you what that is, he is very easily frustrated, which almost always leads to a lovely head banging fit. Yes, I am left standing there looking like THAT mom with THAT child in Walmart. You know what I'm talking about...
Anyway, I was really concerned that this trip was going to cancel out any progress that he was making since he completely fell apart the first few days after the movers came. However, we have been pleasantly surprised and blessed to see that the opposite has happened. It's almost like this trip has forced him to be a little more go with the flow, and boosted his speech. He even has been talking to relatives and friends he doesn't know! It's awesomeness! :)
This week he has added probably 10 new words plus a few phrases. He added 3 words this morning alone! He still has a long way to go, and is going to have to figure out how to verbalize his feelings before the fits stop, but he is coming right along! Praise the Lord because I was fixin' to sell that one! Haha!

Day 11

We left Grandma and Grandpa's house about 9 to head to the San Francisco Bay area. We stopped about 11 at a random California beach to let the kids collect some sea shells and run on the beach. I think our dog was in heaven! The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. The baby didn't do quite as well as she did on the way to Grandma's but she still did great overall. We got in to my aunt's house about 5, just in time for dinner, which was perfect since she is a fabulous cook! The kids watched a movie while we visited, and then we all went to bed about 9, which is apparently as late as we make it recently! We must be getting old! Haha!

Day 10

We went to church with my grandparents, and just had a really great visit with them! The two littlest had never met them, and the next few up didn't remember them since it had been 3 years since we had seen them. Grandpa is working away at his movie, and Grandma is still writing a column for the local newspaper a few times a month. I hope and pray I stay as active as they are when I'm in my late 80's. What an inspiration! Apparently we brought the snow with us bc we woke up to a whole 1/2" on the ground this morning! It's not a lot for those of us used to Alaska, but my grandparents said its only snowed a handful of times since they moved there in 1989. They told us to take it with us when we go! Lol!

Day 9

Today we headed to Brookings, OR. We took the I5 down to Portland, where we stopped for breakfast at a place called the Daily Grill to meet my soon to be sister in law! She is fabulous, and so was the restaurant. Then we headed over to the 101 to go the rest of the way down the coast. What a beautiful drive! Farm land, forest, and the ocean all mixed together makes for one awesome view! The kids were great and we made great time. It was only 480 some miles, and a very enjoyable time!

Day 8

What a full, fun, fantastic, and sad day all rolled into one! We started this day out signing our closing papers for the house in NC that we are buying! We had to drive all over town trying to find a notary since none of the banks here would do it for a non member. Turns out UPS has one, if you ever need to close on a house via mail! :)
We went to the zoo in Seattle with some awesome friends of ours from Alaska who PCSed down here last summer. The kids had so much fun even though we didn't stay long! I'm pretty sure the mommy's had more fun chatting away though, with an occasional interruption on my part to tell one of the kids NOT to crawl into the animal cage(usually Jeffrey). My mom went with us and it really was a blast!
We spent most of the rest of the day running errands. My hubby ran off in my mom's car to Fed Ex the papers off for the house and the 3 littlest kids, my mom, my sister, and I ran off to Costco to pick up groceries that we have no room for in the car.
After dropping them all off except the baby I ran out to go get new tires and an oil change for the burb so it could continue to be road worthy. One quick trip over the Tacoma Narrows with my sister for one last goodbye with my best friend(and a LOT of chocolate) and now I'm back at my mom's ready to pass out. I forgot to eat dinner, but with all that chocolate and sad goodbyes, who needs to eat anyway?

Day 7

Ok so we got up early, at breakfast and hit the road back to my mom's house. We got out about 2 hours after we wanted to(no big surprise there!) It's a 600 mile trip and it was surprisingly uneventful! No one puking, and no car troubles! Praise the Lord for a long boring trip! Lol!

Boyer Bunch's cross country craziness!

Ok so I know I've been bad about updating lately, so hopefully I'm turning over a new leaf here! Lol!
We are currently on day 6 of a 26 day cross county tour/move! We are moving our whole 8 person family from Alaska to North Carolina. Yes, I said 8! We welcomed baby MJ, our 3rd girl into our family July 9th! Contrary to all of our worries and scares throughout her pregnancy, God is good and she is perfect! :)
So we got on an airplane in Anchorage on the 6th and flew to Seattle to visit my parents, some of my best friends, and our home church. My best friend's hubby picked us up and we spent the night at her house, and spent the next morning with her before heading out to meet up with another good friend and visit with my brother, sister, and parents that day. I also started feeling like crap that night! I was sick all the next day but insisted on going to our home church to see old friends, go out to lunch with my bestie and my family, and then dinner with my parents at their house. Well it didn't stop me but it sure slowed me down!!! Lol!
That night I was REALLY feeling bad and then my hubby started feeling sick too! So we both got up, sick, to leave at 6am and drive 600 miles to Butte, MT to see hubby's family. We traded off driving as best we could, and then our little blond child started throwing up about 400 miles into our trip! Poor thing was miserable! THEN, about 90 miles out our car died! It just stopped getting fuel and died! My awesome SIL drove 90 miles to get us, and we had the burb towed back to Butte. We spent the whole next day with my lovely MIL and SIL and her family. The burb got fixed at a shop for about $300. and was done that afternoon(praise the Lord!) Today we were able to spend the day with my FIL and my SIL and her super awesome family again! It was a sad goodbye tonight. We head back to Washington tomorrow morning!
I will try to add to the blog daily for the rest of the trip now that you're all caught up! Lol!