The end of 2013...(part 1)

We got to spend this Christmas with my side of the family this year. I hate having to pick one year here, one year there...wish both families lived close enough that we could spend it all together or a few days here & a few days there. The first time we went down for Christmas with the boys (2011), we flew. My mom flew up here & we bought her a ticket with our air miles (we only had to pay the taxes for the boys' tickets) & she helped us to and from KC. One adult per child. This year, we wanted to do it on our own since the boys are over 2. We kept checking flights & the only ones available were with the configuration 2 & 2. Legally, we cannot fly like this, unless we get another adult to help us. Two children can't sit together without an adult & one child can't sit by himself without a parent/guardian next to them. We called air miles & asked if they would be adding other flights & they said they haven't gotten anything yet but to check in the morning & night. We kept checking & nothing was added. That's when Mike came up with the idea to buy snow tires instead. I supported this decision. The weather isn't always bad & this way we can control when we leave & we wouldn't have to worry about baggage weight. He found a deal for the tires he wanted (after research) & we went forth with the plan. I was just happy that one of the plans on the table was just scrapping going down.

The day before we left this huge threat of freezing rain was on its way, but in the evening on Saturday (December 21). We checked the weather in the states we would be crossing & the worse part was once we got to MO. The plan was to get there in one day (weather permitting). A few people suggested we hold off until the next day but we thought that would be worse because then we would have gotten the freezing rain by then here. So we left as scheduled, December 21 by 10 a.m. We had lots of rain in Michigan & then off & on in the other states but thanks to the weather forecasting online we put rain-x on the windshield the night before. The only time it got really bad was after we crossed the Missouri border. We both thought it was raining & then we looked at the windshield wiper & the antenna; both of which had an inch thick of ice around them. Freezing rain was upon us.

Mike kept testing the road & it wasn't too slick yet (lucky for us). Another lucky thing for us is that it didn't last long; only about 30 minutes or so & then it started snowing. We entered, the vortex snow. The best part about this is that at around 11 p.m. at night we were almost the only ones on the road. This let us drive where cleared. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of snow plows I saw on the roads, especially since they weren't "major" roads. The weather ended up adding another hour and a half to our drive but we got there in one piece about 3:30 a.m.

Pics I grabbed once we stopped at a gas station.

Ang said that she would be waiting up & that the house lights would be on. J had been awake for the last 2 hours & E was awake for about an hour or so & G woke up once we got closer to arrival. E made a comment "Who can find Teta (grandma) Wafa's house?" I texted Ang once we got to Smithville so they'd know we were about 10 minutes away.

There was no problem identifying the house. The Christmas lights were still on & the boys' eyes lit up like Christmas trees themselves looking at it. As we started to get the boys out of the car, my mom opened the front door & despite the snow on the ground came out to grab the boys to take them inside the house. The boys were really awake by then & were looking at the Christmas tree & noticing the cats. It took a while to get them settled enough to go to sleep but it finally happened. The unfortunate thing is that since they slept in the car, they were up by like 9. The good thing is that I was able to just take them downstairs & my mom took care of them after that. I really wish I had that option at home sometimes!!!