Wasn’t that a beautiful picture yesterday? If you live around Central or South Arkansas then you’re probably familiar with that image. If not, you should be – I’ll do a Central Arkansas Showcase on Regional Park in Pine Bluff soon. So beautiful.
I also uploaded this picture to Melissa’s fan page on facebook for her bokeh celebration – got some? Go over there and share! This is one of my and my kiddos’ favorite parts of the park. It’s the tunnel you drive through – very cool.
Every year since OurOldest was born we’ve driven through The Enchanted Land of Lights and Legends. It’s become a tradition and one that our kids are now asking for well before the season starts. They get so excited to see the toy soldier pointing the way.
So we’ve been planning the trip for weeks. I’ve even become accustomed to pulling the newest baby out of the car seat and holding/nursing the fusser for the duration of the drive (no judgement – it’s a closed drive and everyone goes less than 5 mph) – it no longer stresses me out – I just do it, it has even become endearing, because, well, I’ve done it a few times.
It all sounds so romantic doesn’t it? And the pictures – just dreamy. And you’re wondering “That’s not quite what my trip was like – how does she do it?” (And if you’re not thinking that, I really don’t want to know.)
We decided to combine our tradition with a children’s Christmas production at Nana and Papa’s church Sunday night. Sweet, right? It was, until the play ran a little long and I joined the rest of the secret society of Parents With Toddlers Who Are Shunned From Events in the foyer. Then we reconvened with the rest of the family for dinner out (in the van, because who can endure all that seatbelt buckling after the church scene?). Then we were going to attempt that lovely tradition of light looking. At which point my toddler got carsick all over his two SO happy siblings. I got home (well after bedtime) to clean a sleepy angry toddler, put off feeding a hungry “why aren’t you holding me” infant, extract a throw up covered carseat and wash it, and put 3 other little still-excited, grossed out people to bed.
So the next night we started out to try this trip again. My four year old daughter and my 2 year old son decided it was WWE Smackdown in the backseat. And MyOldest, who was also in the backseat, has sensory issues (just like his mama) and couldn’t take the screaming anymore. So he did what his mama does – he screamed back. And MyMiddlest, who’s boss this week, was sitting up front and telling story after story right through the screaming insanity behind him. Which sends his sensory-issued mama right on over the crazy edge. And we still had to pick up milk (don’t we always?). We threatened the girl and the toddler. We took away privileges. We begged. We ignored. We blasted it out with loud music. All to no avail. We got the milk and went home.
With bribing training of the girl to have no fits all day we prepared the third night to go into Pine Bluff for the lights. No fits and away we went. Half way through the lights (about the time my husband was taking these gorgeous pictures) the baby in my arms pooped. Everywhere. And the toddler started yelling that he wanted to go home – which is the exact chant that came just before the puke three days earlier. Amazingly, we finished the trek that night with no throw up.
But year after year we go anyway. And we take the pictures. And hope that our retelling of the story (“Wasn’t that fun?! Didn’t you like those pretty lights?”) (revisionist history, if you will) for days afterward will erase the insanity from their minds and years from now when they look back at the pictures they’ll only remember the fun. Or, if they do remember, that it will be funny – not so much traumatic, as it felt this week.
So tell me, your traditions always go the way you planned, right? It’s just me and my crazy family, right? Lie to me.
