Letters From Tim

So, I set off on a road trip from Indianapolis to St. Louis on Friday afternoon. I carefully planned the departure time to coordinate with the nap schedules of my three youngest children. I packed snacks, sippy cups, extra bottles of Vitamin D, lots of books, a few movies, and plenty of wet wipes.

I should have known I was in for a long trip considering Campbell had a raw *** from her copious diarrhea…but plans were made. Every time she really cried, I asked Briggs to sniff around her seat to make sure she was still smelling fresh. Poor kid…of all jobs…who wants to do that? However, by the end of the trip, I did ask Briggs to do something I cannot imagine most seven year olds could cope with!

You will notice in the collage below…there is one smiling picture of me…it was during the eight minutes that all four were asleep. I was falsely imagining them all remaining in a deep slumber for the rest of my trip. I really enjoyed those eight minutes!

Good thing I packed the snacks because I must have fed the girls one rice puff at a time for half of the trip. So much so that ten minutes before our arrival, Campbell blew chunks. Unfortunately, we were stuck in slow moving traffic so I could not pull over. Yes…Briggs was asked the worst favor of all…to clean the chunks from his sister’s neck. He was nearly dry heaving but did an adequate enough job.

During the same crisis period, my newly potty-trained child is asking for me to pull over because he has to pee. I am pleading with him to just pee in his pull-up this one time. “Gage, I put the pull-up on for security purposes and this is the time to use it!” He just couldn’t do it. Can you believe it?!?!? Ten minutes later we arrived…the van a smelly mess! At that point, I figured I needed a drink.

We had a great visit with the Parker Family. Susan is the friend I have known the longest. We met each other in first grade at Walker School. We were split up after first grade by our teacher because we talked too much…go figure! Susan and I became fast friends…I was the only one who would hold her hand marching to recess because she had 14 warts on her hands. She told me they weren’t contagious but her laugh was and still is. She is a fabulous friend. Honest like no one else I know. She will tell you her very strong opinion even if you haven’t asked.

We celebrated her birthday the first night we were there which I cannot imagine we have done in decades. Between the two of us, we had eight children joyously singing Happy Birthday and waiting for the white sheet cake sitting in front of them.

If you would have told us in 1993 that we would soon have 80 toes and 80 fingers to keep clean, we would have laughed. We were too busy getting our matching tattoos secured to our hips. As a side note, Susan has had all four of her children naturally and at home. So you would think she had a high threshold for pain. But when it came time to tattooing, she couldn’t take it.

We didn’t do much other than feed and play with kids for the weekend. But I can tell you…they had a great time. Lots of dressing up. Lots of jumping on the trampoline and playing in the tree house.

As I considered my departure, I thought it prudent to make the trip during the morning naps. I can happily say I was successful. They slept half way at which point we stopped for Steak and Shake.

I must have looked like a spectacle wheeling everyone in but my children were beautifully behaved (or at the very least…starving). A large, friendly group of people nearby commented, “You sure have your hands full.” They quickly learned Tim was deployed to Iraq and we were on a road trip.

I am convinced there are more great people in this world than not. They quietly arranged with the waitress to not only pay for our meal anonymously but also give us a gift card for another meal. They did not want her to tell me until they had left because they thought I might cry. Well…guess what…I did anyway. I wish I knew who to thank but instead I promise to someday pay it forward.

Before I wrap this up though…with a meal comes a trip to the restroom. The girls needed fresh diapers. They boys needed to drain the main vein before we got back on the road. Briggs, of course, will not go into a women’s restroom any longer. I put him in charge of Gage.

After one diaper change is complete, I check on the boys. And to my horror what do I find…Gage in the Steak and Shake MEN’S bathroom with his shorts and SHOES off. AHHHH! I was so grossed out. I put him in the sink and scrubbed his feet. You just can’t take your shoes off in a public restroom, am I right?

All joking aside…I need the humor. Tim and I are in such different realities right now.

I heard from him tonight for the first time in five days. He had flown to Baghdad over the weekend to meet with the head of Medevac operations in Iraq. While on his flight, his flares deployed four times which means ground weapons or devices had locked onto his aircraft on four separate occasions. Flares deploy to protect the aircraft from being shot down.

The only comparable feeling I can think of is when you just barely miss having a car accident and your stomach seems to almost fall a few inches within your body and your heart begins to race.

I might have to deal with poop all day but Tim has to deal with much bigger s**t.

…
Special thanks to…my mother who consistently stops by around bedtime to help me with the process. Sheryl for a great dinner that night we arrived home. Cathy Dwyer for the most kid-friendly meal ever.