I did it.

I did it. I drove almost 230 miles - or 3 hours and 30 minutes and one potty break later - to visit 'hon'/'daddy'. The kids did surprisingly well. Waited until big girl got home from school, had a potty break then hopped in the loaded down Suburban. The boy and the baby took a nap while the girl and I played 20 questions. She's such a smart cookie. Got to the hotel, unpacked the 'burb', and left the kids with Daddy while I ran to the Manager's Complimentary Happy Hour.

Friday we visited Daddy at the office. For a brief moment, I missed it. The 'corporateness' of it all - the smell of clean carpet, tidy offices and cubes, a place for an uninterrupted coffee break, the ability to go potty alone... I even said as much - looking earnestly into my husband's eyes, "I miss it." To which he replied quizzically, "Why?" "I just do." I was snapped back to reality by the ponytailed-bearing-baby breaking the low drone of conversation by squealing.

We had lunch then dad-napped my husband. We're thinking of moving. The boy and baby napped, the girl and I played twenty questions, and we drove around looking at real estate. When they woke up, we headed back to the hotel and took a jaunt to the indoor amusement park, "Camp Snoopy". The kids loved it.

Saturday my parents came to the hotel. We had a room for them, and they were to occupy the kids so my husband and I could look around more. And boy did we look around. While the kids swam and played games, we covered over 100 miles of suburbs. There are a lot of nice places to live, but rather expensive. We met back up, and found dinner for my parents and kids so that my husband and I could go out for a nice dinner. Wednesday is our anniversary. It was very nice. We were able to talk about some of our options in moving, and what we wanted in a new house/location/neighborhood.

Sunday we headed back to "Camp Snoopy" - left the big girl and boy with my parents for more rides. Husband and I took the baby and went to IKEA. I have a new love. IKEA. Had lunch then it was time to go home.

It was strange, packing up without my husband. He stayed at the hotel, and we headed back home. The kids were very worn out, but they handled it like champs. We stopped at my parents, had dinner and kids took a bath before heading the last half hour home.

I will say it was worth it to crank through last Thursday and leave the house fairly clean. Nice to come home and have things reasonably tidy. I'll spend the rest of the week unloading suitcases and doing laundry.