New Year's Eve Trip!

So our last trip of 2010 and first trip of 2011 has been completed.  Success or failure?  I rate it a success.

This was going to be a trip to see my brother's family (brother, finance, 2 boys) for the new year.  Now taking to young boys on a 4 hour car ride is not the most enviable task ever.  So first I had to think about the drive.  We would be driving most of the way in the dark.

     1.  DVD  player - Loaded

     2.  Nintendo DS's - Charged and ready to go

     3.  Snacks and drinks for the drive - Check

Once the inside of the truck was loaded, gotta check for the extra things to go in the back. 

    1.  Bikes - Loaded

    2.  Scooters - Loaded

    3.  Helmets - Loaded

    4.  Sleeping Bags - Loaded (you never know if there with be enough places to sleep)

Now it's time to get on the road.  The trip there, although late in departure, was great.  Dinner once we arrived, great.  Four boys playing together - OK, at least they didn't break anything.

Our time at my brother's house was pretty good.  The boys rode their bikes, scooters and played video games.  The adults rode bikes, watched college football games and celebrated a little on New Year's Eve. 

Our first real snag came on the way home.  I had planned to eat dinner at a BBQ place about 2.5 hours into the trip home.  Well, they decided to close early on New Year's day.  The boys were looking forward to it the whole way home.  So when we pulled into the parking lot of a dark BBQ place I had to think quick.  I noticed there were several other eating establishments in the area, so I told the boys look around and pick your favorite place.  Luckily we came to an agreement quickly. 

We were still home in plenty of time for mom to come by and see the boys for a few minutes before bedtime.

Overall a great trip.  One thing I learned quickly about trips with my children - Over Prepare.  Bring more things to do then you ever think you will need.  Especially when the plans are just to relax.  Bored children are not a fun thing to deal with and I never like the "Why didn't we bring _______?"

Happy New Year to everyone.  I hope 2011 is a great year for all.