What we do in the car / what you can do with a laundry basket

I'm still writing about pictures from last year, but some of these were too funny.

When we go on car trips, the kids have to find ways to entertain themselves. We have lots of toys in the car, but we don't have a video player. It's the one thing where we have really stuck with our decision about no tv & I'm quite glad (at home, we seem to be on a kick of watching too much, especially when you combine it with computer time!)

So here are some of the things the girls did on the last few trips in the car:

Happy campers, hanging out talking & eating. Eating is always a good diversion! Plus, we do let them listen to their music & audio books. We finally got smart & adjusted the sound so it is all in the back of the van (some of the music will drive you nutty!).


The trip to Amarillo can be a long drive & we try to time it so Clara can get a nap on the way up. But those days are probably coming to an end - we've given up on naps at home these days!

Oh so serious Gracie. Drawing or writing in her notebook. It's amazing how she can curl herself up in that car seat!

Clara has woken up from her nap, Gracie is done with her notebook & now they are really having to stretch for entertainment. Can you figure out what Gracie is doing?

If you couldn't tell what Gracie was doing in that last picture, just take a look at Clara. Yes, they were having a bubble blowing contest (and they weren't chewing gum!).

Now, not to ignore John Michael (I don't have pictures of him in the car, he is still facing the wrong way for that - plus, he was happy just playing with his taggie blanket & sleeping on these trips), here's what we could do with him a few months ago when we wanted to make sure we didn't lose track of him. (It doesn't work anymore, Mike tried this morning & he was ready to go up and over the edge, even in a bigger size basket).



I love the look on his face in this one!

Anyhow, I doubt there will be anymore containing him unless he is in his crib. He wants to go up, up and away! His favorite way to sit is with his legs folded underneath him, so that he can instantly spring up on his knees (J&S might remember that I used to sit like that & it used to drive them crazy). He likes to sit like that so he can be up as high as possible as quickly as possible. The popcorn in that he pulled up on has become his favorite for leaning on & over (he has a long torso & likes to try and reach for things in front of him (and even on the floor) while he is draped over the can). He also likes to push it around the floor, kind of like a walker, but he doesn't quite have the whole "I need to move my feet, too" thing down yet. He's a goofy one.

I'm hoping to blog tomorrow night with a report on how he did in church. He was quite vocal this past week when they were singing Christmas carols . . . tune in (ha, sorry about the pun) to see what he does this week!