My wife left me. She took the kids.
Four or five days later, I followed them to Kansas for a two-week Christmas/wedding/New Year gathering with her family.
Though there were many thrilling and enriching activities planned for our vacation, much of that preparation was jettisoned when the greater McMillan family erupted in violent vomiting. Between all the whining sick children and the cranky sick parents, a good time was had by all. Toddlers fought over trains and track. Adults mopped up messes and lost their tempers. But someone said a kind word and someone else created entertainment for the kids and presently grace would prevail for a few minutes. Thus in the midst of the chaos, people laughed, told stories, shared their concern for each other, and collaborated on meals, puzzles, and projects. It was tough, but we made it.
Christmas Eve at the McMillans' followed tradition as expected – the Polar Express, reading the Christmas story from Luke 2, hanging stockings, a family prayer before putting the kids in their beds, and then all the parents played Santa in a flurry of candy and wrapping paper. On Christmas morning, we sat in the family room as presents were delivered from under the tree until we were all sitting in piles of gifts. Nathan took the prize for being the best gift recipient based on his enthusiastic dancing and screaming response.
The morning (Thurs. Dec. 27th) of Glenn & Tessa's wedding found us all hurrying to depart by 7am so we could make it to Nauvoo by 2pm for the pictures. Of course, Tessa and Glenn were highly photogenic in all their wedding day regalia. I was more than a little concerned at the idea of leaving Hayley, Nathan, and Matthew with a babysitter woman I'd never heard of – the whole time we were in the beautiful and historic temple, I kept wondering how they were doing and, particularly, how Matthew was handling being away from both parents. It was an understandably emotional moment for Dave and Karyn McMillan to have all of their six children together in the sealing room as Glenn and Tessa were sealed for time and for all Eternity.
The first post-wedding celebration took place at Alpha's reception hall where we all ate heartily and congratulated the happy couple. (Glenn and Tessa beat a speedy retreat and we did not see them until the evening of New Year's Day. Thankfully, they were spared our favorite stomach bug and had a snowy, but wonderful honeymoon by all accounts.)
The only excitement back at the hotel was the pool and hot tub which several McMillans went for a dip in – but the Ridleys were all preoccupied with sick and tired children and missed it. Nathan threw up in his bed again that night (this was a recurring theme for Nathan throughout vacation) and we were frequently wakened by a SCREECHING Maxwell Rubens in the adjoining hotel room. Baby Max's parents were looking quite bedraggled the next morning when we all gathered 'round the hot water dispenser with our apple cider packets and instant oatmeal (complements of Nauvoo Inn and Suites).
Incidentally, I think we've found another successful Ridley breakfast (an alternative to the incessant onslaught of only cereal) – each of our three children loved their oatmeal and apple cider mix. Who knew? Suddenly there are 50% more breakfast options – the other two were "with or without milk."
After our free breakfast, we turned to face the stark horror of being "trapped" at the hotel sans wipes, diapers, & extra non-puked clothing for our children. After much deliberation, our fateful decision was to place our caravan of relatives in the care of The Almighty & brave the several inches of snow and ice on the ground in Nauvoo on Friday morning. It turned out to be a non-eventful trip home. The roads weren't bad at all outside of Nauvoo – the biggest trick seemed to be just picking our way through the various routes without losing any of our caravan-eers.
I should take this moment to mention the "plasma cars" which were there to greet us upon our return. The family had some fun with them before my arrival on the Christmas scene and they have used them to cruise through the garage a few times since. If you've not played with plasma cars, you're missing out. Somehow these little wonders cruise forward without motors or pedals – even uphill – just turning the steering wheel propels the car! The hilariously-mistranslated accompanying documentation says that plasma cars are propelled by a mystic force. This owner's manual proved nearly as entertaining as the cars themselves and gave us all something to laugh together about. As the booklet explains, "It makes good use of the theorem of centrifugal force and inertia theorem of human body. No need electric, oil and roll device can move freely." Furthermore, "as can shake left to right when the car is being driving, that can help exercise lumbar muscles." Or, metaphysically speaking, "The sitting location is better ahead—avoided leaning back. can't be overtake the fait of car." Confucius couldn't have put it better.
On Saturday (Dec. 30th), we all went to Union Station in downtown Kansas City. Every Christmas, volunteers construct a huge electric train landscape. It was quite a site, and the kids just loved it. Thomas, the Polar Express, a Disney train, and many other more conventional trains travelled along the tracks and through little villages. It took up at least a third of the great hall in the middle of Union Station. Nathan was so happy he was dancing J
The family also enjoyed making pizzas, puzzles, sweet pork burritos, New-Year's paper clock projects for the kids, and high scores on Wii sports and Super Mario Galaxy. You can't come up with a better game for little kids to play–or, more correctly, to watch adults play—than Super Mario Galaxy. It's bright, colorful, non-gory, VERY diverse, and it was rated the number one game of 2007. Hayley's unconventional golf and bowling swings made her a serious contender in Wii Sports. Nathan didn't really get it. He was much more involved in trains and sneaking candy to eat behind the couch. With a single expressive verbal burst, Matthew was suddenly able to name ½ of his siblings. It's very cute to hear him point to his brother and say "Nay-san!" Matthew had a hard time warming up to most of his relatives but in only three weeks time, he managed to make friends with Grandma McMillan and Neal; the rest were apparently too suspicious for him to trust.
As for Emily and I, it feels like we have not seen much of each other since this vacation started except in passing. But we have labored together on a lot of the same projects (principally our children) and have stopped to hold hands along the way. I appreciate all of the work she has done to care for sick kids and make their vacation possible.
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