It was a dark and stormy day...

(lots o' pics: click on any to enlarge) Dear Internet, Please save me from my two-year-old. No, I'm not kidding. No, I'm not being funny. I am a very tired, very exasperated mother. Jacob can be the funniest, wittiest, cutest kid on earth - no joke. He's incredibly smart and stinkin' adorable. But even when our life is on "normal" and our schedules are...on schedule - he still has his 2 year old break downs. So just imagine what he's been doing now that we've been nomadic for almost 2 full weeks. I am suffering, Internet. The screeching, the kicking, the jumping, the demanding, the bossing, the yelling, the arguing. It is out of control. Tonight the screaming/screeching was brought on by this train ride: The meltdown probably lasted more than 30 minutes. And for 20+ we were in the car. For 10+, we had very curious onlookers. Generally, I've learned to pay no mind to the onlookers. But to the on-looker yesterday at Westside Pavillion who turned to my kid and screamed "Gosh, Kid! Shut the he!! up. You are SO! obnoxious!" while her own 3ish year old was sitting righ next to her? I kid not - she screamed at my kid to try to get him to stop screaming. I paid her mind. I even quit disciplining Jacob because I was mad at said on-looker, and silently wished Jacob would let out his loudest, shrillest screech yet. Anyhow, going to the park, the beach, walks, etc? They're not fun anymore. Because I know that at the end of every fun field trip I will have to deal with the screaming and screeching since Jacob is mad that his fun is over. I'm at my wits end. I have this book. I bought it a few months ago. I suppose it would be prudent to actually read the book. In other news! Exciting news! We spent time in 4 different states today: I started the morning thinking that oh! my! wouldn't it be fun to do a photo diary of our day? And then I decided to spare you, because, really - the drive from LA to Utah? It is a whole lot of this: And how fun would that be to see? But this I will share. Baker, CA has the worlds largest thermometer. I got only a fair picture. I'll give you an idea of what our drive was like today.

The above picture says 11:45

Our car read 107. But on this, the world's biggest thermometer? 111. Let's call it 109 and call it even. (the thermometer is the huge stick in the middle of the badly taken picture)

The good news about today? We're spending the night in the town I finished my college education at. Ever since we made the hotel reservations last night, I was almost giddy to come back. I loved it here. I loved the town, I loved the college, I loved my friends and my professors and almost everything about being here. And we came back, and drove through the town (which, quite honestly, looks like it has doubled since I graduated in 1999) and I thought "this? This is what I loved?" because it's a small town. And I'm a big city girl. I grew up in LA - the real LA (I hated it when I'd meet people in college and they would announce they were from "LA" but really lived about 2 hours away. Also? I hated it when people called it "Cali". Do not call it "Cali".) in Westwood (home of UCLA). I was happy in the big city. Surprisingly, I was happier in this small town. After checking into our hotel we started driving around and discovered that Main Street was closed down for a car show/street fair that was also welcoming home the "Triple Deuce". We love street fairs and love small towns and love patriotic warm fuzzies and love people that serve and sacrifice for our country. We also loved discovering a new restaurant called Bajio that we were thrilled to learn has a franchise about 10 minutes from our new house (the house that may never actually be finished being built. But that's another story.). It was the kind of restaurant that may make us forget Baja Fresh. Baja Who? See...already forgot. It was a good night. Until the meltdown mentioned above. But! We shall not mention the meltdown, because Nathan is lying down with Jacob, who finally quit screaming a few minutes ago. We will instead mention my adorable children. Jacob has started riding in the "backseat" of the double stroller, and loves to "rub Josh". Poor Josh may be bald quite soon.