We drove 6,000+ miles with five kids, one baby, a cooler of snacks, and somehow only slightly lost our minds along the way. My husband Phill had an opportunity to co-teach a course for the Linguistics Institute at the University of Oregon this summer—so we took it.
I’m incredibly proud of our kids for being such good travelers. Yes, there were frustrating moments and sibling arguments, but overall they were troopers. Even the baby handled it fairly well! Honestly, I think I melted more than they did! On the other hand, spending hours in the car gave me space to really observe my kids—the way they interact, their expressions; moments I might miss otherwise. It’s the same way I approach newborn and family photography: watching, waiting, and preserving what’s real.
Phill loves to plan adventures and road-trips, and this one was no exception. We saw so many different states and sites, a friend of mine said it “sounds like half a year of homeschool should be just checked off automatically!” Believe me, I kept a list for our end-of-year evaluation!
We stopped at some amazing and memorable spots, but even the ordinary moments were extraordinary to me.
I really enjoyed chatting with Isaac and Rosie in the evening or when they sat up front in the van. I love those opportunities to get to know more about their lives and what’s on their hearts.
I loved watching my kids take turns sitting next to different siblings in the car. I loved hearing them help each other with games and activities. They also mastered the art of making my eye twitch…!
But there are so many things I will remember from this trip:
-Driving through Yellowstone and seeing all the wildlife
-Exploring the Student Union building of the U of O campus with the kids while Phill met with his co-worker to plan their first day. We ended our self-guided tour at a cafeteria table playing word games, Monopoly, and chess on my phone
-Playing card games with the kids, like Solitaire, Kings in the Corner, and Speed. We also played a family game of Spoons in the evenings but calling it “Bows” (because, we didn’t have enough spoons to eat and play with, but we DID have plenty of hair bows!)
-Adelaide and Micah eating breakfast outside and watching for hummingbirds
-Adelaide, Simeon and Micah playing in the backyard for hours
-One of the kids (who shall remain nameless) used Dawn dishwashing soap in the dishwasher and flooded the kitchen floor with suds 😂
-Shai needing to nap in the front pack almost every day
-Buying myself instant decaf coffee and oat milk creamer…only for the kids to get hooked on it and finish it off
-Rosie and Isaac taking turns helping me make dinners
-Watering the flowers with the kids every day at the Vrbo
-Giving Shai bedtime baths in a tiny tub we placed in the kitchen sink
-Shai learned to roll which meant many sleepless nights making sure he didn’t have his face down in the mattress!
-Going to the movie theater as a family for a $1 movie day
-Going to Barnes and Noble as a family to sit and read books. Twice!
-My parents visiting! We went swimming at their hotel and shared a giant lemonade and fruitcicles at the Saturday Market
-Phill and I went out on a date while my parents watched the kids. We had a yummy Thai dinner and walked around the mall with Shai
-Making faux French toast using Tillamook vanilla ice cream and brioche slices. So good!
-Making and eating brownies with the kids for our last night at the Vrbo
-Getting to see the house in Eugene where my mom lived as a baby. And my grandpa designed and built it!!!
-Car games and singing our favorite songs on the drive there and back
-Impromptu stops to calm a screaming baby and finding beautiful spots because of it. We found a couple of shrines and saw some beautiful sunsets
-Stopping to see a random farm of miniature alpacas
These ordinary moments are sacred. Trips like this remind me why I believe family photos matter—not just for milestones, but for remembering seasons of life exactly as they are. I’m so proud of us because we made it. And I have a heart full of memories because of it 💗
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