Day 4, part 2

9pm Wyoming time

We made it to Laramie at about 5:30pm. After talking a while in the car, neither of us wants to spend all day tomorrow driving to Yellowstone, which is another 6hrs+ from here. We stopped instead at a decent sit-down restaurant, had dinner, and then walked to the Big K-Mart across the parking lot. Jeff realized during the rainstorms the other day that we’d forgotten to pack our ponchos, so I grabbed a few at K-Mart, along with another few odds and ends, and a thermometer.

Thermometers aren’t necessarily something you’d think to pack, but if you have small children, don’t go far without one! Aspen has been acting very sluggish lately, not eating well, and tonight she felt a little warm. I couldn’t tell if it was because she’d been sitting in the sun in her carseat, or if she was actually sick, but a quick check with the thermometer let us know (thankfully) that she’s OK, just tired and hot.

I ran back to K-Mart and grabbed some window sunshades.
It’s funny, but in my work as a certified carseat technician I am constantly telling parents not to attach anything to the windows or seatbacks. Things such as mirrors or suction-cup window shades can become projectiles in a crash. In my role as a mom, I decided tonight that keeping Aspen and Lily from getting sunburned and overheated was worth a little projectile risk. And heck, who am I kidding? We are packed to the gills, and there are projectiles everywhere already. The Sprinter windows are quite large, and since we are headed north, both girls get a lot of afternoon sun. Tinted windows can only do so much, so I’m doing exactly what I advise parents not to do and sticking up a suction-cup shade. (Actually, I’ve put two on Lily’s window, and the two together still only cover about 2/3 of the window area. BIG window!)

So since we don’t want to spend all morning and afternoon in the car, after our leisurely dinner and shopping trip we went back to the van and got everyone ready for bed. Diapers changed, night-time pull-ups on, medicine dispensed to those who need it, and we are just going to drive all night. The kids are watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and by the time it’s over they should all be asleep. Jeff is driving for now, and he’s currently yawning so we may switch soon! I’m sure we’ll have to stop and sleep at some point, so we’re hoping to make it to Yellowstone by 8 or 9 in the morning.