"Sklar" Family Reunion - DAY 2 - Mammoth Cave Tour

Our scheduled tour is at 9:30, so we want to leave the house at 8:30.  2 cars.  Actual time of departure: 8:23.  Pretty early for our clan - particularly Joy, Staci, and Creed who got in so late!  I made a lunch for the boys to take with us, to ensure they did not fall asleep in the car before eating.  Of course I left the lunches on the counter.  Sigh.  The tour was scheduled to be about 2.5 hours long, covering about 2 miles underground.  We were told there were no bathrooms along the way.  To prep for that, we put Zach , much to his disdain, in a pull-up, just in case.  Also, everyone decided to forgo coffee - that yummy diuretic!  We made it to Mammoth Cave with plenty of time to spare.  We got lucky, there was a very large school group scheduled for the same tour, same time as us, and we were all dreading that.  Mammoth Cave, in their wisdom, scurried to find another tour guide, and separated the school group from the rest of us - a tiny group by comparison.  No food allowed, so sayeth the website, but no one ever mentioned it, nor was it posted anywhere, so I didn't feel TOO badly about all the snacks I had stashed in my pockets for the kiddos (and me, as it turned out).  I was pretty nervous prior to departure about how the boys would do.  A confined space, a lot of walking, no snacks, no bathrooms (for Z).  Turned out the did SPLENDIDLY!  Rarely were carried, just a few tiny incidents of whining, not scared.  Great tour with them.  I was so so pleased with their behavior!  I had brought Wyatt's paci as an emergency, but never used it for any length of time.  Helped to have 5 adults, in addition to Art and I, who were ready and eager to shoulder the kid load.

Creed, Shayna (needing a paci to calm down), Joy, MeMa, Poppi, Zach preparing for the tour

It is MUCH colder underground than it is, so everyone had to bring jackets for underground.

Random cave stuff that looked better in person than captured on film

MeMa, Wyatt, Joy, Staci, Creed relaxing at a rest stop

We had a rest stop that was right next to THE BATHROOMS!!  Joy of joys!  Zach went potty (as did most of us).  He begged to take the pull-up off, but I did not have underwear with me.  What a relief though to be able to use the bathroom, even though most of us did not have anything to drink in preparation.

Inside the cave: bridal veil (stalactites), and looking up into the waterfall

Wyatt with his primary caretakers

There were a LOT of stairs, and so many of them at a time.  Wyatt did great, even going down the stairs.  He always had one grandparent in front and one in back, helping him, and occasionally carrying him.

Some spaces were quite tight, and low ceilings  Zach said "not too low or tight for me!"

Wyatt did need mommy to carry him the last bit of the way out of the cave.  He had his head down on my shoulder and I really thought he was going to fall asleep.  Both boys had been amply supplied, surreptitiously, with snacks during the tour.  Once outside, back in the light, Wyatt perked up.  Especially when he got his OWN box of raisins.

Wyatt agreeing to share his raisins

Faye, Art, Staci, Creed chatting

Now morphed into 'gangsta' mode once the camera is on them

We were all pretty hungry.  Unfortunately, the closest restaurant was 20 minutes the wrong way (so the rangers said), so we decided to head back to the house.  Poppi and MeMa took our car so they could be with the boys with the stipulation that they attempt to keep them awake until after lunch, at the house (oh how I'm lamenting leaving their lunches on the counter!!)

We got back, put the boys at the table with their pre-made lunches.  MeMa had quite the task of keeping Wyatt awake.  The rest of us made sandwiches, ate chips & salsa, and chatted.  By the time we finally sat down to eat, the kids were falling asleep, so we put them into bed for some seriously long naps.  Aunt Joy was very gracious, and allowed Zach to take a nap in the top bunk of her bunk bed.  HEAVEN!

Dad still needed to exercise, and Art and I needed to go to Walmart to pick up a few things for the birthday dinner that evening.  We were all celebrating 4 birthdays: Creed (May 3), Joy (May 7), Zach (May 31), and Wyatt (June 4).  Art's July bday would be celebrated in ATL in July.  Art and I drove with Dad to Walmart, Art and I went shopping while Dad walked to McDs for his exercise.  We drove over there and met up w/ him in McDs.  Art used their wireless to check email and do maintenance on some of his jobs.  Then back to the house to prepare the birthday dinner.