First off, I’d like to give us mad props for getting out of the house as early as we did! The fact that Gramma came over to help get everyone fed, gave Brian plenty of time to pack the Durango, and me plenty of time to complain about how he was packing it. Nevertheless,
8:07am came and wheels were turning! Albuquerque here we come. Well, almost. Starbucks, here we come! Alas, a mere 3 minutes to wait for my Venti-No Water-Chai (yes, the fact that I was about to be hostage in my vehicle with 3 babies and a husband warranted the Venti.) and we were on our way again!
I can say it now because it’s already happened…at the time, neither Brian nor myself wanted to comment on our babies’ surprisingly good nature for the first 2 and a half hours for fear we might jinx ourselves. But right about the time the babies’ bellies should’ve been growling, the
Blessed Golden Arches appeared as if from nowhere! They beckoned us to come in….which we did.
On the menu:
1 Black Angus Burger, 1 Quarter Pounder Meal and
three bottles of formula! As if they knew we were trying to get somewhere fast, and thought a protest would be fun, it quite possibly took the Bunchkins longer to consume these three bottles than any they’ve had in their short six months of life. Hunter made it quite clear that she prefers French fries to formula any day. Thus, our “quick” stop turned into our quick hour and a half stop…” c’est la vie! So after our tailgate diaper changes, carseat toy switches, we loaded everyone back in, one seat to the right. (change of scenery is important, you know!) And we’re on the road again!
First stop-Lordsburg McDonalds!
Ethan and I decided to switch...Dr.Pepper for him, formula for me
Daddy and Hunter, stretching her legs a bit!
Next major stop, NM 26, on our way to beautiful Hatch, NM…a stretch of road so uneventful, I shall call that segment,
“Keep your ojos on the calle.” Boredom sets in easily you see…let’s just say the most exciting part of that stretch of road was Brian’s live, wild game sighting of something other than livestock or roadkill. Hooray for the antelope! They made his day!
Continuing on, there’s absolutely no mistaking when you have finally arrived in Hatch.
Chili-lined roofs, chili restaurants, chili stands everywhere remove all doubt. 
And it was only then that Brian and I with all our wisdom and education found something new to ponder….”Where do chilis grow?” On trees? In the ground? Vines? Bushes?” Hmm…we really had no idea. I can see it now, my million dollar question the day I finally make it on “Who wants to be a millionaire…”
On which of the following do chilis grow? A.) Trees B.) Vines C.)Bushes D.)In the ground …..darn it, where’s choice E.) On chili plants….crap. Without yet arriving at our answer, and after passing the FINA gas station on the left that is no longer in business, we found another FINA gas station on the right, at which we stopped to fuel up. It was at this stop that Brian’s thermos full of coffee decided it would like to come out and he made his way to the men’s restroom while I finished gassing up. As he got back in the car he had come to 2 new revelations:
#1-It is quite certain that the Swine Flu epidemic originated in the FINA gas station on the right, in Hatch, NM, in the men’s restroom. We will be contacting the CDC promptly and feel quite proud that on our first road trip with our triplets, we cracked the code to the Swine Flu. It did not, in fact, originate in Mexico. It is living and thriving in the men’s room. Needless to say, he washed his hands quite thoroughly, and… #2-A majority of the men in hatch tuck their shirts into their underwear. Neat.Driving again, and still thinking about restrooms, I suddenly had that “Oh Crap” moment thinking back to our tailgate diaper changes at McDonald’s and not in fact, remembering whether or not I threw away the diapers or if they were now scattered across 1-10 somewhere. So I turn to Brian and say,
“Did you throw away the diapers?” Without missing a beat, he says
“No. I hid them in the car. I can’t wait for you to find them.” Smart ass. I interpreted that to mean that he DID in fact throw them away. Anyway, the best part came just as we prepared to take our next exit out of Hatch. It was the answer to my million dollar question! There, on the right side of the road was a chili patch with rows and rows of chilis growing on little vine-like tree thingys coming out of the ground….
Anyway, enough of this chili business...time for me to count roadkill for a while.
So,
ten hours after wheels started turning, we finally made it to Rio Rancho! I must say, thought I never actually saw her, I’m convinced that there is some blessed little car fairy who flew all around the backseat for 10 hours securing pacifiers to little mouths, shutting sleepy eyes and probably making funny faces to keep our little Bunchkins content for such a long drive! Either way, we made it!
This is what a road trip will do to three small babies!
So there we all were in Rio Rancho...and what, you ask, do you do for fun when you have 3 babies and a toddler?
Well, if you’re one of the 4 parents, you enjoy a nice glass of wine about every two hours or so….but if you’re a little person, you jump in the exersaucer, jump in the other exersaucer, watch football in the bouncy seat, roll around with Lucy, the Dachshund on the floor, and entertain the big people with all your silliness!
Oh yeah, there WERE a few outings we can add to our list too! We all took Wednesday night to just relax and recharge for the rest of the week…But Thursday morning came fast and we all geared up for a nice day at the Pumpkin Patch! I was frankly MOST excited that it was 59 degrees when we were leaving and thus we got to dress the babies in clothing OTHER than onesies and shorts!! Woo hoo! I’m sorry, but the Bunchkins were SO cute in their jeans and long sleeve shirts! So after a head count, bottle count and “stuff check”, we began our journey to the Pumpkin Patch! Before long, we were turning into the drive leading to the Patch and noticed...well, not much. I mean, there was a corn maze, and there were pumpkins, but, well, there were no people. Hmmm…was it open on weekdays? As it turned out, there WAS a woman Anabelle was able to call who said she’d meet us out there to take our money. Unfortunately, about 1 minute after we got in touch with her, we had already changed our minds, cuz that's the way we roll!
This is us waiting...
and Anabelle trying to call any number she can find to see what the deal is!
So the pumpkin patch was sort of a bust, have no fear! The zoo is near! Frankly, of the 5 people in my family, I'm pretty sure I was the most excited to go the zoo! I love zoos but am kind of "done" with Reid Park Zoo in Tucson. It's great but once you start taking a class full of kindergartners there every year for the past oh, 7 years, it starts to lose it's "excitement". Plus, everyone said that THIS zoo was a good one! Yay!
The only downfall to this outing was that we couldn't all ride together! That's what happens when you have 3 babies whose carseats take up the WHOLE backseat! So Anabelle & Jaxon took the lead, braved the streets and the freeways and got us safely to the zoo! I am very proud of her! (She's not fond of driving on the highway.)
Though we didn't make it through the entire zoo (cuz again, I'm learning that this is what happens when small children are in tow) it was still SO fun!
3 babies and a toddler!
Hunter
Ethan
Colton
The Bunches :)
Ok, I kind of apologize for this picture, but then kind of not. I mean, I had to see it. Why shouldn't you? Seriously! How does this happen the ONE minute we pass by! Like I said on Facebook, I'm not sure if this was being at the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time or the WRONG place at the WRONG time! I guess it just depends on you! Take that, Discovery Channel!
Moving on, I wanted to visit the Orangutan! Colton and I got down and went up the window to get a better look and this Orangutan came RIGHT up to the window! I was afraid Colton was going to scream, but he didn't at all! Kinda mesmerized really. Brian and Anabelle both insist this is the funniest picture ever. NOT because of the big, hairy ape, but because of the expression on my face... something I might do if someone offered me cake...what losers. :)
Ami, Anabelle & Colton
Did I forget to tell you we went on a jungle safari? Ok. Maybe not. We just found a shady, foliage-filled spot for a picture! 
Jaxon was misbehaving, so Anabelle was going to throw him over! Sheesh! Ok, not really, in fact I believe Jaxon really WANTED to go over the fence and the good mom was holding on tight so as NOT to let that happen! 
I'd never seen a zebra's behind so close up before. Kinda cool really!And this is the new baby elephant at the zoo, taking a walk beside her mommy!
I think we all agreed that lunch was the most chaotic part of the day. It's hard when hungry little mouths outnumber the big people who can feed them! Needless to say, after lunch, we called it a day! Time to go home and drink wine!
Auntie Anabelle teaching Ethan how to use the phone.
Hunter eating her toes
Ethan eating some rice cereal with his Auntie. Frankly, I think he just liked sitting in Jaxon's high chair. Thus, the reason we had to go purchase our first high chair when we got back home!
Our last night there, we decided to go the Balloon Fiesta's Balloon Glow, where the balloon pilots light up the balloons at night time, but don't lift off. We were pretty excited to see it! To alleviate the gawking, I wore my "Mom of Triplets" shirt to hopefully answer the question that arises in everyone's mind when they see our "troop" coming.
It didn't help. Seriously, the next time someone looks at them and asks if they're triplets, I think I'll just say, "No, we just couldn't wait to have another." I swear...
I loved this banner...this is our family. "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." 
Jaxon, the cutie!
Did the adorable beanies give the weather away? It was COLD, and even more so, it was WINDY! The Bunch babies are not used and apparently are not fond of, cold weather...Thanks to our cousin Jaxon for letting us borrow hats! 
So what I didn't yet mention, is just how windy it was. Well, unfortunately, it was SO windy, the balloon glow got cancelled. Nobody needed a bunch of torches being lit and fire blowing all around! So that was kind of a bummer! But, we were there and much to my dismay, it would have taken us too long to get home to feed the babies, so we had to do it right there. What a windy disaster!! But we all hung in there, fed like rockstars and then headed for the house!
Auntie Anabelle feeding Hunter
But, in true vacation style, we didn't want to leave without a family picture first...so we braved the wind and said "CHEESE!"
This is not the balloon glow, but it still looks kinda cool!
And there were fireworks! 
And there were sleepy babies in the car!
The last few minutes before we hit the road for home, we did our photo shoot!
The future Mr. & Mrs. Pearson
The boys
All the babies!
And then it was out the driveway we went. Even though they are the best hosts and totally put up with us and all our stuff, I'm pretty sure the Pearsons breathed a huge sigh of relief when we pulled away. I know I would've. Until we came back a minute later because I had forgotten my camera! OOps!
And here we are at McDonald's in Socorro, NM(which happens to be a very NICE McDonald's! And the best part-THEY HAVE CHERRY PIES there!!)
We only hadto make one unscheduled stop for a poopy diaper! Not bad!
And another stop at the FINA gas station, and some fresh air for the babies!
So...the trip TO Albuquerque was amazing.The trip home...Not so much. Please let the ear plugs in Brian's ear be indicative of what was happening...out of about 9 hours driving, 7 1/2 of them were filled with babies crying... :(
Now, if you've ever seen "Anchorman, The Legend of Ron Burgundy" then stand by for the quote I'm about to use from that movie. The crying in the car got so bad, that when they ALL finally fell asleep about 15 minutes from Lordsburg, where we were
planning to stop and feed the babies, Brian and I had to make that judgement call..."Do we let them keep sleeping and skip McDonald's in hopes we can get closer to Tucson?" or "Do we wake them up anyway, feed them, and hope they'll go back to sleep?"
We picked choice A. Keep driving. Now for the quote. Let's just say, "WE IMMEDIATELY REGRET THAT DECISION."
No joke. We were only a few miles past the McDonalds when, you guessed it, everyone's awake and everyone's HUNGRY! But now, there was no place to stop. So Brian took the first exit that looked like there was at least a gas station where we could find some shade. Bad idea.
This sign should've been our first clue...I think it was a warning... Talk about abandoned. I'm not kidding you, I felt like we were the unsuspecting family about to be chopped up in the horror movie that absolutely had to be filmed here....there was not a living soul in sight.
Ok, I take that back. There were some living souls. Roosters crowing, flies EVERYwhere, and yes, even a Mangy Coyote running past us, no more than 25 feet away...
Yes folks, this is where we stopped to feed our 3 precious babies. Though for safety reasons, we really probably should've stayed IN the car, we really wanted change of scenery and fresh air. Well...I don't know how fresh the air out here was, but it was definitely a change. So here, I sat, on the pavement heating my babies bottles and feeding them. Again, we immediately regret this decision....next time, we'll stop at McDonalds.
Before we could leave, we had to teach Hunter how to drive and Brian had to shoo the 45 flies who had taken up residence in our Durango back OUT into their filthy fresh air.
And that folks, is a road trip. Craziness aside, it was so worth it! We're already looking forward to next year...Here's hoping it won't be so windy at the balloon glow in 2010!
For more pictures and stories from our trip, visit Anabelle's blog at:
Thanks for coming along!
The Hopkins Family 
This is how you get 2 strollers and a wheel chair onto the tractor!
Mom and Colton...he's wondering why we're moving and he's not safely strapped into his carseat!
Why do I love this picture so much??
And this one...
Brian insisted I was crazy to try and take our pictures with all 3 babies! I agreed that I might in fact, be crazy but that wasn't going to stop me :)
Yes folks, this is Brian's FIRST picture with all 3 of his babies! 
We try to be very mindful of taking an equal number of photos with each baby so that years from now, no one will come crying accusing us of photography neglect! So we made sure to get photos with each baby!
Dad and Princess Hunter
Dad and Ethan
And oh how I love THIS picture!
Farmer Colton
Joshua and Dave
Colton wants water instead of formula!
The Bunches :)
Moving on, I wanted to visit the Orangutan! Colton and I got down and went up the window to get a better look and this Orangutan came RIGHT up to the window! I was afraid Colton was going to scream, but he didn't at all! Kinda mesmerized really. Brian and Anabelle both insist this is the funniest picture ever. NOT because of the big, hairy ape, but because of the expression on my face... something I might do if someone offered me cake...what losers. :)
Ami, Anabelle & Colton
Did I forget to tell you we went on a jungle safari? Ok. Maybe not. We just found a shady, foliage-filled spot for a picture! 
Jaxon was misbehaving, so Anabelle was going to throw him over! Sheesh! Ok, not really, in fact I believe Jaxon really WANTED to go over the fence and the good mom was holding on tight so as NOT to let that happen! 
I'd never seen a zebra's behind so close up before. Kinda cool really!
Hunter eating her toes
Ethan eating some rice cereal with his Auntie. Frankly, I think he just liked sitting in Jaxon's high chair. Thus, the reason we had to go purchase our first high chair when we got back home!
I loved this banner...this is our family. "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." 
Jaxon, the cutie!
Did the adorable beanies give the weather away? It was COLD, and even more so, it was WINDY! The Bunch babies are not used and apparently are not fond of, cold weather...Thanks to our cousin Jaxon for letting us borrow hats! 
So what I didn't yet mention, is just how windy it was. Well, unfortunately, it was SO windy, the balloon glow got cancelled. Nobody needed a bunch of torches being lit and fire blowing all around! So that was kind of a bummer! But, we were there and much to my dismay, it would have taken us too long to get home to feed the babies, so we had to do it right there. What a windy disaster!! But we all hung in there, fed like rockstars and then headed for the house!
But, in true vacation style, we didn't want to leave without a family picture first...so we braved the wind and said "CHEESE!"
This is not the balloon glow, but it still looks kinda cool!
And there were fireworks! 
The last few minutes before we hit the road for home, we did our photo shoot!
And then it was out the driveway we went. Even though they are the best hosts and totally put up with us and all our stuff, I'm pretty sure the Pearsons breathed a huge sigh of relief when we pulled away. I know I would've. Until we came back a minute later because I had forgotten my camera! OOps!
We only hadto make one unscheduled stop for a poopy diaper! Not bad!
And another stop at the FINA gas station, and some fresh air for the babies!
Now, if you've ever seen "Anchorman, The Legend of Ron Burgundy" then stand by for the quote I'm about to use from that movie. The crying in the car got so bad, that when they ALL finally fell asleep about 15 minutes from Lordsburg, where we were planning to stop and feed the babies, Brian and I had to make that judgement call..."Do we let them keep sleeping and skip McDonald's in hopes we can get closer to Tucson?" or "Do we wake them up anyway, feed them, and hope they'll go back to sleep?"
Ok, I take that back. There were some living souls. Roosters crowing, flies EVERYwhere, and yes, even a Mangy Coyote running past us, no more than 25 feet away... 
Before we could leave, we had to teach Hunter how to drive and Brian had to shoo the 45 flies who had taken up residence in our Durango back OUT into their filthy fresh air. 
And that folks, is a road trip. Craziness aside, it was so worth it! We're already looking forward to next year...Here's hoping it won't be so windy at the balloon glow in 2010! 
