I knew as soon as the words came out of my mouth  – three hours before the drive from Nashville back to Atlanta – that I was going to regret them. I knew.

Yes, we are finally at the point where we can travel with the kids.

The kids sure showed me what the phrase “famous last words” actually means. The kids were absolutely starving from the minute we got in the car, even though I had just stuffed them chock full of Mellow Mushroom and Ben and Jerry’s in downtown Franklin. No one could agree on a movie, so Emily whined through Where the Wild Things Are, Josh whined through Annie, and Isabella whined through Avatar: The Last Airbender. Isabella was sticky from the ice cream, so she went through an entire pack of wipes, but then whined that she was stickier than when she started. She dropped her water bottle. EIGHT times. We had to make an emergency poop stop. We had to make an emergency pee stop. Josh had to tell me about all of his ailments, and trust me, everything is falling apart on him – he has a blister, a splinter, a sunburn, a hangnail. Once Isabella stopped being sticky, she started being itchy, and her seatbelt was too tight, and her dress was too tight, and she dropped her ipod…

I should probably never road trip alone again. I have no idea how Ohmommy does it. Lucky for me, though, we have many road trips on the horizon. We are driving to Myrtle Beach in two weeks (oh, I know. You are playing the tiny violins, right?) (roughly 7 hours, there and back), then on to Milwaukee (13 hours), and then finally on to Toronto (10 hours).

HOLD ME.

And please send reinforcements.

And tips and tricks, s’il vous plaît.

The thing about these road trips is that they are a nightmare while we are happening, but then they are over. And while I’m exhausted from the three days of little-to-no sleep, and I’m nursing a full-back sunburn, and I’m desperately trying to figure out where and when Emily needs to be for Camp Rock and why on earth my laptop power cord only works when I’m holding it at a certain angle (and I’m having flashbacks to my parents old antenna tv), I have these pictures.

THESE PICTURES.

These memories.

They make it all worth it. Seeing them running through the sprinklers to cool off. Watching my brother throw my kids in the pool. Seeing my niece take the stage for the first time.

(You can see the entire set on flickr over here)

Worth it.

Please, someone, PLEASE remind me.