Car trip agony

This post is for anyone who has nostalgic, fairy-tale memories of traveling by car with your family.

Note: we have a game we play, originally from cousins Janice and Melissa, that is called "My Cows". Essentially, you call all the cows you see (My cows) before your travelling companions. If you see a church, you call "My Church" and get to steal the other person's cows. But we figure... why stop at cows? We call horses, houses, construction machines, cell phone towers,... anything, really.

Jameson: MORE DAR WASSS

Me: This IS Star Wars, Jameson. (we were listening to a Star Wars CD, but he only recognized the first 20-30 seconds of the CD—the famous start to every Star Wars movie--as “DAR WASS”, so once we pass that part he demands "more")

J: WANT DUM.

M: No, J, you swallowed the last gum we gave you.

J: MORE DAR WASSS.

Stefan: Look, my machines.

Alex: No, MY MACHINES.

J: MORE

S: My houses!

J: DAR WASSS

A: MY UNIVERSE! MY UNIVERSE! I CALL THE UNIVERSE!

J: WANT DUM

D: Ooh, look, up here,...

J: DUM!

M: J, you already had gum and swallowed it!

S: Look, my lilies! (one time Jameson started yelling “MY WI-WEES MY WI-WEES” and it was very cute, and obviously much better than the whining for Star Wars)

A: DAAAD! I already called the universe, you can’t call the LILIES.

S: You may have the universe, but I have the lilies!

J: WANT DUM.

A: DAADDDD (in extreme agony), I called the entire UNIVERSE.

J: DDDUMMMMMMM!


Somehow I think that I'll look back on this, years from now, as the best of times. Or, at least, I keep telling myself that when I break out in hives anticipating our next car trip.