Spring Break Road Trip

Many of you know that both sides of our family are continuously growing. Canon has welcomed two new cousins in the last six months, and he told me one night when I was putting him to bed that he was ready to go see them. What kind of mother would I be if I did not oblige?

We decided that my Spring Break would be the best time to take our Road Trip, so on Sunday, March 14, Canon and I loaded up the car and headed north. Our first stop was Birmingham where we picked up Nonna. Nonna's parents live in Nashville (where we were headed to visit my little brother's family), so she volunteered to ride with us to keep Canon occupied while I drove. It's probably at this point that I should mention how much attention Canon actually needs in the car these days. Don't tell DHR, but I turned his car seat to face the front one week before his first birthday so that he could get used to riding this way before making the six-hour trip to Nashville. He took to his new direction very well, at least for the five- to ten-minute trips we took around town. A multi-hour journey is quite a different story. I spent the last 45 miles of the Dothan-to-Birmingham leg belting out nursery rhymes to entertain my irritated toddler. Apparently, being able to see that I am a mere three feet away is much more frustrating than staring at the backseat of a Sequoia. Who knew?

Needless to say, Nonna spent a lot of time handing him toys, picking up his sippy cup, and trading out Baby Einstein videos (thanks Tuan and Alicia - they were miracle workers!). We finally arrived at my baby brother's house about 8 hours after leaving our own home. There, Canon and I saw Robert, Dauren, and Graham (our three-year-old nephew) and met Avett for the first time. Avett is six months old now, and yes, I realize I am a terrible aunt for meeting him now for the first time

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What can I say about Avett? He is one of the happiest babies I have ever been around (and you know I have been around a lot!). He seems to always look like he does in this picture. Even if he fusses just for a minute or two, all you have to do is smile at him, and he smiles right back. Canon was a little unsure about being in a new place, so he spent a good deal of time following me around. But he did have a lot of fun hanging out with his cousins.

We drove into Franklin the second day of our stay to attempt an outing with all three boys. That lasted as long as one lunch and one store, then it was time to go home. It was a good decision - all three boys fell asleep on the way back. The cutest moment of the trip, and of course I didn't get a picture. Here is one of Graham and Canon hanging out as the big boys.

I think Graham had a hard time understanding that even though Canon could walk, he wasn't as fast or as strong as he was. He would say "Come on, Canon," grab his hand and start walking away. Of course, Canon would fall down immediately, so Graham just drug him behind him. It was very cute, and a little bit sad because you could tell Graham wanted so badly for Canon to be able to do the things he could do. Though it was a very cold day, we were able to go outside and play with a bubble machine that Canon had gotten for his birthday. Graham loved being outside and ran all over the yard. Canon was a little more fascinated with the bubbles.

The next morning, Canon and I reloaded the car to head south to Muscle Shoals to visit Barry's sister, Leslie, and her one-month-old son, Xan. Canon had developed a fever the night before, so we decided that he would only stay for a few minutes then go home with Nonna to spend the night. I have to say, after so much driving and keeping Canon entertained in new places, it was nice to have a night off. Leslie and I took Xan to lunch, then hung out at her house watching movies and The Office reruns.

Xan is completely precious. His tiny little nose points straight up - not like a piggy nose, but more like a cute little elf nose. I don't remember Canon being so tiny, but I guess he had to be. Leslie and Grant are totally in love with him, of course. As soon as Grant got home, he went to get him up from his nap and held him the rest of the night (except when we went out for dinner). And Leslie just totes him around like he's still a part of her own body. They're already planning to take Xan with them on their next trip.

The next day, Nonna brought Canon back to us. He didn't care at all when I held Xan, but when Nonna held him - even when she held the cat - he started fussing, just like when Barry held our nieces at his birthday party. I'm having to except that I'm just not that exciting anymore!!

Nonna, Canon, and I loaded up the car one last time, then headed back to Birmingham to drop Nonna and Canon off. She graciously offered to keep Canon for the rest of the week so that I could get some much needed work done around the house. I think I did most of it!

Now that it's all over, I'm really happy that Canon asked me to take him to see his cousins. Not only did we get to spend quality time together, but I'm also so glad that Canon got to spend even more time with his cousins. Barry has no first cousins, and all of my first cousins are a good bit younger than me. Canon has six cousins already. The oldest one is five years old, and the youngest is four weeks old. I love that he is going to have so many friends to play with during holidays, family reunions, and random get-togethers. He is one blessed little boy!

You can tell from this picture that he was getting pretty tired of me by the end of our trip. Interestingly enough, when we picked him up from Barry's parents the following Saturday, Canon wanted absolutely nothing to do with anyone but his daddy. He reached for Barry immediately, even gave him a great big squeeze around his neck (something he's never done before) and cried if Barry was anywhere near and not paying complete attention to him. I have to admit, it made me sad. But we will always have our Road Trip.