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.

The "It's-Not-Really-A-Birthday-Party" Birthday Party

Most of you probably know that Barry and I have vowed since before we ever thought about having children that we would not have a big birthday party for them until they were old enough to understand what a birthday party is. Well, I definitely ate my words on this one, and Barry desperately wishes I hadn't. Barry agreed that just having friends over was the best idea. We do this on a regular basis anyway, so what would be the big deal about doing it again on this night. This particular get-together would simply include one tiny cupcake for Canon to eat. We might even sing the Birthday song if Barry was feeling really generous. There would definitely be no presents, no invitations, and no big fuss made about the fact that this was Canon's birthday. I was on-board with this idea . . . until about January of this year. It just didn't seem right to not make it a little more special. I still wanted the simple get-together, but I wanted it to include more than one cupcake and the understanding that we were all there because it was Canon's birthday. I'll be the first to admit that I let my idea grow a little bigger than I had originally planned. I made invitations for Canon's friends (I swore I wouldn't do that). There was a banner with Canon's name on it (thanks to Mandy - it really was so cute and perfect for the party). And there were LOTS of cupcakes for the DOZENS of guests. It was worth it!

We (from now on, "we" refers to me and my girlfriends, not me and Barry) decided on a Bug theme because I wanted to have a picnic in the park. It turned out really cute. Mandy created the banner to look like a catepillar, I arranged the cupcakes to look the same, and Canon wore a shirt with a grasshopper applique. We threw blankets on the ground and carried nearly all of Canon's toys to the park.

Because the weather has been a bit unpredictable lately, we ended up moving the party inside toward the end. There we ate cake and opened presents. When it came time to eat cake, Amelia and Ceil (our nieces) wanted to sing the Birthday Song. Barry held both of them while they sang, and Canon was not happy about it. He insisted on being right in the middle of the music (and in his daddy's arms), so Barry held them all.

Canon didn't care too much about his cake. Even Barry smushing the cupcake in his face didn't help! He was more interested in the oranges and cheese.

Canon got so many great gifts - lots of toys and clothes to accommodate his growing mind and body.

Barry and I gave him a wagon for his birthday. Apparently, every child in Grove Park has a wagon, and who are we to deprive our own child!?! That morning before the party, Canon helped Sam put it together, then he enjoyed a ride around the park with his friends later that night.

He was a pretty good sport about the whole thing. He's always been pretty independent, so he spent some time playing by himself. All in all, I think he had a good time.

I really want to thank all of my wonderful friends (and my sister, who is also one of my best friends) for all of their help with the party. Like I said earlier, we have friends over all the time, but this time got me a little more frazzled than most, and I was so thankful to have so many friends who helped drag things to the park only to drag them back the house an hour later when it got too cold to stay outside. You guys are truly the greatest!

There were so many great pictures taken, so I'll share more of those now. I'll add more as I "borrow" them from other friends who took pictures.

Happy Birthday, MyGoo!

Birthday Blues

As I looked back at all of Canon's birthday pictures, I realized how sad he looked in most of them. I think it was mostly due to exhaustion, but it made me sad to see how depressing his birthday seemed. I've shared plenty of pictures so you'll know what I mean.

The day started off easy enough. Canon was his usual groggy self. Because of a late-night work engagement the night before, I wasn't able to give him a bath, so we took one first thing. He loves bath time, but morning baths usually go very quickly. He stays hovered down over the water because he's so cold.

Then it was off to see Mrs. Sharon, and then to Mother's Morning Out. I sent cupcakes to MMO so that Canon could celebrate with all the kids in his class. I should mention at this point that Canon is still taking a morning and an afternoon nap. Because he is in a class with older children who stay there all day, they don't take a morning nap. So on MMO days, Canon is usually asleep on the floor when Mrs. Sharon goes to pick him up. Today, however, because of the birthday party, he fell asleep somewhere else. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Poor Colt felt so bad for him - probably because he was just as tired.

It really makes me sad to look at these pictures, but it's also kind of hilarious!

The rest of the day was much of the same. We went to Toy R Us to pick up a present from MyGoo and Doc. The cashier was very nice, and when she found out it was his birthday, she gave him a big green balloon. That seemed to cheer him up.

I guess Canon really does love his daddy the most because we went to the Red Elephant that night for dinner, the same place we ate for Barry's birthday last month. Of course, lots of friends joined us, and we had a great time. The women ate the complimentary Elephant Ear that they serve for birthdays. Canon didn't seem to mind.

Finally, it was off to bed to rest up for the big party tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Barry!

After our eventful weekend in North Carolina, we didn't think Barry's birthday could be very exciting. We were right! But I was determined to make it at least a little bit special for him. So, after work, I picked Canon up from Mrs. Sharon, then went to kidnap Barry from work to take him to dinner. We took him to the Red Elephant, a new restaurant in town that serves pizza, salads, and delicious funnel cakes! They were having their Grand Opening, and were eager to try it. Eric and Lauren went with us to celebrate.

After dinner, Barry and Canon wrestled around on the bed for awhile. As you may know, this is Canon's favorite place to play. There have been times where he has stood beside the bed, reaching up and whining to get up there. It's his own personal playground.
We don't mind too much, though. If it's getting late, and we need to wear him out quickly, we just throw him up there and toss some pillows at him. Here is a video of Canon and Barry wrestling the night of B's birthday. I didn't think anything of it while I was recording, but watching it later I realized how rough they play. Canon doesn't seem to mind, so I guess I can't be too worried.

Snow Day

Barry and I had been begging our friends for weeks to set aside a long weekend to visit my parents' house in Saluda, NC. We finally set a date for Valentine's Day weekend. This weekend also marked Ed and Barry's 29th birthdays, so it would be doubly special to all be together. We all took off work that Friday so that we could drive to the house on Thursday night. As it turned out, because of the snow that most of Alabama received that Friday, my school was canceled anyway!

Our guests included Ed and Leslie, Sam and Alicia, and Tracie and Wyatt. The ride to the mountains was easy enough - boys in one car, girls in the other . . . as usual. We arrived in NC about 2:00 a.m. Eastern time and went to bed soon after. All but Barry, Canon, and I were going to Sugar Mountain early the next day to do some skiing. While everyone else skiied, we hung out at the house, taking naps and watching TV. Sometime in the mid-afternoon, it started snowing. They were the tiniest of flakes, barely worth mentioning, so Barry and I decided to go into Hendersonville to eat lunch and go to the grocery store. By the end of our lunch, the snow was definitely coming down harder, but we didn't think a thing of it. We stopped at the store but only got some snacks and drinks because we were planning to meet our friends back in Saluda for dinner when they returned from their trip. This was a major mistake.

Once we got in the car to start the 20+ mile trek back to Saluda, we realized how quickly our little snow flurries were impeding our safe travel. Our first call to our friends included a discussion of the possibility that we might just want to eat quickly before heading up the mountain to the house. The next call - only minutes later - involved the introduction of the idea of take-out and eating at the house. Soon after, Barry instructed me to call our friends and inform them that we were going straight to the house, and they should follow suit. It is important to mention here that while we were on a windy, two-lane road, our friends were on a major interstate and were not feeling the stress of the icy roads as we were. I'm pretty sure they thought we were overreacting.

There is so much that I could write about to clearly illustrate the stress and anxiety that accompanied that twenty-mile stretch of road, but I'm pretty sure if I tell you that it took us over an hour and a half to drive it, you might get the idea. There were cars on the side of the road, cars (including ours) fish-tailing from side to side as the wheels grasped for traction on the icy pavement. All I could think about was the fact that if something happened to our car, I was going to have to figure out how to keep Canon warm, safe, and somewhat happy until help could come. Thankfully, my husband is somewhat of a stellar driver, and I was not faced with this predicament. But I will say that I had my doubts as we drove up the mountainside along a road with no guardrail. Prayer works, people!

We had to park about 1/4 mile from the house and walk straight uphill the rest of the way, but I accepted that situation with a smile. I carried Canon while Barry pushed a stroller full of groceries up the steep drive. When we finally arrived at the house, we got back in touch with our friends who, apparently, were experiencing some of our stress and anxiety. They decided to pull off and spend the night in a hotel. Barry was relieved! We watched the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics and enjoyed a family night.

Our friends returned the next day (on Ed's birthday!) and we were eager to share our stories in person. We spent the rest of the trip enjoying the snow, relaxing, and sitting by the fire. Sam and Alicia brought Canon this adorable bear suit. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I first opened it, but it was perfect for our Snow Day!

This is my parents' mountain house. It's truly an amazing place - you can't help but be happy here.

That night, we decided to go into town for dinner. We knew the risk we were taking and ended up having to walk back up the hill again to the house. Barry carried Canon this trip, and I am so proud to report that he was worn out and his back hurt from carrying him! I really can't brag too much about my strength . . . I was running on pure adrenaline when I carried him up the night before.

The next day was Valentine's Day, so the boys surprised us all by cooking a huge delicious breakfast. Sam even brought Alicia an enormous Valentine's balloon. Canon especially enjoyed it.

We loaded the car later that afternoon and headed south. Though filled with some very desperate memories, we had a great time with our friends. I think next time, we'll go in the Fall when the leaves are changing. I've never heard of anyone being stranded by fallen leaves.

He's Walking!

I was fully prepared for the fact that Canon would not be walking before he turned 1. So you can imagine my surprise when, at 10 1/2 months old, he took his first steps.

Barry had just come home from work and, as usual, he and Canon were so excited to see each other. Barry held a toy out in front of Canon, and to our surprise, he shuffled his feet toward Barry to grab the toy. Of course, I grabbed the camera to record his second set of steps. Enjoy!