Those of you who know me well know I love to GO! If I have a chance to go somewhere for a weekend or visit people, I take it. For some reason, when I am away from home, I am able to relax and enjoy my family more. I guess it’s because when I am at home, I always feel a need to be doing something: laundry, dishes, projects, cleaning, and there is always something that needs to be done.
So, when Mom asked if I wanted to take the boys to Winston-Salem to for N. to meet my sweet Great Aunt Jan, I said sure. The trip up was somewhat eventful – the NC State Troopers had no pity for a young Mom with two babies asleep in the back seat and Nana on the passenger side, so my lead foot cost me another $220. Then, we got the call from the ATL that ‘it was time’ for Lauren’s ‘best pup ever’ (a.k.a. Jackson) to take his final breaths after a bout with doggie lymphoma. So it was a trip of tears and trials, but we made some people in NC very happy and squeezed in some basketball and football viewing, even though our teams didn’t fare well.
A.'s version of 'The Tebow'
N. must be at least the 8th baby to be bathed in Aunt Jan's sink, but I'm sure there were more babies in there I don't know about.
Since we weren’t quite ready for the fun and traveling to end, the boys and I drove South past our home and hung out with Nana and Papa for another couple days. Aunt Lauren and Aunt Erin were both off for MLK Day (one of the perks for all of us working in public education), so we spent some time puzzling, playing Wheel of Fortune on Wii, and remembering the Jackson pup. We also got to spend some time playing with friends Madden and Cameron at one of those germ-infested blow-up big toy indoor playgrounds.
Kid-sized treadmill...if only I had his enthusiasm! A. and M. were too quick for me to capture a pic of them together. We'll try again next time.
C. and N. having 'infant playtime' at ages 4 months and 10 weeks.
Traveling in both directions was well worth it, and I’m glad I could enjoy the time with family and spontaneity before I go back to work in a few weeks.
