I am FINALLY updating my blog, per a request from Grandma Jo
Ann. (By the way, I will never post
anything else about potty training.)
Aaron and I got to go to Las Vegas last weekend for my
Mamaw’s 85th birthday. My dad arranged a terrific dinner at Mimi’s
Café with a beautiful birthday cake. We got to see a lot of family that we
don’t see very much. My younger sister from Washington was there and shared a
hotel room with us. Aaron also got to meet his Uncle Robert for the first time.
I will post pictures later this weekend. I didn’t take very
many photos this time. I know! I was
surprised too!
Normally, I love taking pictures, especially when there are
people I don’t see very often. Having a very active and very excited 3-year-old
really makes a difference in how much attention I spend on things like that
right now.
(I am very much looking forward to getting copies of the
pictures everyone else took….hint, hint!)
;)
Aaron was soooo excited to go on a plane. He talked about it
for over a week. He did such an amazing job being so nice and obedient on the
plane rides, too. He was in charge of his own suitcase and carried it with him
the whole time. He didn’t even complain once…although, he did drop it and keep
on walking when we were at the baggage claim in the Vegas airport. He just
decided he didn’t want to carry it anymore. He picked it up again and we kept
going.
Aaron loved seeing his Aunt Jeni, Grandpa Dave, Grandma Jo,
Sondra and Bella, the Hawkes, and his other uncles and cousins that were there.
There were a few moments that were my personal favorites:
- When we were leaving Mimi’s, Aaron said,
“Grandpa Dave is my best friend”.
- As we were giving our final hugs and kisses
before leaving, Aaron pushed his way through to get to Grandma Jo. This was
particularly sweet because it took him awhile to warm up to her at first.
- As we were getting into the rental car to go
back to the airport on the last day, he was very disappointed and said, “I
thought Grandpa Dave was going to drive with us”. He was very sad.
- Aaron got to play a lot with Aunt Jeni, which
was great!
- Oh, and “maked gwirwirls”. Lots and lots of them
in the two tourist magazines the car rental company left in the car for us.
Aaron was looking through them and (thankfully!) Aunt Jeni was watching to make
sure he didn’t see anything in appropriate. She and Megan were able to censor
them after Jeni saw the first “maked gwirwirl” by tearing out any pictures that
were not Mommy-approved.
On our last night there, I got to have a girl’s night with
my sisters Shera, Jeni and Sondra. (Okay, technically, Sondra is my
sister-in-law, but she has always felt like family to me.) A huge THANK YOU to Blaine
for watching Aaron so I could spend some adult time with the girls!!!
Aaron wants to make sure I tell the following highlights of
the trip (in his own words):
- To fly on a plane!
- Eat dinner with Grandma Jo, and give her hugs
and kisses.
- Say I love you” to everybody.
- To sleep in his bedroom again.
- To see (his) mom again at Shera’s house. (Not on the trip, but later.)
- To play on the floor on his carpet with (his)
cars and (his) other guys with the blue car.
We were both sad to leave, but I am very grateful for the
time we got to spend with our family.
I am also very grateful to Aaron for being as good as he
was. Not every 3-year-old can handle that much travel and excitement in such a
short amount of time as well as he did.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying he didn’t have his
moments or that they weren’t quite dramatic when they happened. There were
plenty and they were always dramatic. Some of them even dragged out over quite
a bit of time. But overall, he really did very well and I learned a lot about
how to handle traveling with him.
Happy 85th birthday, Mamaw! Thank you, Dad /Grandpa
Dave for putting this together!
