Thanksgiving

I'm delinquent on Thanksgiving, I know. We're on to Christmas. And Blogger decided I can only post 2 pictures today. I guess it's being a scroodge. As soon as it lets me, I'll post more.

In short, we drove 10 hours each way to Arkansas to visit Paul's extended family. The last time we made this trip Anna was about 7 months old. And teething. We'd just gotten the Jeep so that was what we drove down. This time we just got the Lexus and so the ride was so darned comfortable and fun it was unreal. This truck has everything. Anna even watched her own DVD's with the toddler headphones we bought her. Amen.

We did have lots of potty stops which is a "yay! Boo!" situation but otherwise I'd swear this child had never raged against any car seat in her life.

What. A. Booger.



In fact on the whole trip you'd swear she was the most pleasant, agreeable big girl you've ever met. Naps and bedtime were a breeze, she playned nicely with her cousins, she obeyed and even wore her jacket and her clothes and never car seat raged and you'd swear she was "practically perfect" (sorry, too much Anna Poppins on the road). I think she was just so happy to be out of routine and doing something different she forgot to be rotten. She was honestly a blast to be around.


She kept asking where we are going to be sure we were still on track for Arkansas. We figured it was her version of "Are we there yet?" At one point in the long car ride she said, "I don't WANT to get out of the truck!" WTF??


Dear child, just know when the car seat phase starts up again, this time there'll be no doubt it's just you being defiant. Me = no pitty.

Anyway, she had a good time with the family and then when we got home, Paul's cousins from Michigan were on a road trip and so stopped by for a few nights. Again, she had a blast playing with their kids and I was reminded why I only have one.

After everyone left and te realization of "normalcy" set in, the Time Outs ensued and we're back on track with the terrible twos. She's not exactly TERRIBLE but she's not the "practically perfect" big girl we had for the last week or 2. But like all that is toddler, it all comes in phases. And overall she's still a cute little package of "pretty darned cool kid".