Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for a good trip with an almost 2 year old.

Christopher, Thanksgiving 2009

We stopped in a hotel overnight just West of St. Louis on the way down, that broke up the trip a little. My son got to swim in the pool, although the pool water was freezing cold! The first thing he did when we entered the hotel room was turn on the TV! Imagine that!

We were on the road by 7:15 the next morning- that would be yes, waking up at 5:30am, packing, loading it all up and eating a sit down breakfast in the hotel. We needed to be in Kentucky by 1pm for the family meal. Last year they moved up the time on us, and we didn't know it- so we kind of missed it! Partly due to miscommunication, partly due to us sleeping in, taking our time in the hotel, watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Not this year. It was so good to see everybody, and I don't think everyone had even met my son yet, so that was good for them to see him!

Christopher had fun playing with his cousin, Aidan, who is just 6 months older than him, and we met his 6 months old cousin Keegan!Keegan, Thanksgiving 2009

Good think Keegan has an older brother, Christopher treated him the same- the usual boy stuff of sitting on the baby, hugging the baby to tight, straddling the baby, you know! Keegan took it all in stride and by the end of the weekend, Christopher gave Keegan a nice hug- not the choke hold.

My son got to spend some time with his other grandparents, the ones who live in South Carolina, he didn't remember my mom; but I don't blame him, it had been a year since he saw her! He even sat on Grandpa's lap for a bedtime story- that was precious! Me, Christopher, Aidan, my brother Ed, Grandmother, Keegan, and my mom Thanksgiving 2009.

He also sat on his 95 year old Great Grandmother's lap and they were watching TV together! She's stronger than she's been in a long time, and is eating all her food on her plate, and seems more mobile than she was last time I saw her. That's pretty good for being 95 years old! She'd fallen and broken her arm recently and then was held overnight in the hospital because she was sick- so she's doing much better, praise the Lord!

Being that the boys are basically in their terrible twos, they didn't play together, so much as share toys. Although the sharing part was hard for Aidan- we kept reminding him that Christopher was letting him play with the train so could he please let Christopher play with one of his toys? Grandpa and Aidan took a walk at the park.

I saw glimpses of what's to come for me in the next 6 months- Christopher taking more to us verbally, but also throwing more fits. It's scary, but exciting at the same time.

Sarah Howk