Thanksgiving 2014

We took Connor on his second road trip (his first one being to SC via Charlotte) and this one was a doozy – all the way to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving.

We left Wednesday around 4:00, stopped after a couple hours for dinner/a bottle, then one of us snoozed almost the whole rest of the way to Summersville, WV where we had reserved a room in the Hampton Inn.  Connor was awake and in a great mood for a bit in the hotel then I gave him a nightcap to help him relax and get in the mood for sleeping through the night, which he did – and then some!  He slept til 8:00.

After our complimentary and satisfactory breakfast at the hotel, we hit the road for the second half of our trek.  Connor fell asleep shortly after we took off and dozed for an hour and a half.  He was in a great mood most of the way until we stopped for lunch, which was a nice break for all of us.  Then back on the road and Connor napped again shortly after we got back in the car.  All in all, the drive north was very enjoyable.

We had a small Thanksgiving meal with my aunt and uncle, cousins, and Shannon, Owen, and Olivia.  Connor got a bath and then we headed to my grandma’s house, which is where we were staying.  My grandma kept Connor company while we unloaded the car and got the pack’n’play set up.  Another great night’s sleep (for Connor) followed.

Bri, Nate, and the girls got to my aunt’s house on Thursday shortly after we left.  Since we missed them there and they needed to visit with my grandma, we three sisters and our families met for lunch then went back to my grandma’s house, where we took all but two of the pictures from the trip.  I know, you’re like, “Finally, some pictures!”

The kids were hyped up on pizza, and Connor was happy to no longer be confined to a highchair.

Lyla decided to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to all of us.

Uh oh, I think I have been spotted.

He’s getting closer…

Too close!

In the meantime, Lyla has picked up a new audience.  How sweet are those kids?

While they are reading, Connor is tackling me.

And telling me to floss more.

And hugging me.

Hey, that’s a lot of bunny ears!

At this point, Connor was about ready for a nap so I got him his blankie, but he rallied just long enough for some crawling on, and cuddles with, Nate.

A quick visit with Aunt Bri then it was time for that nap.

The next morning, my sisters and their families met my dad and uncles at the local breakfast joint where my one uncle holds court every morning.  We didn’t go because a certain sleepyhead stayed in bed til almost 8:00.  No complaints from us, especially when my grandma got out her electric skillets and cooked us some pancakes, bacon, and eggs.  We got to eat a fabulous breakfast wearing our pajamas.

The last two camera pictures of the weekend were taken when everyone congregated back at my grandma’s house after the aforementioned breakfasts.

Once we changed out of our pajamas, the McHusband and Connor had on their coordinating shirts: plaid flannel.  Perfect for Pennsylvania in November.

We split our drive home between Saturday night and Sunday morning, afternoon, and late afternoon.  We left the hotel just before 10:00 Sunday morning and finally got home at 4:00 that afternoon.  Traffic was lighter than expected, but we took our time and stopped as much as we needed to.  Connor didn’t do quite as well Saturday night as he did the Wednesday before, but Sunday went really smoothly.

All in all, our road trip was a success and we had a wonderful time visiting with everyone.  Some huge thank-you’s to my grandma for letting us stay with her; to my Aunt Becky for hosting everyone three nights in a row and for all the food prep; and to my Aunt Lynn for all her help with the food and with getting my grandma to and from Aunt Becky’s.

And I can’t leave my mom out.  She stayed at our house and held down the fort, being the pet-sitter extraordinaire that we needed.  Thanks, Mom!

Hope everyone else had wonderful Thanksgivings!