Road Trip!

One of the many things we are thankful for this Thanksgiving season is an amazing group of friends we've made through our time in the Air Force.  A large group of them are currently stationed in Tucson, Arizona, which just happens to be the half-way point between Las Vegas and Alamagordo, New Mexico, where Jonathan is currently training.  With only a few days to spare for the break, we decided the best thing to do to get the maximum amount of time together was to meet at this half-way spot, and our amazing group of friends opened up their hearts and homes to us during our stay.

So you know what that means. . . road trip!  That right:  it was me, an almost 4-month-old, and a wiener dog in a car for 7 hours (9 hours when it was all said and done).  It could have been a disaster, but both my boys were awesome; two stops for gas/feeding/diaper changes/potty, one major slow-down for construction, and two hairy traffic situations, and we all made it safely and--most importantly--sanely in Tucson.

I arrived in Tucson a few days before Jonathan so I could enjoy some time with some of my best girlfriends before he got there.  And while I enjoyed some much-needed girl time, Matty got the rockstar treatment from everyone he met, especially my friend's little girl Skylar.

After Jonathan arrived, we stayed a night in a hotel to enjoy some alone time as a family.  It was MJ's first time in a hotel but--of course--he rocked it.  No fussing, no screaming. . . just quality time with Mom and Dad, including some breakfast and SportsCenter in bed with Daddy in the morning (and yes, he really is watching SportsCenter in this picture).

The day after Thanksgiving we ignored the Black Friday deals and spent the day at Old Tucson with another group of friends of ours.  Jonathan and I had been there together when we were dating 6 years ago; it was strange to be there again, married with a kid.  

MJ didn't care so much about the park, and the Old Western "gunshow" even scared him a bit. . . but snuggles with Daddy were the highlight of his day. :)

He even got to ride the Old Tucson train curled up against Daddy's chest. . . 

The rest of our time in Tucson involved lots of time with family and friends, and even a girls' night out while the daddies watched the kiddos.  It was a much-needed break from the "single mom" life, and I wasn't ready for it to end!  Thank you again to all of our wonderful friends who made us feel so welcome during our stay.  

Oh, and if you're wondering if there was anything special for Oskar on this trip, well. . . he was reunited with his girlfriend Meg after over a year apart.  He was ecstatic at first but eventually gave up and just wanted to play with her toys.  It was as if no time or distance had passed between them at all.  But, then again, true love knows no limits. :)

Merry. . . Thanksgiving?

I've always made it a rule not to put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.  I LOVE Christmas, but I do agree with the "one holiday at a time" rule.  However, since we're spending Thanksgiving away from home this year, including the day after Thanksgiving (the traditional put-up-the-tree day), I decided to decorate early.  I wanted the house to be cozy and Christmas-y when the boys and I returned from Tucson.  It was no easy task considering that all of our decorations were on the top shelf in our garage surrounded by odds and ends that are waiting to find their new home in Illinois (a bar? Yeah, like we have room for THAT in our house).  Anyways, with only a couple of falls, a few dropped boxes, and (luckily) no broken backs, I managed to decorate the inside of the house. . . all while MJ was napping. :)

And, of course, it wouldn't be Christmas unless half our light strands didn't work so, as soon as we return, a trip to Target will be in order to grab some lights for the banister. . . and I'm going to ATTEMPT to put up Christmas lights outside.  THAT should be even more interesting than the acrobatics I performed to get the decorations out of the garage!

Anyways, MJ was mesmerized when he woke up from his nap.  One guess at what he's looking at in this picture. . . 

And he continued to stare at the tree for the rest of the afternoon.  Pretty soon, I gave up trying to play with him and just gave him some tummy time in front of the lights.  Oskar decided to join him. :)

Merry. . . Thanksgiving, everyone?