One Step at a Time: Trip to PA

We had a very busy month of August!! Once we got back from our Traverse City vacation, we were home for 5 days, re-packed our RENTAL minivan and left on our road trip for PA. We pulled out of our driveway Saturday morning at 5:47am. My husband, bless his adorable big heart, mapped out our stops, food places to eat at, exits with gas stations, etc, to help us have the most efficient travel time as possible. I love/hate him for this!! He is so organized and exact, in cases like this, it is certainly a wonderful attribute. Thank goodness he can keep my spontaneity in check. We made it to PA in 12 hours, exactly. We were pulling into my brother's house around 6pm that night. We made 3 stops, that was it! The first stop in Maumee, Ohio for Hannah to nurse and us to eat some breakfast/get some coffee and stretch a little bit. Next we stopped around lunchtime to get out for an hour or so and have lunch/let Hannah move around out of her car seat. The third stop was at a rest stop for a quick bathroom break and to nurse Hannah and hopefully put her down for her "normal" afternoon nap. This section of the drive was the crucial part, would she sleep? would she be fussy and wanting to get out of the car seat? To our extreme disbelief/amazement, Hannah slept for 3 hours! She woke up with about 20 minutes to go. We couldn't have asked for a better first half of the roadtrip.

We had such a whirlwind trip (as always) but it was so much fun. Since Hannah is a little more mobile, even from the last visit a few months ago, she seems to interact with each person just a little bit more. I love the fact that we can skype with my family because that seems to help Hannah remember who everyone is. She was not hesitant at all to go to anyone in my family. Hannah's aunts and uncles always make sure to give her extra hugs and kisses, this just melts my heart. All of her cousins were so good with Hannah too. She seemed to really take an extra liking to Dylan and Andrew. Dylan was so amazing with Hannah. At one point, Pam was holding Hannah and she cried, reaching for Dylan to hold her instead! That was so cute to see.

We literally soaked in every free moment visiting with family and friends. Even though the trip flies by, it is so worth every minute. I am thankful for everything you guys do to help prepare for us coming in and making us feel at home. Derek and Kate opened their home to us, not only to stay with them a few nights, but to host Hannah's "first" birthday party too. We were so lucky to be able to spend that time with you guys. My parents were gracious enough to let us take up space in their home too. Even though we ~~tried to~~ share a room with Hannah, they let us take over their space, making sure Hannah had room to play and was safe. My sisters/brother in laws are so good about trying to come to where everyone is hanging out, making it easier to be in one location so we don't have to drive all over the place. I know our trips can be a pain to coordinate everything, but we always make it work, and for this I am so grateful!

Some fun pictures from our trip, I didn't take nearly enough pictures, but some of the good ones: