Tennessee....!

Warning - picture overload!!! :-)

The kid and I hit the road bright and early on Thursday morning. I debated on going halfway the night before but really just didn't feel like it. The kid travels so well - I feel so lucky;) We made two normal stops - for gas, bathroom stop, snacks, and just some fresh air and walking time. Coffee and cappuccinos for me, juice boxes for the kid. Between all the snacks and juice, music and movies - he was so content!

I made the mistake of telling him we were on our way to see Mamaw and Big Daddy and Papaw. Every 30 minutes, in a confused voice, he whined... "But I go see Mamaw Big Daddy Papaw???!?" as if to say, WHY am i still in the car. I had to keep reminding him we have to drive a long long way to see them! About an hour away from Papaws house, the kid STILL had not napped! He spotted a stink bug crawling out of his bag beside him and had a royal meltdown. Screaming. Crying. Doing ASL sign for 'scared' over and over and over. Yelling "I DONT LIKE STINKBUGS" over and over. Till - mom pulled over to get this craziness under control!

I removed the stinkbug, moved his bag, wiped his tears, and put on his musical backyardigans dvd, ensuring him all was well. Back on the highway. 5 minutes later - i think he remembered the bug and swore there was one under his leg. Mom says - no, theres not. "YES THERE ISSSSSSS!!!!!!" more tears. another pit stop. an extra juice box. and he fell asleep. 40 minutes away from our destination. Papaws House!

After breaking out of his initial silent, shy bit, he settled right in, pulling out the toys, and playing airplanes with Papaw. Soon after, Mamaw and Big Daddy arrived and the kid was super excited to see all his grandparents:) Friday we did more visiting, relaxing, playing, and eating! Fun stuff! We even managed to have dinner at Suba's - YUM:) The kid was a bit dramatic there. He was fussy and had just woken up from a nap. Then his seat gave him a direct view of the desserts up front. He kept pointing, whining, crying for them. and we hadn't even eaten a thing. He whined for yogurt. little did i know, he meant the whipped cream on the desserts lol...  since he toughed it out and took like, two bites of his real food, he was allowed a dessert. He knew exactly which dessert he wanted - no hesitations. He wanted the chocolate addiction. 

What you see pictured is actually the hot fudge sundae that Papaw and I helped the kid eat. There was no way i was letting eat chocolate addiction at 7:30 at night! So i told him it was chocolate addiction in a bowl:) he was thrilled! and as you can see, i was too haha... thats me there, taking my share:) 

The next day we drove over to Tweetsie Railroad in NC! I remembered going there as a kid with my grandparents and on school trips. So fun to take my kid to places I loved as a kid...  and boy does the kid love trains! He's here waiting on the tweetsie railroad with big daddy! 

As we boarded the train, I took notice of the little ones with cowboy hats and some girls with indian headdresses on. I had completely forgotten about the whole cowboys vs indian showdown on the trail ride! oops. The kid tends to be frighten easily so i was pretty sure the cowboy indian fight would not be his favorite thing. and boy was I right... lots of tears. it was the first time he'd even heard a gunshot, poor little fella! and as the indians were using their tomahawks on the cowboys, thru tears he asked, "why they playin golf like that?" lol....

Overall though, he loved tweetsie. They weren't too crowded so he could ride the airplanes and boats as many times as he wanted (and he did! a lot!). We went thru a petting zoo, rode the rides - he even rode the scrambler! for a kid whose scared of cowboys and indians, he sure wasn't scared of the rides!

Here he is, waiting on the scrambler to start... he loved it! laughing and holding on tight. but about 30 seconds before it ended, he said "mama! I'm done!" haha... he was tired of holding on i think... to be honest, i was surprised he was allowed on! but if they said okay, mom says okay! (good thing dad stayed behind ha). 

He had a great great day:) Thanks Mamaw and Big Daddy for taking us:) Here he is with his grandparents, in front of the hay spider. 

Driving with Big Daddy... 

Touring the cheese mine with Mamaw... 

Thrown in Jail briefly due to a bad encounter with some hay bales. the kid hates hay. still does. ha. And the boys - worn out. all that fun takes its toll on 'em!

We spent more of our time hanging at papaws house, playing ball, airplanes, and riding his tricycle and hot wheels! He also helped water the flowers... he loves to help Mamaw with this chore... 

this little hot wheels was my cousin Sarah's when she was little - the kid loved it! 

Taking a call from Aunt Susie on a break... 

Saying my goodbyes to Papaw - boo! byes are so tough:( 

It was a great trip - we had so much fun. and i must say, its especially nice to have a good home cooked meal made for me by my mom:) We drove back on Tuesday and the kid did sleep a wee bit more than on our trip down. No bug incidents either. We got home just in time to beat dad home from work! 

And as usual when I return from a trip home - the kid bounces right back into his routine - but i spend a good week or two sulking around, hating i don't live closer, missing everyone, and just having a little ole pity party for myself. sounds fun huh? not not at all:( but I eventually suck it up and get back to reality... 

Long post i know - sorry! I've gotten so behind. After our return home from TN - school went into overdrive and i tend to procrastinate - badly! yikes... only 3 more weeks then winter break:) YEA!