The drive was just what my parents had prepared me for
B U T FULL!!
The highways were thick with Kudzu which I found to be so pretty. If you don't know what it is, I encourage you to google it. It's a vine that was imported to the U.S. from Japan to help with erosion control. The vine grows at very rapid rates on anything it comes into contact with - trees, power lines, etc.
We drove through some scenic areas including several towns saturated with year round flea markets, the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder in Mansfield, MO and the birth home of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, MS.
Gabrielle and Dawson did remarkably well with the long drive. We did our best to keep them busy with movies, snacks, car friendly activities & a lot of conversation. I wanted to share a handful of pictures from our trip.
This group of photos was from our visit to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Arboretum.
Little Poser :0)
I was in awe by the size of the sunflowers.
The bud was as large as the circumference of an adult face.
Just one of the many rose bushes in the rose garden.
Gabrielle taking in the sights and smells of the pretty flowers.
Cousins - Dawson, Gabrielle, Logan, Dylan, Danielle and Connor.
Other highlights that I don't have photo documentation of included:
Meeting my mom's cousin Larry and his son Eli
Seeing the home that mom's dear Aunt Ruby (my grandmother's sister) lived in
Watching Gabrielle develop a true love relationship with her cousin Logan
Witnessing my sweet son be a bully to Connor
A bug invasion that caused lost hours of sleep - only my family will understand this one!
NO TELEVISION FOR 9 STRAIGHT DAYS (with the exception of one 30 minute taped episode of Coach). Minimal computer usage (I checked e-mail, google reader & Facebook once daily which is stellar for me ... working on this one!!)
Sweet time with family!!
Installment #2 soon to come
3 comments:
I was glad you posted some pix of our trip. Just a couple of corrections - you missed Arkansas in your listing (how could you miss that gorgeous state?) and Larry would be my cousin, not uncle. No matter though! We did have a great time and it meant the world to me that you chose to go with us. I thought the kids all had a grand time together - especially playing in the toyroom and at the McClane Science Center. You took some really nice pictures that we'll have to get prints of. Love you! Mom
8-25-09 Dear Christine, I really enjoyed reading your complete blog. The pictures help to keep me connected to my grandchildren and the fun. They are growing so fast and changing all the time. And they are so adorable. Cody, made Pam & Brad grandparents of a boy early this a.m. Bud Theede is the dad???? Payton is one of his middle names in honor of Lucus. Love to all, GG
Had you never been to Aunt Ruby's? I'll never forget our first visit there...Ruby waking us up at 4:30 to eat biscuits and gravy. 3 things horribly wrong there - I hate biscuits and gravy and getting up at 4:30am is only acceptable if you are going on an international flight. ;) Glad you had a good trip!
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