Cousin Time

Back at the end of September Kristina and her kids took a road trip down to see us!  The kids had the best time together and we did so many fun things! 

We went to Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa which I think all the kids enjoyed.  Don't let Cannon's long sleeved shirt fool you, it was still pretty hot that day.  But the snow cones helped!  The crowds were low that day so the kids could pretty much ride the rides all they wanted.  It was so nice to just go at our own pace.

The "flying bananas"

The bumper boats were a big hit!

The kids also really enjoyed being able to see and pet the animals.  There were brushes for the goats and Cole in particular really enjoyed brushing them.  Lyla was fascinated with the horses.  And they all enjoyed feeding the giraffes.  

Carousel ride 



Stingrays!

Cole felt brave that day and he and I rode the tiger roller coaster!  No pictures of that, but I could tell that he was very proud of himself!

High priority on Cannon's list was to take his cousins to Largo Central Park, his favorite park.  We can spend hours there!

And what's a trip to Florida without a day at the beach?  We went to Redington Shores and we ended up finding lots of jellyfish.  We stumbled upon the first two and Lyla sought out the other three or so.  These ones were a lot larger than other jellyfish we have found in the past.  Some of them still had their tentacles.  It was pretty cool! At Lyla's request we took home the jellyfish which stunk up the backyard.  I didn't realize how fast they evaporate, but it was fun while it lasted!



Amazingly enough we were able to fit all three car seats!

And when we weren't playing outside there was plenty to do in the house!  I found these cool hollow blocks on Craigslist and the kids enjoyed building and creating with these. 

The kids play so well together and it's sad when we have to separate them.  Cannon is already asking when he can see them again.  But we will all get to play again in February!

Preschool!

Yesterday on August 19, Cannon went to his first day of preschool!  He attends Shady Creek Montessori and his teachers are Mrs. Talbott and Mrs. Hendricks.  He has been looking forward to school for awhile, but a few days before I think he was thinking about it more and he was feeling a little anxious.  He told me that he was going to be shy for his teachers.  We talked about it and read books about going to school.  On Sunday they had an open house and he got to meet his teachers and play in his classroom.  That really helped him!  Plus two friends (Mina and Zanin) from his Sunbeams church class are in his same school class.

Here he is on his first day.  And I love that he chose to wear his Texas Longhorns shirt! 

He was being such a goof!

 

 

When he came out of his class the first thing he said to me was, "Moooom, I thought I was staying for lunch.  You're supposed to eat lunch at school Mom, that's the rule."  Well then!  He was quite talkative on the car ride home and he told me bits and pieces throughout the rest of the day and during dinner. I found out that he met a girl named Charlie and a boy named Anthony.  He played, ate snack, played outside, and read a book.  He had granola bars for snack, but he wanted the granola bars with the chocolate on the front and back.  And then he suggested that we get some at Publix.  

 

 

Mina, Zanin, and Cannon.  I don't know why I even ask Cannon to "smile" for the camera!

Two days into it and he seems to really enjoy it!  I bought him a few new clothing items and he was so anxious to wear this shirt today even though it's still 1000 degrees and 1000% humidity!  Although he told me today that he was NOT hot when he played outside.  We are adjusting to this new routine.  Usually at home he is accustomed to playing for long stretches throughout the day and usually starts his day out this way.  I pick him up at noon and then we go home for lunch.  After lunch he's kind of not sure what to do with himself.  He wants to play, but I think he also feels like he needs some down time.  With some trial and error, we'll figure things out. 

North and South Carolina

Once again, Ryan had another work trip scheduled where we could all join him!  Usually he flies, but since we were only going to North Carolina, would could rent a car and the cost would be reimbursed by his work (along with gas).  Not to mention the free hotels! 

We left the morning of August 4th.  Our first stop was in Daytona.  We saw the big race track and did a potty break.  Then we headed up to Jacksonville to stop for lunch at Metro Diner which was featured on the Food Network.  We had about a 20 minute wait, but Ryan and Cannon played with their bean bag toss out on the grass.  It was perfect and allowed for Cannon to play and relax a bit.  Our food was amazing!  Honestly, it was one of the best restaurants I have ever been too!  Cannon had pancakes, Ryan had fried chicken and waffles with strawberry butter and hot sauce, and I had the Charleston shrimp and grits.   I wanted to get something different and I sure did!  Let me give you the description from their menu so you have a better idea of what I ate:

"Two fried grit cakes infused with cheddar cheese, roasted red peppers, and andouille sausage. Topped with shrimp, andouille sausage, onions, and peppers in a shrimp cream sauce. Garnished with chopped bacon and scallions." 

I tried Ryan's too, including the strawberry butter and hot sauce.  What a combination!  I had a feeling that whatever you ordered it would be divine.  If you are even in Jacksonville, FL you have to try this place!

We got gas in Jacksonville and headed on our way.  Cannon fell asleep shortly thereafter and slept for three hours which ended up being all of Georgia.  We stopped for gas and a potty break just as we crossed the border into South Carolina.  Cannon really wanted to play on these random elephants in the parking lot next door, so we did!

The next stop was Charleston, SC to a restaurant called Fuel Cantina (also featured on the Food Network).  The food was fine, not bad, but not amazing.  However the atmosphere was great!  We ate outside and it was super laid back.  There was a few couches around a fire pit and on the side there was a long strip of dirt to play bocce ball.  This was perfect for Cannon to walk around and play toss the heavy balls after being cooped up in the car all day.  And it was all shaded outside. 

And on the walk back to our car we found Cannon's street!

We got to Myrtle Beach after dark.  Cannon was just about to fall asleep in the car, but then got a second wind once we were settled in our room.  I was in bed and he was jumping across to each bed and I said, "You're not tired?"  And he said, "No mom, I need to do my exercises!"  Oh boy! 

We stayed at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, which was massive!  There were a few different hotel buildings all part of the community.  We stayed in the main building, but had access to all of the pools. 

The view from our balcony

There were at least six different pools that I counted.  We did two of the pools nearest to us, including the one on the photo.  That large pool was great because it had lots of shallow areas for Cannon to walk and a big sand area in the water that you could lay in or whatever (can't see it in this pic).  Cannon's favorite pool was just down the way and it had waterslides and kids things.  Cannon usually made new friends to play with while we were swimming.  So I could just sit around and relax and watch him enjoying himself. 



Going down the waterslide!  He did this at least 100 times!

Of course we did the beach too, but Cannon was most interested in swimming.  Each night we ventured out of our hotel to get dinner.  I have to say that I'm not a fan of the rest of Myrtle Beach.  Way too many crowds and touristy stuff for me! 

We stayed at this hotel for two nights and in the afternoon on the third day we packed up and drove to Wilmington, NC.  I fell in love with Wilmington and I was sad that we didn't get to spend more time there!  We stayed at Wrightsville Beach at an off chain hotel called Blockade Runner.  The hotel room was little to be desired, but the grounds were fantastic!  We were right on the beach, plus there were large grassy areas (the good grass) for running, playing, bean bag toss, soccer, etc.  They also had a pool and a little golf area for putting.  Cannon was in his glory!  It was so relaxing and peaceful and much less touristy. 



Cannon wanted Ryan to make a shark

Cannon's idea

We finally got to do some boogie boarding!  The waves in FL are usually to small, or there are not waves.  Cannon did one by himself and he also rode on Ryan's back. 

I could have stayed here all week!  It was so gorgeous and calm!  But alas, we were on the road again the next day.  This time we headed to Charlotte to see Ryan's sister, Kristina!  Cannon was looking forward to seeing cousins for a very long time.  Several months ago he drew a map of how to get to Cole's house.  He saved it all this time and brought it along on our journey.  He referenced it and made sure we were on the right road. 

The kids were so happy to be together again!  Cannon and Cole have a special connection and time and distance have not changed that.  I was worried that they would leave Lyla out, which they did sometimes, but not as much as I thought.  Kristina's house has plenty of space for everyone and the backyard is perfect for kids!  The kids spent hours playing together, inside and outside.  And Cole and Cannon slept together each night, but they stayed up way too late talking and playing!

Playing Chutes and Ladders before bed





Being so silly



On the first night they insisted on sleeping in the tent

One day we went to Discovery Kids, which is a children's museum. 



They had fun with the dress ups and Cannon still laughs about when Cole put the monkey puppet and chased him!



Hard at work!

That night (Thursday) Ryan picked me up and I stayed in the hotel with him in downtown Charlotte.  We ate at another delicious restaurant called Basil Thai!  I think I just ordered the pad thai and Ryan had something with curry in it.  I love Asian food and this did not disappoint!  The next morning Ryan had to work, but he was back in time for lunch.  We walked to a little French restaurant and had croissant sandwiches, but the amazing thing was the salted caramel brownie!  WOW!  I think I crave those everyday!  Kristina took Cannon to Cole and Lyla's Kindermusik class.  Later on I asked Cannon about it and what they did, but he was only excited about the fact that they went to CVS afterwards and got chocolate!  He's a chocoholic just like his mama! 

Friday night we had movie night and Lyla fell asleep on me!  She was my buddy during this trip. 

And then on Saturday we took the kids swimming at their neighborhood pool.  We were there for a really long time, like five hours or something.  We packed a lunch and got ice cream there too. The kids had a blast!  I forgot to take pictures though.  Ryan and Rick went golfing in the afternoon at Rick's country club, Longview.   We ate dinner at Kristina's house and then we packed up and left that night around 9pm.  It was sad to leave, especially to have to separate the kids again.  But after all the traveling this summer I was ready to be back into our routine.

The ride home was easy, at least for Cannon and me!  He fell asleep immediately and I took that time to sleep too.  He woke up around 2:30am so we stopped for gas and let him stretch a bit and then we were on the road again.  He was back to sleep in no time.  At 5:30am Ryan woke me up to ask to switch driving.  I had no idea where we were and to my surprise we were less than two hours away from home!  Yay!  Cannon stayed asleep until about ten minutes from our house. We were all tired when we got home, but it was good to be back! 

Our summer vacation has come to an end, but what a great summer it was!  I look back with only the best of memories!   



Upstate New York Trip

Months ago Ryan had planned a work trip to Rochester, NY for mid July.  A few weeks before the trip he said that he may have enough frequent flyer miles to get me up there too, but Cannon would have to stay here.  I wrestled with the idea in my head for a long time.  I really dislike leaving Cannon overnight, but I also felt strongly that Ryan and I needed this trip together.  My good friend Yvonne was able to watch Cannon and my heart felt at peace.  She has two boys, one just older and just younger than Cannon, so it worked out perfectly.  He fit right in with their family and didn't miss a beat! 


Emerson, Cannon, and Everest

I flew in on a Thursday late afternoon, so as soon as Ryan picked me up from the airport we went straight to dinner.  On the way to our hotel we detoured a bit so that I could see what Rochester and the surrounding areas looked like.  We even passed their old house in Fairport!  I could just imagine Sugar dog running around and visiting the neighbors!  We passed Ryan's high school and some other places of interest to him.  I LOVED being able to finally see all the places that I have been hearing stories about.  For eight years now I've been hearing how great Fairport is, and this restaurant, and that store, and this pizza...and the list goes on!  It was a trip down memory lane for Ryan and it brought us closer together to listen to old and new stories and to share in his happiness. 

Our hotel was in Victor, fairly close to his old hood.  Once we got settled in, Ryan asked me on a whim if I wanted to go to the movies.  Sure, why not!  I don't even remember what we saw, but we ate raisinets.  On Friday he only had to work in the morning and he was back before noon.  That gave me enough time to sleep in, get ready, and finish the book I was reading.  We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping, eating, and just enjoying being together. 

I got to experience Wegmans, which Ryan and his family claims is the greatest grocery store ever.  I have to say it did not disappoint! 

And we went to Lombardi's which is Ryan's mom's favorite store.  It's a darling little Italian store in the Village of Fairport, that has more varieties of pasta than I have ever seen in my life!  Not to mention their selections of olive oils!

We also started our Church History tour with a trip to Fayette to see the Peter Whitmer Farm.  We got a nice tour in the church and the house.  It was a little busy, which Ryan warned me of because of it being pageant weekend.  Outside of Utah, I haven't experienced any church history sites so this was something I was really looking forward to during this trip. 

On Saturday we spent pretty much the whole day touring the church sites.  This was the highlight of the trip for me.  Everything strengthened my testimony and deepened my faith.  I left with feelings of humility and gratitude for all those who sacrificed and paved the way.  Being at these sites and seeing them with my own eyes, I relived these sacred moments and I'll never forget what I felt.  I can't wait to take Cannon and our future children back here someday!  I was a bad at remembering to take pictures, so the Grandin Building was left out.  Which is so sad because that ended up being one of my favorite places we visited.  When Ryan was living here as a teenager, he was able to be a part of some special experiences. 

During that time, the Palmyra Temple was just being built.  Ryan showed me the spot where he helped to lay in the new grass and worked to get the temple grounds ready.  During the dedication of this temple, Ryan's family was in attendance.  It was a chilly day and President Hinckley wasn't wearing a coat, so Ryan's dad leant him his coat!  It's a famous coat in our family now and Ryan's parents still have it somewhere. 

Palmyra Temple

The Hill Cumorah Monument

The Smith Home

The Smith Farm overlooking the Sacred Grove

Inside the Sacred Grove

I love this picture and I'm so sad that it turned out blurry

The day was topped off with watching the Hill Cumorah Pageant!  I've heard lots of stories from Ryan's family about pageant and now it was finally my turn to experience it!  The youth from our stake were here in Palmyra for the weekend too, so we met up with them at pageant.  The pageant itself was pretty awesome!  I am in awe of the magnitude of talent that is put into this program.  Again, I can't wait to take Cannon here when he's older!

On Sunday we went to the church that Ryan and his family went to when they lived here.  It was fun for him to see some people he hasn't seen in years and it was fun for me to finally have a face for a name!  After church we drove up to Niagara Falls, another first for me!

I didn't realize how touristy it is, which is a big turnoff for me.  However, we parked along the side of the river and walked to the falls.  That made it more peaceful and allowed us the time and space to take in the beauty.  We didn't do the Maid of the Mist boat ride, but I was happy to just walk around.

The next morning Ryan took me to the airport and that ended our trip!   He came home later that night on a different flight. This was such a wonderful trip and it replenished me more than I thought I needed, both spiritually and physically.