Anticipation

So today, once school is over, my mom will be hopping on a plane and flying up here. (Although, if she actually _hops_, well...I want video....) Around the time that AJ goes to bed, VNB will be heading to the airport to pick her up. Then she'll get to stay with us until next Wednesday morning!

Thursday, AJ, VNB, and I will get up whenever AJ has his early morning waking and pile into the car to drive down to see his family for a long T-day weekend (including VNB's 28th birthday! I'd make "old man" jokes, but I'm almost three years older than him, so I really just can't get away with those).

Then, the day after Christmas, AJ and I will fly to TN to hang out with my family (including AJ's aunt and uncles Turner). The Friday after that, VNB will join us for a long New Year's Day weekend!

Traveling anywhere is always exciting to me. It's always an adventure, even if it's someplace I've been a hundred times before. Just thinking about going all those places and seeing all of our families and letting AJ get to know them even more (and them him)...well, I can hardly wait!!

I mean, sure...it's a pain to be in a car for 5+ hours with a 10-month-old...and to fly alone with one is the definition of the word "tiring"...but it's still exciting to be _going_ someplace. I don't know why. It's just the way I am.

So in that vein, today I am thankful that we're going to get to see both of our families this holiday season without breaking the bank! That's so important right now when AJ's so young and changes so much between visits. The last time my brothers saw him, he was 3 months old! He was still just a jiggly little lump! Now he talks ("fish," "star," "cat," and "Mama," and "Dada" if you want to stretch the truth a little), he walks (well, with help), he understands ("hungry," "sleepy," "finished," "juice"), he claps and waves, and occasionally he communicates by doing more than just saying "Ah" and pulling my hair ("mostly with "finished").

Last Christmas, I was very, very pregnant, so we didn't go anywhere. While my parents and sister came up to see us, my brothers weren't able to come...and we were all so stressed that it just didn't seem that Christmas-y. I'm not sure I can express how nice it'll be to see all of my family for Christmas! And VNB gets to be with all of his for T-day AND his birthday! Yay!

I can't wait!