Photos galore! (and a trip review in captions)

On our way to Columbus, GA, we stopped at the Civil War historic site in Andersonville.  It was a great place to get out, stretch our legs some, and tour the grounds that used to be a prisoner camp.  Very interesting!  As you can see, Bear Cub found the rocks right away and just had to check them out!

Posing with Daddy...  BC did SO great on our car trip!  We did bring the laptop for him to watch his "shows" some, but even the non-watching times were pleasant and easy.  He took a nap each day in the car (only one a day) and was content to just ride.  When Mimi was still with us in the car, we got 4 different truck drivers to honk their horns along the Interstate.  BC LOVED it!  So now he knows the official "honk, honk!" sign to give to truckers!  

Just a cool photo (or so I think)

Dipping his feet in the base of a stream at Andersonville -- we met a couple there and the woman told BC to take his shoes off to test the waters.  I was a little miffed at the whole thing, but in the end, it was fine and BC had fun splashing around.  You're only a kid once, right!??!  :)

Army Basic Training graduation at Ft. Benning!  My handsome nephew is somewhere in the line-up here.  It was amazing to watch the platoons march in sync around the field.  The "boys" looked SO young, freshly-scrubbed, and so TOGETHER.  We are so very proud of our soldier and wish him ALL the best as he starts mountain training at Ft. Drum in New York this week.  He is 17 years old and has grown up so much during this training.  He's strong, dedicated, motivated and self-disciplined.  I am so proud!!!

The back of his head somewhere...it was really tough to spot him, as they all looked alike as they marched past!

Here he is!  All smiles with his mom and dad.  

The family celebrating at lunch afterwards...

Here he is with his proud Mama.  We had such fun with them and got to spend the entire afternoon and that night with them.  Elias was able to spend the night with us in the hotel, so we got a lot of good visiting time in with him before we all headed out the next day.  He had a week off, flying back home to New Mexico, before leaving today for New York.  

BC managed to find a gooey area of dirt to drive his truck through during the graduation ceremony.  Notice the Army guard standing over him.  

My mom, sis Jessica, and niece Hannah (we leave for TX this Wednesday for her college graduation!)

I can still see the little boy that loved to play "Small Soldiers" in this face.  Oh, how time does march on...

Aunt ME and the happy graduate.  I think we kinda look alike...what do you think??

The day after graduation, we hit the road again, headed for Nashville to drop Mimi off at the airport to fly home.  I missed her when she was gone!  I kept turning around, about to say something to her, and she was gone!  I had to remind myself several times that we had NOT left her in a McDonald's somewhere along the Interstate.  :)  We then drove up to Indiana, making it there after 8 p.m.  A long day in the car, for sure!

Here he is, helping Great-Grandma C get corn off the cob to leave for the ducks.  We had beautiful weather our first 2 days there, spending most of each day outside.  Great Grandma & Grandpa C live on a beautiful piece of property, with lots of squirrels and birds to watch.  BC loved being outside and exploring!

Grandpa C. got the tractor out...BC did NOT want a ride, which I was a bit surprised about, but at least I got this photo of the boys together!

Lots and lots of dandelions...and me TRYING to be creative with the camera.

Hmmmmm...these bikes were found in the barn.  Wonder when they were ridden last?

For me??  Thanks!  

Croquet anyone??   

BC with his cutie-pie cousins at the other great-grandparents' house.  The kids got along well, although the difference in styles of play between our boy and the girls was VERY apparent!  These lil ladies have a brother on the way, so that will add something different to the mix the next time we visit!  :)  (Here the kids are zoned into a Max & Ruby show...we ALL needed some quiet time at this point in the day!)

BC acting out how a caterpillar makes a cocoon and then "flies all around!" as a butterfly.

BC was very interested in Great Grandpa S's special box with fancy cufflinks.  

After 5 nights in Indiana, we headed to Kentucky for the night. Along the way, we stopped at Mammoth Cave, so here we are in the mouth of it.  We saw some bats!  It was a fun stop and we also hiked around on a trail.   That night at the hotel, we swam in the indoor pool and ate at Cracker Barrel, which is one of BC's faves because of the cars and toys they have out front.  It was nice to stop along the way home!  The next night, we stopped in Atlanta to stay with my fave cousins, Amy & Mike.  We also had seen them the weekend before at the graduation, but it was great to see their new home and spend the night with them.  They are expecting their first baby (a boy!) in early Fall, so it was fun to see her belly at this stage.  We always love hanging out with them...and just wished we lived closer!!  

We finally made it home Saturday early evening...and wow, were we all glad to be home again!  The last hour of our trip was the toughest of the entire journey, so we can safely say that Bear Cub is a GREAT little traveler.  One hour out of MANY is not so bad at all!  Good news -- the house was shown 4 times while we were gone!   No bites yet, but I'm happy to know that there is interest out there!  

So...on to our next travel adventure!  This Wednesday we head to San Antonio for another happy graduation!  I only hope I can pry Bear Cub away from home and all of his toys to get him on that airplane.  More updates & photos following the next trip!!  Take care!  :)