Charlie and Seda: Family Reunion

After our visit with Kathy and Randy, Charlie and I headed downstate for our annual Mooradian family reunion. Pete had to travel for work that week, so it worked out well for Charlie and I to travel to see all the family that week too! Charlie and I left Thursday morning with an 8 hour ride ahead of us. I was pretty nervous to do it by myself, but Charlie was a trooper! He slept for 2 hours on the drive through the UP, then we stopped at the bridge and had some lunch at Subway. He ate almost all of his sandwich (that NEVER happens!). My next hope was to make it to Birch Run and stop there. We had to make one emergency bathroom stop, but other than that, we made it to the outlets with no hitches. We walked into a few stores, hit the bathroom, got gas, and then jumped back in the car. We made it home for dinner at my parents, and I truly couldn't have asked for a better road trip from Charlie. I vow I will never do that ride again with just the two of us because I don't think it could ever go as perfect again!

On Friday we met all the cousins and kiddos at a Splash Pad in Farmington. It was such a cool place, and Charlie loved it, of course! After lunch, everyone was dressed and packed to leave, but my son was still in the water! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures because there were so many kids, and I really had to keep my eye on Charlie. Saturday was the family reunion/birthday party. We all celebrated Grant and Avery's birthday together at David and Andrea's house. It was a SUPER hot day, but luckily they had a nice tent and a ton of water toys for the kids to play in. Charlie had so much fun splashing around with his cousins. He definitely remembered how much he LOVES Anna... he couldn't stop playing with her and definitely kept talking about her days later. She's such a good little helper with him, and you can tell how much she loves him. I really miss having her close by for him =( There are not many pictures from the reunion because it was so hot. We didn't even get a big family picture because the chaos started from the moment we walked in the door!

The rest of the trip was spent with my parents, Dan & Mary, and with my best friend, Christina. We spent some good quality time with everyone, and Charlie enjoyed playing with his cousins and friends. He and Matt are starting to have so much fun when they are together... it's so much fun to watch! Uncle Dan taught Charlie how to play hide 'n' seek while we were there. Matt and Charlie would hide behind the wall while Dan found a hiding spot. Then they would walk together, looking for Dan. He would jump out and grab them to tickle them. Charlie loved every minute of it!

On the way back home, Charlie and I broke up the drive with a stop at Uncle Mark and Aunt Kelly's house. We had dinner there with Grandpa and Grandma, had our usual donuts for breakfast, then headed on our way back home. Overall, it was a great trip, but we were definitely tired after a busy week. It's hard traveling on our own like that, and it really takes a lot out of me being a single parent for that long. We are so happy we were able to see everyone though, and the stress and exhaustion were totally worth it!! We are looking forward to the family reunion next year because we might be traveling somewhere and get to spend the entire weekend with the family! Woohoo!!!