The drive here was terrible. Straight up terrible. But honestly, it's primarily because I HATE being in the car for that long, not because of Carson. Really, Carson handled the trip better than I did! Clearly, this is apparent from his smiles..
It was a slow trip because we'd have to stop every few hours to change/feed Carson and give him a break. But he really did great most of the time! What really saved us were the toy pianos from Mary Hasler (my mom's WI friend). They saved my sanity because they entertained Carson more than any other toys we had!
Even though I was miserable in the car for that long, the country we drove through really was gorgeous.
We actually met up with Ryan in Wyoming and fly fished in the Kemmerer area (I'm not allowed to specify the location, go figure!). The first biggest surprise? Ryan is the proud owner of a truck. That's right, Dr. Davis - the pen spinner, debate lover, devout T. Swift fan - has a truck. I just can't stop laughing over it! The second biggest surprise? I actually 10-15 or so Rainbow Trout - and some really nice ones!
I just had the best time! Ryan is the greatest guide - so patient and helpful when I haven't fly fished in forever. We had so much fun fishing, and I forgot just how much I love fly fishing! I would choose fly fishing over any other kind of fishing! It's just so fun - casting the fly, watching it drift down, seeing the fish come up and take it! And most of the fish I caught were 16-18 inches, so they were really fun to catch - some would jump clear out of the water, others would take out a bunch of line and run all the way downstream, then all the way upstream! The largest Rainbow Trout I caught was 20 inches, and he ran downstream and upstream multiple times! I seriously just had such a blast! And Carson even had a blast! He did great time watching us fish and then hanging out by the car. It was so cute how content he was just sitting in the shade, nibbling on some chips. :)
After a day of fly fishing, we headed to Provo and stayed with Ryan at his apartment. He's a professor at BYU now, so he gave us a tour of campus and made us some delicious food! And while we were in Provo, I actually got to meet up with Morgan, Brittney, and Brittney's husband Chad. They were some of my very best friends (and roommates) while I attended BYU-I. We went bowling and had such a good time! It made me realize how much I actually miss college! But even more than that, my friends at college. It was so great getting to catch up with Brittney and Morgan, and it kind of just felt like we'd never been apart. :)
Finally coming into Arizona was so so exciting! My mom, Carson, and I stayed the night in Flagstaff. The next morning we had a tasty breakfast at I-Hop (darn, I forgot to take a picture of my delectable breakfast!), and then looked around the mall for a little bit. It brought back so many memories of ice skating and shopping with my mom when I was a kid. :)
Coming into Payson was so exciting! It was a beautiful afternoon with bright blue skies. Carson was pretty excited to almost be out of the car, too!
It was such a strange feeling to be back in Payson for the first time in 3 years. The last time I was home, I didn't have a baby or a husband! It was really special just showing everything from my childhood to Carson. He even got to eat in the highchair I ate in as a kid!
One of the things I did with Carson was take him to Rumsey Park. He loved swinging!
One day, my mom took me and Carson swimming. Carson loved the water and splashed like crazy! And it was the first time Carson went all the way under the water! (My mom blew in his face to hold his breath, then dunked him under!) I think it surprised him more than anything else, but he cried nonetheless!
We spent a lot of time just hanging out at the house. Carson loved my parents' home and was constantly on the go - checking everything out! One of those things included the cereal cupboard. As a little girl, I'd eat Cheerios while I sat in the cupboard. My mom actually has a picture of it, and it's adorable, if I do say so myself! When Carson explored the kitchen, we decided we had to recreate the picture, but with Carson instead. :) He loved it, and he loved trying Cheerios for the first time too. :) Basically, I have the cutest baby ever.
One night, my dad took us out to Macky's - Payson's best burger place. It was even better than I remember it being!
My dad also took us shooting a couple times. Soo much fun! And I did pretty well, too! My parents kept "driving" with Carson, and he loved it! In fact, he was pretty unhappy once we got back to the highway and had to put him back in his car seat!
Carson's personality really blossomed in Arizona. I know I probably say that a lot, but it's really true! His curiosity and excitement about everything really came out - like in figuring out how to climb the stairs! He figured out how to go pretty fast, too! Unfortunately, once he'd reach the top of the stairs, he really wanted to go back down - head first! I tried teaching him how to go back down the stairs, sliding on his belly, but he never quite got the hang of it!
Carson also loved crawling up to my parents' TV, standing up, and pushing against the TV. Back at home, he knows that's a big no-no, but it kind of became a game at my parents' house because my dad would just laugh at Carson. Pretty soon, Carson would stand against the TV, then look back at my dad to see what he'd do, all the while having a huge smile on his face. The little stinker! ;)
He also loved trying to escape out of the house. Every time the front door opened, he'd make a run for it - trying to get out, down the step of the front door! Basically, every new thing he'd discover, he got so ecstatic about. He was constantly on the go, even when he was exhausted! (Oh, and fortunately for me, he'd take a 2.5-4 hour nap every day, and he'd sleep through the night! Turns out my little baby adjusts pretty well when he travels! I feel very fortunate!)
While in Arizona, I got to meet up with a few old friends. Shauna (and her little 18-mo-old, Bryson ... and her preggo belly!) and I met up half way between where we lived - in the Mesa area. We got a hotel, and then Brittney (and her 6-mo-old, Gavin) met us there. It was so fun having a little reunion with my two of my very best friends from middle and high school. Our little boys had lots of fun together, and we loved taking pictures of them together! It was just so great getting to catch up with them.
I knew I had missed them, but I really didn't realize just how much until I was with them. Even though I feel so blessed to live so close to my in-laws and their kids, there's something different about being back around your friends. It's just ... nice having friends who are around the same age as you and in the same stage of life. Shauna and Brittney - they just...get it. Like we were wanting to do something for dinner, but I felt really bad because it was getting really close to Carson's bedtime. They kept asking me what'd be easiest for me and Carson, and I felt so bad saying that I probably couldn't take him to a restaurant because of his bedtime. The looked at me, laughed, and said, "Breanne, we totally get it! We have kids too." It was kind of an a-ha moment for me; other people who have kids get it - they really, really do. And then I was able to stop feeling bad. :)
The next morning, Shauna, Bryson, Carson, and I lounged around, had breakfast, and swam. It was so nice that Bryson and Carson slept so well in the same hotel room! I was worried they'd wake each other up during the night, but once Carson fell asleep, he was out cold - sleeping through Shauna and I talking and everything! And even when Carson woke up around 5 am or so to nurse, Bryson stirred just a bit and fell right back asleep. So we all felt very rested! And the pool was so much fun! It was just so cute how much Bryson and Carson loved the water!
I just loved how hanging out with Shauna - even after all these years with both of us married with kids - nothing has changed. We talked like we'd never been apart, we laughed about old boyfriends and teenage drama, and we both gushed about our boys. We've both changed a lot, and yet I feel like nothing about our friendship changed. I love her so much, and I just know we'll be best friends forever. :) And hopefully our boys will be, too. :)
We met up with Erin - my good friend and roommate from BYU-Idaho - for lunch at Chick-Fil-A. It was so great getting to see her and catch up! :) Oh, and I had an ice cream cone that was roughly the size of Carson's head. Good times, good times. :)
Goodbyes are always so hard for me ... hopefully it won't be so long before I'm able to see Shauna and Erin (and Brittney) again!
I headed off to Dillon and Audrey's after that, where Carson had lots of fun playing and getting into everything! My mom actually watched Carson there while I went to an endowment session at the new Gilbert temple.
Because of Carson's difficulty going to other people, I actually hadn't been to an endowment session since well before Carson was born, and man, did I ever need it. There is nothing better than being inside the house of God and feeling His sweet spirit so abundantly. I always feel so refreshed and just ... whole when I'm able to go to the temple, and it was a whole new experience going there as a mother. I am so grateful to know I can be with my little family forever.
After returning to Payson later that day, we rested up and headed to Lake Roosevelt the following day. The weather was beautiful, and the water was so warm! My mom skied, we played in the water, and enjoyed a nice picnic. (Oh, and we got locked out of my dad's truck, and my dad pulled a Hulk and yanked the cracked window of its track. Fortunately, it was fixable!) It was a great day, and Carson did so well! I worried he'd get too hot and get crabby only being able to crawl around the small space of the boat, but he loved every minute of it!
I think one of my very favorite parts of my trip to Arizona was watching my parents' relationship develop with Carson. Even though Carson has gotten over a lot of his shyness, he still won't really go to anyone, other than me and Alex, for any length of time. Except my mom. And my dad. Carson loved my mom since the very first day she was in Wisconsin for the summer. And even though he was a little bit cautious around my dad the first day we were in Arizona, by the second day, Carson was crawling up to my dad, wanting to be held. I don't understand it, and I can't explain it. But I am so grateful for it. Seeing my parents in the capacity as grandparents made me love them in a whole new way. And seeing Carson absolutely adore them - like relaxing with his Nana on the swing or playing with my dad absolutely melted my heart. I love my parents so very much, and I am so grateful my sweet little boy will have them in his life.
So naturally, flying back home to Wisconsin (on Mon, Oct 6th) was really difficult. Even though I was obviously super excited to get back to Alex, not live out of a suit case, and be back in the cold, I really, really, REALLY didn't want to say goodbye to my parents. I just had the best time in Arizona, and I just really didn't want to leave them! I wish they'd move to Wisconsin!
I was super nervous about flying by myself with Carson, but man, it went incredibly well! First off, people are SO nice to you when you're travelling alone with your baby! So many people helped fold up the stroller, hold a bag, pick up something I dropped, etc. etc! Carson did great through the airport, and once we were on the plane, the flight attendant came up to me and asked if I wanted the very back row of seats! That's right - Carson and I had 3 whole seats to ourselves!
Carson nursed as we took off, then slept in my arms for an hour and a half! During that time, I got to watch a free movie (Begin Again ... oh Adam Levine, you beautiful man!), eat TWO bags of free pretzels, and have an ENTIRE soda. Delta is officially my favorite airline! And after Carson woke up, he was just ... happy! he played on my lap, along the two extra seats, and smiled at all the people who walked by! It was great!
My connecting flight was in Minneapolis, and yet again, I got a row of seats to myself. That flight was a lot shorter, so it was over before I knew it!
And then I was back in Alex's arms. :) Best. thing. ever. :) It's so good to be home! And I am so glad Carson and I were able to make the trip out west! We had an amazing time! I hope we can go again soon! ... like really soon! :)
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