Thursday, November 12, 2009

"Is this Heaven?" "No, it's Iowa."

That is a line from one of the greatest movies of all time - Field of Dreams.

If you haven't ever seen this movie, please do so before I freak out. And if it's been a while, do yourself a favor and watch it again. It's BRILLIANT. I remember talking to someone about this movie once, and they said, "Could you ever really love someone who didn't cry at this film, even just a little?" And to that I replied, "No, I don't think so."

Carrying on... the whole point of the reference of this film is it's about a farmer in Iowa, and...

We decided to take a trip back to Iowa before the end of the year to see Solon's family and meet up with some folks that we weren't able to see on Quincy's first visit back in April.

I was a little nervous about how Quincy would be on the flight, now that he is on such a good schedule, and so active he can hardly sit still. So in preparation for our 6:30am flight, I made some of these:

My friend MaryAnn gave me this tip since she has traveled back to Ohio several times with her babies. She suggested I put together some goodie bags to present to whomever was helpful during our travel days. I filled little cellophane bags with a pack of gum, a nail file, a pen, and some leftover Halloween candy. I included a note thanking them for making our trip a little easier. MaryAnn said this little gesture helped her so much when she traveled. Flight attendants can be very helpful if you show a little love when traveling with children. I handed one to the gate attendant while asking him if there was an extra seat available for Quincy's car seat (so he didn't have to sit on my lap the whole time), and he hooked us up and was so appreciative of the treats. While we were boarding the plane for our 6:30am flight, I noticed that one of the flight attendants was having a really rough morning. To top it off, the family next to us had a very loud, and very unhappy 4-year-old. I handed one of the bags to her and said that our entire row was appreciative of her, and she said we made her day! She and her partner made sure we had enough juice, snacks and blankets to last us the whole trip! It was great. The bags also worked on the return flight. These days, travelers are so disgruntled, and they always take it out on the flight attendants. I tell you, if show them some appreciation, it makes all the difference. I suggest you try it on your next trip with little ones. =)

Happy Travelers



We tried to see as many people as possible while we were there, so it was a no-brainer to go to Mona's house where we knew we could find a bunch of our cousins








Hanging with Alynsia and our great-grandma Gaga


Solon's Uncle Tom came down from Tiffin with his daughter Tatyana, and we had some lunch at the Starlite while we watched the Hawkeyes game





After the Iowa game, we were able to spend some time with one of Solon's best friend's Ryan (who drove in from Chicago), and his mom Colleen


We crashed Cael's 1st Birthday Party - so the guys could see their buddy "Louie"



Then Aman joined us all for dinner (yes, this was all in the same night!)


Quincy wearing his very 1st Iowa Hawkeyes jersey that Ryan gave him


Look at that stance - not holding on to anything!


VIDEO: Quincy showing off his skills in his new Iowa Hawkeyes jersey

The ending is really cute, because it was late and QB was getting delirious

After church with Uncle Dicky


Sunday we visited Solon's Grandma Nellie and Grandpa Leroy






And then off to Sunday dinner with the family at Aunt Sandy's & Uncle Dicky's













Quality time with Papa Allen before the airport


Our trip back to Solon's hometown was a good one. We were able to spend some quality time sharing stories and sharing meals with some people who are very close to our hearts. The weather was beautiful (in the 60's the whole time), the skies were clear, and I was able to experience a Mid-West fall, where most of the leaves had fallen to the ground, and a handful of trees were covered in rich red and yellow hues. It was beautiful. We got home safely, and met some really nice people along the way.
**************

It's such a beautiful thing to see my baby sleep. If only I knew what he was dreaming about.


Rocking out to Elmo and the gang (check out those slippers)


Enjoying an Arizona afternoon with Holly and her mom Jill





We are looking forward to Thanksgiving at the end of this month, and Mom (Lisa) and Tony's visit. This time next month we will also be celebrating Quincy's 1st birthday! I remember this time last year I was convinced that he would arrive before Turkey Day - boy was I wrong!

xoxo

1 comment:

Momma Cannon said...

wow it can't possibly be almost a year?!?! how time fly's by. Q is as handsome as they come!!