Saturday, December 28, 2019

Mother & Son Fall Travels 2019

This fall was a full one for our little family. A number of travel opportunities came up, and Axton and I enjoyed taking advantage of them! Sadly, due to other commitments, it didn't work out for John to go with us, but thankfully for me I have a father who taught me to be totally comfortable traveling on my own, a husband who taught me to be safe and aware of my surroundings, and a baby who has learned to be flexible, so between all that, we were set! 
The first trip was in September, traveling to northeast Iowa for my family's annual family camp. It was a seven hour drive (a little longer with gas, bathroom, and nursing stops) but we actually made it in just eight hours and as evidenced by Axton's smile above, we were thrilled to finally be there.
My trusty Ergo was our best friend during our stay and kept both of us quite happy!
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Axton was very spoiled by all of the attention he received! He loved making morning announcements with Grandpa B, at chapel.
Accidetental matching with friends always calls for a picture!
So fun to meet alllll of mommy's friends!
John was able to drive up for a day which was wonderful. We managed to get everyone together for a picture-you'd be surprised how hard it was, but we managed!
Walks with Nana
We had great crowds for both weeks of camp. John and I reworked and then ran the whole registration process this year, so it was especially fun for me to get to be there and welcome all the families who I'd had contact with throughout the year.
Hanging out with Grandpa and cousin Wallace. Quite literally. =)
Exploring outside on a warm day. Axton LOVES being outside and when it comes to discovering and getting into things, he is definitely ALL BOY.
Trying to get a decent picture with these three little cousins was, well, unique. =)
The first week of October, Axton and I traveled out to NY to be with family and attend my grandfather's funeral. It was a very long and wearying trip. For a variety of reasons, I felt it would be easier to drive than to fly, so I drove up to Iowa by myself, with Axton, and then out to NY with my parents/siblings. Unfortunately Axton got sick on the way so it ended up being one of those trips that was honestly quite miserable, but we were very thankful to arrive and to be there.

It was a very bittersweet time, truly. A sad reason to all be together, but so sweet to see so many cousins etc whom I hadn't seen for awhile. Axton enjoyed the other little people.
So good to see my bestie again!
All of the great grandchildren were given roses to place on the grave. Axton was exhausted after the funeral service and ended up sleeping during the graveside portion, so I took him out after he woke up and we put his rose on the grave. Such a sweet moment.
I'm so thankful for the legacy of a godly grandfather. The whole funeral reflected his life so well---even in death he was surrounded there by so many friends and family. His grandchildren were an integral part of the service. Several shared tributes, one led the congregational singing, a number were pallbearers/ushers, all of the grandchildren sang together for the special music, and one of the grandsons, who is a pastor, even preached the funeral message. Truly such a legacy and one of the most meaningful funerals I have ever attended.
Bless his heart. All things considered, he really did so well, in spite of not feeling well most of the time we were in NY. Toward the end he improved and the day home was much better, as evidenced by the happy smile. =)
Beautiful views as we drove through NY. These views brought back many years of memories for me from so many happy summer trips traveling the same route. 
A late night stop on the journey to Iowa.
Once in Iowa, I caught some much needed sleep (while Axton was cared for by aunties and nana) and then he and I finished our trip home to Kansas by ourselves. What a champ he was!
Just over a week later found us back in Iowa again, this time for a family visit and to attend a friends' wedding. 
We got to spend some time with Axton's Great Grandma Bontrager.
We also enjoyed lunch/shopping out with all the sisterhood and babies.
Axton and Micah having a stare down. =)
My sister Allison was a bridesmaid in the wedding, which was fun! It was a very cold fall day, but a beautiful wedding.
And finally, the last weekend of October found us flying to Texas (along w my sis Allison) to attend the wedding of one of our cousins. It was Axton's second time flying and he did so well, sleeping for most of both flights and charming people left and right. 
We got a picture of all the "Bontragers" who attended the wedding.
Such a treat to get to be there for it!
So fun to do the trip with Allison! Many special memories were made and a fabulous time was had.

And that's a little taste of our traveling to and fro for the fall of 2019! We have mostly stayed on "home turf" ever since and been enjoying a beautiful winter/holiday season at home!
-Chels

2 comments:

  1. That's a lot of traveling! I recently found your blog through the Bontrager blog.

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  2. How fun! I've gone on a lot of solo trips with my little guy and at first it was really challenging, but now I feel like I have it almost "down to a science" ha! I used to pack EVERYTHING too, and make very detailed packing lists, but now I feel like I can pack and be on the road in about 10 minutes if I have to (I still love my packing lists though, if I have the time to make them!). Happy travels to you and Axton! He's a beautiful baby, by the way (but you probably already know that!!) :)

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