Remember a while ago I asked if you had to travel a long ways with a toddler on your own, how you would do it? Well, Alexis and I decided on car. (Okay, I decided on car. She probably would have said “No! No! No!” if she’d fully understood any of the transportation options!) Anyway, we drove from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City for my mom’s big wedding day. We broke the trip up into chunks, stopping strategically along the way, and overall it went well!

It was really really great to see so many family members I haven’t seen in so long. I haven’t seen my brother since last summer, so it was great to see his family and him. Because my brother is awesome. (Stating a fact… I’m pretty sure it can be proved.) Alex got to play with her cousins, she got to see all of her grandparents and great-grandparents, she got a lot of one-on-one time with me (A LOT… maybe TOO MUCH!) and I got a hefty dose of self-confidence that I can handle even more on my own than I realized.

I admit, I’m glad we’re home and that I do not have to: go to the bathroom in gas stations along the interstate with a toddler standing at my feet; take showers with a toddler slipping and sliding in the tub; sleep in the same room as the baby. I’m glad that we’re back at home and she can get into routines a little more again and will hopefully stop screaming, “Nandy! Nandy! Nandy!” at every meal. (translation: Give me candy right now, woman!)

My husband says that she picked up a lot of new words/sounds on this trip. Whether it’s the travels or just the time in her life it’s a toss up (I hear that 18-months is a time where language really starts to explode) but it’s true, she has started to say a lot more. Although, she called all of her grandparents “Mama” on this trip, so we need to work on that G’ma and G’pa sounds. She calls me Mommy, so I know she was referring to them.

And I’m looking forward to sticking around home for a while!