First Stop: Pocahontas, Arkansas

As much as he is reluctant to admit it, Dougle has a lot of family from the notorious state of Arkansas! So, our first stop on our 4800 mile trip was in the quaint little town of Pocahontas, Arkansas. Here, the main attraction was Dougle's grandmother (Canaan's Great-Grandmother), Karen Minter. Canaan stole the show. Grandma just adored our little man. She played with and loved upon Canaan. Canaan was on his best behavior and played, smiled and loved on Grandma. It was a great visit. We also got to visit with Saundra, Grandma's sister. On Sunday we were able to go to church with Dougle's great-grandma's sister and her family.

The joys and woes of traveling

We love to travel. I guess in saying 'we' that I am including Canaan. I don't know if he would agree. But, until he has words enough to dispute my statement, we love to travel. Since he was three weeks old, Canaan has been traveling with us, taking short trips to Dallas and Austin and long trips to LA and the Eastern US. Being so experienced in traveling, Canaan is excellent. He likes to sleep in the car, as well as play with various toys and listen to music. He babbles to us and looks out the window as we pass by various trucks and terrain. For the most part, Canaan did exceptionally well during his many hours of car-seat time. There was one day he started cutting a new tooth; that was rough on everyone. He didn't appreciate the traffic we ran into while in NY and DC either; bumper-to-bumper makes him feel like we are going no where fast, and that frustrates him (and us)! One thing that keeps Canaan comforted is the fact that we carry with us his newfound love: his little lamb blankie. He has become quite attached to it. With fingers (or a paci) in his mouth and his fuzzy blanket in his arms, he can feel at home wherever he is!
On our trips, Canaan is able to become acquainted with new people and friends. He does very well being pinched and coddled and cooed over. One such new friend, Titus the kitty, was very interested in this new little person who was occupying his floor space. Titus was intrigued with his wild movements and fun little toys that came with him. Titus quickly learned to stay out of Canaan's reach, but when a toy escaped beyond the realm of Canaan's grasp, it quickly became a new amusement for this playful little kitten.

Virginia and Washington, DC

We stayed a few days with Dougle's teammate from Moscow, David Simpson and his wife Michelle. David works for the FBI and gave us a tour around his workplace and showed us all the cool equipment that goes with fingerprint analysis! While there, we were able to drive into Washington, DC and see some sites. Canaan especially enjoyed the huge dinosaurs in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We also got to see the Washington Monument, the White House (through a fence from a distance), the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol Building, and the Museum of Art. Most things in DC were free and within a two mile area. We were able to walk around, having fun and enjoying the site and sun!

Fun in New York

Well, after sitting in traffic for 2 hours and being gently rear-ended, we arrived in one piece at the home of Pedro and Claribel and their two lovely children, Enoch and AJ. They welcomed us with open arms and loving care. While in NY, they took us around with them to church, to site-see in Manhattan, pointed us in the appropriate direction for tasty NY pizza, and overall just cared for us. Sunday was a long day, but not bad for having attended two church services, one in Spanish and one in English. Canaan sat wonderfully through the first and slept beautifully through the second. Everyone was so loving and friendly. I don't know if we've ever been more loved upon than with this congregation. I dressed Canaan in red overalls for church, and he was mistaken for a girl several times. Everyone said his eyes and eyelashes were just so beautiful! Note to Mommy, no more red when we are first meeting new people! In between the services, we enjoyed a picnic in the park next to the church building (which was actually a rented chapel on a college campus). The two boys, Enoch and AJ, provided a couple hours of entertainment for Canaan as they ran around, occasionally stopping to bring him a gift of a stick (quickly confiscated) and flowers (also taken up). When at home in the evenings, the boys also entertained Canaan, reading him stories (in both English and Spanish) and handing him all his toys that he dropped out of reach! The next day, we all enjoyed a tour of NY. We took the subway and saw the site of the WTC, the statue of liberty (from a distance), walked down Broadway, and picnicked in Central Park. As you can see, Canaan was entranced at it all, right up until he fell asleep in his stroller. Our host family then graciously sent us on our way to Pennsylvania with supper, drinks for the road, a baby bottle scrubber (which I had left at home), and some hand-me-downs, that Canaan is very excited about wearing when he grows into them!

OHIO visits

The last leg of our traveling adventures landed us (or parked us) in Ohio, with the Curfman clan. Here Canaan was able to meet, greet and charm his great- grandparents (Nancy’s parents), as well as aunts, uncles, cousins and second cousins on Grand-Nan Nancy’s side of the family. Good news, Canaan survived. He also has come away with a better understanding for his Grand-Nan!

Canaan did get to charm many people. Everyone thought he was quite adorable. Canaan even got along with everyone, though he was a little wary of Marc, the giant with the deep voice.

We don’t know where he got it from, but Canaan is a performer. He likes to show off. This includes repeating his first word, uh-oh, for everyone who would like to hear it. His great-grandma Janie would say "Uh-oh Canaan" as soon as she saw Canaan everyday. Canaan was beginning to think that was his new name! While in Ohio, we even were able to indulge in Skyline Chili- the famous Cincinnati Chili we love so much. Canaan didn't get to try any though. He was on a diet to figure out what was causing the rash on his back. We finally figured it out: it was due to squash. Maybe he'll get some chili next time!

Martin Great-Grandparents

On Saturday, June 9th, we went to Farwell, Texas to celebrate my grandparents' 60th Wedding Anniversary. It was wonderful. We got to see and catch up with cousins and aunts and uncles that I hadn't seen in years. Canaan also got to see his Martin great-grandparents (Lucy's Dad's parents) again. It was a wonderful day to celebrate my grandparent's commitment to one another for so long. They are such an example to us!

Auntie Livi

Auntie Livi and Uncle Ud are favorite attractions for Canaan. They love to drop by and play with Canaan. Just the other week, they were driving in from out of town. I asked if they were going to drop by our house on the way home. They said they were thinking about it, but since they weren't going to get in until after nine at night- which meant Canaan would already be in bed- they thought they would just wait until the morning to see us! Now I know where we rate! Here is Canaan with his Auntie Livi, just hanging out and being cute together.