Another rockin' road trip

The Daley Family

This post is coming about two weeks too late, but we have to mention our trip to lovely Cumberland, Maryland, over Labor Day weekend to visit the Daley family. After our 20-hour trips to Minnesota, the 7-hour drive to Cumberland was a breeze. Well, it would have been if we hadn't left at 3pm on the Friday before Labor Day. But that's OK -- we took an "alternate route" through some of Charlotte's suburbs' historic downtowns. It didn't seem to save us any time, but at least it was pretty!

The whole way up, we kept telling Nate that he would see Mary and "A'um," Mamma and "Beepsby," and Pete and "Nanoo" (that's what he calls Jess. Not sure why.) He was a little shy at first, but all a strange relative needs to do is to take him outside and you've instantly become his favorite. Peter and Jess got to meet Theo for the first time -- and Mamma and Grampy hadn't seen him since he was just 6 weeks old. He showed them his amazing acrobatic skills, his superb sitting capabilities, his penchant for smiling, and his out-of-this-world hair volume.

Speaking of hair volume, Theo got his fifth haircut last week after he was mistaken for a girl three times in as many days. I'm not going to say who accidentally said, "How old is she?" but he is the author of "Banktown: The Rise and Struggles of Charlotte's Big Banks." And it may not just be Theo's hair; I suspect his rosy cheeks and pouty lips may add to his feminine mystique. But that's OK because like his brother, the kid is all boy. He likes roughhousing, jumping in his exersaucer like a maniac, slamming objects together, being really noisy and making lots of messes.

Nate is LOVING preschool. There is only one other boy in his class and five girls, so he has his choice of the ladies. He's currently looking for one who shares his passion for the alphabet. He likes to do art projects and sing in music class, and of course he also loves the park there. Chuck got Nate some Hot Wheels and a car ramp a few weeks ago, and it is his new favorite thing to do. He's also been bringing his comforter out into the living room and lying on the couch with a pillow -- or, better yet, covering up his Elmos (he has three) or Theo (who doesn't really dig it). He knows how to relax!