Gavin put another 1,600 miles on his car seat during an extended weekend in Florida where we celebrated Aunt Cindy's wedding. We rolled out of Raleigh early Wednesday morning and drove straight through to Sanibel in one day. Gavin was an excellent traveler and barely even slept, taking just an hour-and-a-half nap. He played with his back seat buddy (either Daddy or Gmummy), read books, and watched the landscape rush by his window. He only fussed once for several minutes late in the day when he wanted something we weren't letting him have.

Thursday was spent with family on Sanibel while Mommy went to work in Naples. Gavin met his Guncle Mark for the first time and had fun playing with his grandparents. On Friday morning, we took him to the lighthouse beach. He wasn't too keen about his first visit to the beach back in December so we wanted to make a trial run before Sunday's planned post-wedding beach party. He loved the beach! We didn't stay long so he wasn't wearing his new swim trunks which is a shame in hindsight since he slept through the beach party two days later and didn't get to wear them.

Gavin enjoyed contemplating the vast gulf, all of the creatures that call it home, and why Mommy can't seem to buy shorts that don't slide off his rear end.

If I pose for you and give you one decent shot, will you please put that camera away for the rest of the day?

Friday afternoon, Gavin met more family members when his grandparents hosted a family brunch. He met Gauntie Jane who instantly won his heart by playing peek-a-boo with a chair.

He played with Lincoln Logs with Grandma but couldn't understand why they wouldn't snap together.

It's easy to entertain this kid. Just put a hat on your head and he'll laugh for hours as he repeatedly snatches it off.

Hilarious raspberries from Auntie Beth...

No, Gavin isn't going to enjoy Beth's long visit to Raleigh this summer at all!

Everyone converged on the church Friday night for the wedding rehearsal. Gavin and Gmummy helped me scout photography locations.

Saturday was wedding day. While all the adults were doing boring things like dressing up and posing for photographs, Gavin had great fun playing with the ring bearer, Franklin (Uncle Chuck's nephew), and Isha, the son of a friend of Beth's. He loved chasing the big boys around the reception hall, giggling the entire time.

As expected, Gavin wasn't thrilled to pose for family photos.

He managed to remain still for at least one of the extended family shots. From left to right (with their relation to Gavin): Gavin, Mommy, Aunt Cindy, Uncle Chuck, Grandpa, Grandma, Daddy, Gauntie Jane, Guncle Joel, Aunt Beth, Guncle Mark, Great-Gauntie Minnie, and Linda and Lou (Grandpa's cousin and her husband).

And, of course, the happy newlyweds: Aunt Cindy and Gavin's new Uncle Chuck.

On Sunday, we went to church and then headed out to Bowman's Beach for a post-wedding party. Gavin fell asleep when we reached Sanibel and slept in a tent on the beach. Storm clouds started brewing so we had to leave early before Gavin woke up and he never had a chance to wear his brand new swim outfit. (photo by Aunt Cindy)

We started the trek home in the afternoon, sleeping in Brunswick, Georgia for the night before finishing the trip on Monday. Gavin was a dream to travel with again despite a rough start on Monday when his tummy spilled after choking on a pancake while eating breakfast in the car. We immediately pulled off the side of the road and stripped the poor kid down to his skivvies right there in the grass beside I-95 in the swampland of southeast Georgia. He actually enjoyed the experience by watching the trucks pass by and pointing to each one smiling while Daddy removed his soiled clothes!

Gavin spent the rest of the ride napping and reading his books, mostly Richard Scarry's Busy Town and Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. He holds those books in his lap and can page through them for at least a half hour each, examining all the pictures and "reading" out loud!