Road Trip

Carly went on her first long road trip this past weekend. We went with my parents, Jody, and Tiffany to Dallas to attend Phil and Jessi's wedding. We rented a minivan and we all piled in Friday afternoon and hit the road. Jon and I did the driving and I am happy to report there were no scrapes, scratches, or accidents in the rental van. We arrived at the hotel a little after midnight, only having to drive around downtown Dallas for a few minutes before the Garmin "recalculated" our missed left turn. Carly did really well in the car. She fussed much less than I expected. I think having four people in the back to entertain her helped.

The wedding was beautiful, along with the bride and groom. Jill looked gorgeous in her dress also. Carly was quiet during the ceremony, it was the end that got her excited. Everyone was quiet, but when the new husband and wife were introduced the crowd burst in to applause and cheer. The sudden change scared her and she started screaming and crying. She settled down fairly quickly and forgot the incident. The reception was super fun! We sat upstairs and could look down at the dance floor and many of the tables below. Carly found a spot to stand along the railing and she danced up a storm. Everyone got a kick out of her performance. Later, we took her down to the dance floor to enjoy the lights and she got to dance with Grandpa. After fighting some very heavy eyes, she went to Grandma and was out like a light. She slept in the booth for a little while until we headed back to the hotel.

Sunday was Jon's 29th birthday. We hit the road at seven and headed for FG. It was a great trip and we all had a lot fun. It was so nice to be able to travel with the whole family.

Hats

We had some special visitors on Friday night . . . Robin and Lindsey were in town for conferences so they swung by the house. It was great to spend some time with them, and Carly loved all the extra attention. She especially loved how they clapped for EVERY move she made.

We also have pictures of her over the last few days sporting her new hats and a new dress. She isn't crazy about the hat when you first put it on, but she gets over it fairly quick.

Carly's friend, Ryan, sent her a toy that she really loves. She dances to the music and bounces up and down. Thanks, Ryan!

Great-Grandparents

Carly is a very lucky girl, she had the opportunity to meet five of her great-grandparents and all four of her grandparents. We all know how special grandparents are and how lucky we are to make memories with them. This weekend Jon's Grandma, Carly's Great-Grandma Pethan, passed away at the age of 92. We thought we'd post some pictures of Carly with these very special family members.

Great-Grandma Class Great-Grandma Pethan
Great-Grandma Willis

Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Skinner

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving! Our holiday was really nice. We travelled to Boonville to have lunch with Jon's dad's side of the family and several family members were able to make it. Six of the great-grandchildren were there, all happy and full of energy. They ranged in ages from five months to seven years.

My parents had lunch with the Willis side and dinner with the Skinner side. They came to our house on Thursday night and stayed til Saturday morning. Surprisingly, we headed to the mall on Friday, but not much before noon. Mom wanted me to help her pick out some things for Carly for Christmas. We had a really nice visit with them and they made it home safely.

Today we had a disappointing day of football - watching the Border Showdown, MU-KU game. Enough said.



Here's Carly after a day with Grandma at the mall.

We're Back

Well, this is a pretty good illustration of what our weekend has been like. We haven't done much except enjoy being at home and kicking back. I have been under the weather all week with a nasty cold and Carly has had a runny nose and a touch of a cough. Don't worry though, fortunately it hasn't slowed her down a bit.

Sorry we have been out of touch for the past couple of weeks. As you can probably guess, we have been busy. Jon and I went to New Orleans for 6 days and 5 nights - without Carly! She stayed with her Grandpa and Grandma Class. It was the longest we had been away from her. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't terrible either. We all 3 handled it pretty well. There were no reported meltdowns.

It was my first trip to NO and it was great. I loved the city and its history. Jon was in a conference 2 1/2 days, so I had some time to sightsee on my own. I joined a tour here and there, yes I know that screemed tourist, but I enjoyed every bit of the experience. Well, every bit but the one morning it poured and it happened to be the only morning I didn't carry my umbrella down the riverwalk. I love to people-watch, and the sights and sounds of NO provided no shortage of people to observe. The food and the music were wonderful! I have to say, it was great to have Jon to myself for a few days and be reminded of how our lives have changed so much in the last ten months. We really love being parents, yet we still love to be a couple. Ok, sorry, enough of that. It was a great trip!!!

Nice Day

Today Carly got to do one of her favorite things outside - swing!

Then we came inside and had goolash for lunch.

Sitting Up!

Carly finally sat up on her own today! There are two great things about this development, 1) it's a significant milestone and 2) she will no longer need to cry in frustration for our help to sit. (Now, I am sure, it will be crying to stand.)

In the past I have tried several times to post videos with no success. Tonight I finally accomplished it. I posted a short video. So, for your viewing pleasure . . . Carly's latest triumph!