Things I want to tell my dad...: Oooooklahoma!

It has been a very busy few weeks! We took a fun trip to OK and MO to visit family and it was quite the excursion! I always forget how hard it is to prepare for a trip with 3 little kids. But I purposed this time to take the whole week before to clean and slowly pack so that I wasn't doing it all Saturday. Speaking of Saturday, Ryan and Jamie got married and it was a beautiful wedding! You would have loved it and I am sure you would have been so excited for your work out buddy! Back to the trip, Jack and Dorothy came with us and we dropped Dorothy off in Albuquerque with grandpa and grandma for some time with them. I think she enjoyed herself and of course she came home with lots of crafts and supplies! The kids did really well in the car, better than I had anticipated, it was my poor tailbone that was problematic. Sitting that long was less than pleasant and I couldn't get comfortable to save my life! Not to mention I was sitting in the back so I got totally car sick! But I am a big girl, so I didn't complain...much. hehe But I have to say, as awesome as Bryan is, he doesn't spoil me like you used to on road trips. We always got an ice cream, or a candy bar along the way, but Bryan isn't a fan of such things so I have to really beg to get a chocolate fix! haha It was definitely difficult at times because something funny would happen (Colin and Bryan peeing on the side of the interstate, for exmaple) and I would immediately think, "Oh dad would get a kick out of that!" only to realize I couldn't text you. The last time we did this trip I kept you updated the whole time, sent you pics of the kids, called you on the phone, etc. It seemed so unnatural to not be able to keep you in our travel loop. Then to make it that much harder Dorothy was in the back seat listening to all "your" songs. Do I Trust You, Beautiful Things, In Christ Alone, I Shall Not Die, etc. My heart ached so bad remembering you laying in your Laz-E-Boy chair with your phone in hand, singing along to your favorite tunes. You never sang on key but I loved it none the less! On the plus side Dorothy can sing, so it wasn't painful to hear her singing along. hehe
One of the best parts of the trip was an impromptu visit in the McDonalds parking lot on Kickapoo (yes that's a real street name!) with my dear friend Julie! I haven't seen her since Stacey was with Ballet Magnificat so it was wonderful to see her! Neither of us had very long to visit but it was still great! We also got to meet little Abigail who was in her mommy's tummy last time we visited. She is such a sweetheart and her laugh is seriously the best ever! It is not your typical baby laugh and I can't even mimic it, but it's just adorable. Next time we see them they will have another little treasure in the family, something they (Bryan's cousins) waited a long time for! We also got to hang out with Great Grandma Mabel and she got to hold Owen. Cecily also sat on her lap a few times and her great grandma thought that was pretty sweet! Colin was a pill (wait til you see the picture I tried to get of him with her! ugh) and wouldn't cooperate in pics at all on that trip. I only have a few where he wasn't freaking out and throwing fits. I guess he is a home-body like his mommy! The poor kids kept falling out of bed because they are used to their beds at home so they are covered in bruises. We tried everything to keep them in but somehow they always managed to fall off. Oh well, builds character, like you always used to say!
So, that wraps up the first half of our trip! I will have to write about our visit to Missouri to see Stacey tomorrow. Owen is needing to go to bed and he won't go down without me. I love you daddy and my heart aches more and more each day to see you again!
Your Favorite Second Born,
Carley
Lots of pictures!!!! These first two are of Becca and Jesse's visit before we left. They all had fun playing together and the two little boys were so cute together!