Kansas Trip

As a family we decided that we needed a break from our routine so we decided we needed a vacation. After discussing ideas we finally settled on Kansas to go and visit some a Mike's family that live down there. Mike's brother Charlie and his family, his sister Lauree and her family, andhis sister Jaimee all live there. However this meant a 16 hour+ drive out there because plane tickets are too expensive especially now that we would have to pay for Tyson. So on March 22nd we started on our way. We had packed the portable DVD players and many toys, books, and other distractions for Tyson. He did quite well on the whole trip except for a few outbursts which would be expected from a 2 year old on a 16 hour trip. Tyson did not sleep a ton but did watch quite a few movies. Eliza did really well and only cried when she got hungry. I would get back there inbetween the car seats (which is a tight fit but doable) and feed her when she got hungry. On our way out to Kansas we took I-80 and we had almost got to Laramie, Wyoming when they shut down the interstate and were not letting anyone through because of a severe storm with high winds. We were told that there were about 15 crashes there. So we had to backtrack a little and go about 170 miles (about 3 1/2 hours) out of our way to get past this. We went up through Casper and around to Cheyenne, Wyoming. We stopped in Cheyenne for the night. It wasn't until about 11:30 PM when we got there and by the time we got in and got everyone to bed it was probably 1:00 AM. We started off the next day around 8:00 AM and made it to Kansas at about 5:00 Kansas time. Long trip especially with the detour. That night we just spent time hanging out, talking, and have a bbq dinner with yummy ribs. We stayed with Charlie and Lotus and their family for two nights. Then went to Lauree and Chris Rush's the next two nights. The first day that we were there we went to the insect museum on campus and had pizza for lunch and then ice cream. We went home put the kids down for naps and the boys tried out their insects that they got from the insect museum and had dinner and had a lot of fun just hanging out. The next day we got up and ready and headed to Topeka and went to the zoo there and then went back to the Rush's house and had lunch and naps. We had a birthday dinner for Jaimee of fajitas. Saturday we all just hung around and talked then said goodbye to Charlie and Lotus and their family that night. We stayed another night at the Rush's and then left their house Sunday morning to head home. This time we headed on I-70. The weather got a little rough in Colorado around Vail. We decided to stop in Glenwood Springs that night to spend the night. We stopped around 9:30 and got a room and were able to relax a little bit. We left the next morning after breakfast at 8:00 AM and made it back home at about 1:00 PM. It was a long drive but short stay. It was fun though to see everyone.

Tyson at naptime

Eliza did quite a bit of this

Insect Museum

playing with bugs

being bugs ourselves

the three little girl cousins (Rylee, Eliza, Rosie)

Shining a flashlight at the bugs

The whole family

Our little family in front of the butterfly showcase

After the insect museum we went outside and got another group family picture

Cousins playing together outside

Eating ice cream

What a happy bunch of kids. They had so much fun playing together.

Eating the insects from the insect museum

Topeka Zoo (It was a very cold day)

All the boys (Mike, Tyson, Tanner, Chris, Sammy, Charlie)

Most the girls-minus the three baby girls who were all sleeping at this time (Lauree, Jaimee, Maddie, Chari, Lotus)

Tyson was introduced to bubble baths this trip and now asks for them all the time. Yes we had to go out and buy bubble bath.

The three little boys did a lot of wrestling and being little boys. They had a lot of fun together.

Two of the little girls. Sharing binkies. How nice.

All the cousins. The best picture we could get. (Rosie, Maddie, Tanner, Rylee, Sammy, Tyson, Eliza)

Saying goodbye to Sammy.

Back in the car for the trip home.

Four Months

Eliza is now four months old. She weighs 10 pounds 6 ounces (3rd percentile) and is 23.5 inches (24th percentile). She rolled over for the first time from her belly to her back on April 2, 2011 and of course I missed it. I had put her on her belly for tummy time and looked over at Tyson and when I looked back she was on her back. I put her back on her tummy and she wouldn't do it again and still hasn't so coincidence? Probably just the exact right positioning. But I am sure it won't be long before she is consistently doing it. She is such a good girl. She sleeps through the night most nights except a few nights here and there. If she does get up she will eat and go right back to sleep. She loves her binkie and is loving playing with toys. She went on her first long car ride (16 hours) to Kansas and did so well only cried when she was hungry. She eats about 5 ounces. She loves it when her brother talks to her and she just laughs at him. She is our precious petite little girl. We love her so much.

Wedding

Our really good friends Colin and Mackenzie got married. They are such a good match and are so sweet. We are so excited for them and wish them Congratulations.

A Fun Filled February

This is just Tyson and Eliza just chillin' before bedtime. Aren't they just cute. I have the most adorable kids.

Tyson found this bag one morning when he woke up. Mike got it from a convention that he went to in Las Vegas and left it out the night he got home and so Tyson found it and filled it with random objects put on his coat and said "bye, bye". I asked him where he was going and he said "store."

This is a captured moment that happens constantly at our house. Tyson giving his sister "kisses" most the time very aggressively and this is her face most often when he is doing it. I bet she is thinking can't you stop him from smothering me. He LOVES his little sister and LOVES to give her kisses. Her on the other hand is going to have to learn to love and and get used to her big brothers aggressiveness and loving ways.

Eliza at three months.

Eliza is so much fun and I just love her cute smiles and all the fun sounds she makes. She is barely weighing 10 pounds (I know small, but adorable) and abour 22 inches long. She is finally made it into 0-3 month clothes after three months and made it into size one diapers. She has found her hands and is starting to play and be interested in toys. She is starting to talk and do little giggles and has been smiling for awhile. Is on formula and drinks about 4-5 ounces every 3 hours. She just started sleeping through the night and we just moved her to her room with Tyson. She is starting to like her baths and smiles when I bathe her and doesn't like tummy time. She also would rather sit up than lay down. We love having her in our family. She is our pretty little princess.

Tyson having a yummy, "healthy" churro for a snack.

I went to walmart one night and got Tyson and Eliza both a toy. I got Tyson this bowling set. He had fun with it the first couple days and then of course it died down. He got really frustrated when he couldn't set the pins up on his own because they would always fall down as he was setting him up. But Tyson seems to get frustrated really easily over any small thing. Hopefully that phase passes soon.

And I got this toy for Eliza. So why is Tyson the one playing with it? I think they mismarked the box. It said for ages 0-5 months, however it also works for a 2 year old and keeps him quite entertained.

Sibling playtime. Whenever Eliza gets put under the toy Tyson always seems to be right there under it with her.

Playtime with her toy. She is starting to love playing and reaching for the toys.

Also, we went to the zoo for free zoo day last Wednesday. It was a really nice day. I didn't get too many pictures only one with the camel and the giraffe. Tyson loved the monkeys and giraffes (but actually I think his favorite part of the zoo was the tractors they were using for construction.)