Road Trip to Kansas

I'm not even sure where to begin.  The last 5 days have been a blast and a blur.  But mostly a blast.  We decided to make the ~730 mile drive to Ulysses, KS - hometown of our very own Bryce.  It was a much overdue trip, as can happen when you have a baby.  We haven't all been to KS since Abby was 1.5 years old and we went for Christmas of 2010.  Although we were only in KS for few days, we managed to see so many friends and family.  It was worth the long drive and I'm glad our girls got to spend time with their great grandparents and learn about their Daddy as a child.  This was Lilly's first time to Ulysses and I know she won't remember it but I'm sure Abby will tell her all about it.  :)  We showed Abby the hospital Bryce was born at, the house he grew up in, the pool he learned to swim in, his elementary school, etc.  She was so curious about what he did, where he slept, what he played with, etc.  It was sweet to see her genuine interest in his childhood.  What a fun age.     

On our way up, we spent the night in Fort Worth and got to catch up with our old college buddies and friends.  The fun part is seeing all of our kids play together.  This was also a much overdue reunion.  We had great food, great company and now great memories to add to our friendships.  

Unfortunately, Bryce got sick on our drive up and had a fever for the next 3 days.  Eventually, Abby caught it and she spent the drive home sick.  We drove straight home on the way back.  We spent 13 hours in the car yesterday and let's just say, we were all glad to get out of the car.  So Bryce is now recovering and Abby is in the peak of her viral symptoms.  Cross your fingers for me and Lilly!  On to the pictures...

There were so many kiddos!  And so many boy-toys for my girls to play with!

Abby loved playing with the twins!  It didn't bother her at all when they pulled up on her.  She loved how little they were.  :)

We drove into KS on July 4th and this is the birth place of Bryce's inner-pyro: Grandma Jo and Granddads back yard.  You can't tell but it was past 8:00 PM here and still this bright out.  Lilly was fast asleep in the dark, quiet basement and missed the festivities.

Abby loved the tank fire work!  Sparks flew out of the front and back and in the very end, the American flag pops out of the top!

Grandma Jo and Abby.

And who doesn't love a pink firework car?

My poor Bryce.  He has a fever in this picture and he really wanted to participate more but was forced to sit on the sideline and let his younger cousins have all the fun.

Bryce's cousin Trent stopped by with his look-alike son.  I always thought Bryce and Trent could pass for brothers!

Abby's "reading" the comics to Granddad.  :)

Bryce going down memory lane.  He was going to sell all of his Transformers as a kid but Grandma Jo thought he would regret it so she bought them from him years ago.  Well, now she gave them back.  Her plan worked.  :)

The inevitable happened.  The girls wanted to play too!

This little girl was her usual self - nonstop, always on the go.  ♥  She wore herself out every night and fell asleep before her head ever hit the pack-n-play.

Shhh!!!  Granddad's napping!

Bryce's cousin's brought their 2 year old puppy Samson and the girls loved watching him...from a safe distance.  :)  He's a sweet little puppy and Lilly kept saying "gou gou" and woof woof to him!

It's a tradition for Grandma Jo to take the kids to get donuts in the morning and this was Abby's first time to go!  She had so much fun and loved spending time with her cousins Josh and Caleb.  :)

Abby's "friends" liked to take naps on Granddad's couch with his blanket.

We spent Saturday with the Bakers and both girls loved playing with all their toys.  :)

We have a picture of Abby kissing Grandma Baker on our last trip and this time Lilly did it too!

My sweet girls.  ♥

The Bakers!

Then we headed over to Bryce's other cousin LeeAnn's house for a delicious dinner.  Grandma Baker set the bar high for home cooking so I wasn't surprised when both girls ate everything on their plates!

Do you think Lilly liked Grandma Baker's pineapple cheesecake??  :)

Abby had so much fun playing salon with Alison.

They were taking turns and giving each other pretend hair cuts.  :)

And, of course, Lilly wanted in on the fun too!

What a fun trip!  We can't wait to go back again!