ROAD TR-IP: Abilene, TX

Caden and I figured since the rest of the world was enjoying Spring Break that we should too! I mean it just seemed right to hit the road with everyone else and go on a little trip... to be more specific a ...

ROAD Tr-ip!! (this should be said just like Elle's friends do in Legally Blonde!)

So KK came to the Rock on Thursday morning and picked up Caden and I and we headed to Abilene. These days we have quite a bit of family that lives there since my cousin Michelle and her hubby moved there a year ago. With them in town and our other family just a few hours North it is the perfect spot to meet up! It was definitely a quick trip but a FUN one. With the exception of two grandkids, my gram had all her kids, grandkids (missed you Shan and Josh) and great-grandkids ALL under one roof! A pretty special time for her, I know! :)

Of course, we did come in and take over her house for a few days. It amazes me after the years and years of torture that house has taken from grandkids that it looks as good as it does! How did it ever survive?! My Gram is one good house-keeper! That has to be it! :)

Our days and nights mostly revolved around the two newest members of our family... Cy and Caden! They are both at such fun ages now and really do enjoy playing, laughing and of course EATING! We had such a blast watching their sweet, little relationships blossom. Of course it seemed that it wasn't until the last few hours of our stay that they REALLY started noticing each other... hopefully they'll pick right back up where they left off. I know my cousins and I always did it that way!

I feel so insanely blessed to have grown up in the family that I did. We always have so much fun together and are never short on laughs! Oh my... I am sure glad we spend so much time laughing because the amount of food we eat is kind of crazy! It definitely helps with the calorie consumption. It was so good to see ALL of you!! I can't wait to set up camp in Abilene again soon! Actually... next ROAD Tr-ip will be to Seminole later this summer!! Get ready Wicksons... we're comin' for ya! :)

Thanks again Gram for hosting the circus for a few days... we loved being there! We're sorry that you were short on sleep that last night...Caden just couldn't stand to sleep when he knew the fun that awaited him... ha! :)

And now for the main event... the slideshow of the trip!

Little Cy standing up like such a BIG boy!

Caden begging someone, anyone to go OUTSIDE!! PAH-LEASE open the door!! PAH-LEASE!! Cy wasn't so sure he could do it, but he was going to see what he could do to help!

On Friday we braved the cold and wind and took the kiddos to the Abilene Zoo. They were expecting record crowds that day because of Spring Break so we went early to get our look at the action!

The wind was absolutely ridiculous... the next morning we would learn why when we woke up to sleet and snow and even COLDER temperatures!! It set our departure back a few hours, but that's okay at least we made it home!

Such sweet cold weather gear our boys have!!

I couldn't wait to visit the giraffes! I remember coming to the Abilene Zoo when I was a little tyke and feeding the giraffes. I remember sticking my fingers through the gate with a peanut and letting it lick it right out of my hands. OH, I loved it. I was so excited that Caden would get to do the same. Although now they have SUPER fancy crackers that they feed the animals and not peanuts, but it is still the same concept!

Cy got a good lick but Caden wasn't as lucky... there were lots of kiddos around to choose from!

Then we visited some buffalo... LOTS of buffalo actually!

Then of course there were the lions and tigers and bears, except actually you should replace lions for rhinos and bears for monkeys and that would sum up our trip! It was fun... even in the wind and cold.

The boys were in some adorable matching outfits that both of their grandmas bought on separate occasions so we had to photo-op it without the cold weather gear covering it up!

The boys and their mommies! 

I've learned that the wind is the perfect way to find your hair's natural part... haha!!

Then we made a quick trip to the park next door to the zoo. It was the neatest park... I wish we could have played longer, but the weather was beating us all up!

This was Cy's first time in a swing... he LOVED it. He was giggling and laughing the entire time. I think his Mommy and Daddy or maybe even the Easter Bunny might be brining him a swing soon! :)

And because I have ZERO pride I will show you the super FAST slide adventure that Caden and I went on and five times in the short time we were there! Haha! Thanks KK for the ultra flattering photography! :)

See how fast we were going check out my hair?!! Or was that the wind... HA!

Then there was a bouncy bridge!! Caden's new favorite thing is bouncing... favorite place so far though has been Gram's ottoman! :)

In the tunnel...

A pic of the Grandma's and their grandsons... KK and Caden and Nana and Cy! Sweet boys!!

Close-up!!

The weather in Abilene really is hard to predict... Later in the afternoon on Friday the wind stopped and it got a touch warmer so we spent a bunch of time in the backyard. Thursday afternoon we spent pretty much ALL of our time our there too. We were practicing Easter Egg hunting with the eggs that Gram bought for the boys. Caden was loving it! Cy wasn't there yet so we had to catch him up on the fun on Friday!

Caden can turn anything into an adventure. A blown over pool chair can easily be made into slide... 
Gram has some really cool things on her fence... I wonder if...

I can get one of those things off...

NO! Caden, NO! Okay, okay, I'll go back with the rest of the group and sit in the grass... not as fun as pulling stuff off the fence, but whatever! :)

At the end of each day the boys were FILTHY! They smelled like they belonged in the zoo and come to think of it I did too! I had zoo hair for sure!!

So only one thing to do when you are a bit dirty...

TAKE A DUDE BATH!!

Caden's a little embarrassed because he knows it is going on the blog... geez Mom, can't a guy get some privacy?! 

What a fun trip! We were so glad it worked out like it did... Cy and Caden haven't gotten to spend more than a few hours together before so we were really glad to have so much (still not near enough) time with everyone! Can't wait for Seminole Trip 2010!

Thanks for driving us KK! We had a great time... and an even better time thanks to your handy dandy DVD player in the car! What a lifesaver for a long trip! :)

We're missin' y'all already!!