We're Baaa-ack!

And we're back...

...to the blog world...

AND to our home sweet home!

"I didn't realize you were going out of town," you say!

Well, yes... we did in fact just return yesterday from a quick little road trip!

"Where did you go, Katie," you say?!

Well... I am SO glad you asked!

The story is rather complex, full of unexpected twists and turns, hospital visits, surgeries and such, but the GREAT news is that all of the ups and downs of the past few days each ended with a BIG HAPPY UP! :)

For Caden and I, our BIG HAPPY UP came in the form of this sweet, endearing smile...

That's my grandmother, some call her Gram but I can't shake the Grandmother... so she's my grandmother and Caden's great-grandmother! AND Caden and I had the privilege of road trippin' it to Abilene this week to spend some time with her and be her personal chauffeur to and from the doctor's office! Insert surgery number 1! :) Luckily, my grandmother is nothing short of a CHAMP and a measly cataract surgery was NO big deal for her... so really the trip that was supposed to be more about US taking care of HER, ended up being more about HER SPOILING US! :) Ah... the life of a grandkid... it really is a tough one! Ha!

She treated us to several yummy meals and of course AMPLE time in her swimming pool! And even a nap... yes, that's right! I took a 1.5 hour nap one of the days we were there! She suggested I try to lay down and I said okay, sure, thinking that I was doing her more of a favor by letting her have some quiet time, BUT then 1.5 hours later I awoke, refreshed and ready to go! :) What a treat! And Caden took an extra great nap that day too! Whoo hoo!

So while Caden and I were relaxin' in the lap of luxury, KK and Albi were taking care of Unlce Josh... insert, surgery #2! Uncle Josh had an unexpected trip to the ER last week. It ended fine but he was sent home with a prescription for surgery... and that surgery just so happened to coincide with Grandmother's surgery... SO what is a fam to do BUT play a little family shuffle! I'm thinkin' KK must have drawn the short straw though because she didn't get to have any pool time or yummy meals in the hospital... you win some, you lose some, KK! :)

And in other BIG HAPPY UP news, Unlce Josh's surgery went FANTASTIC and he is recovering well at home after only a one night stay in the hospital! He is a trooper and even MORE of a trooper than our little patient has been his wonderfully forgiving and patient CAREGIVER... Aunt Emily! She may have missed her calling as a nurse, but fortunately Josh is giving her an opportunity to realize her potential as she takes care of him at home!

So two surgeries, an ER visit... LOTS of doctors visits and a little time in the car later we are all home, rested and ready to carry on with our summer! And Caden and I are excited to be back in action in the blog world...

Here are a few highlights from Caden and I's travels to Abilene...

Caden lovin' on his baby! He was gentle A LOT giving the baby lots of hugs, but then at times he thought the baby worked as an excellent chew toy too... his favorite parts to taste were her head and her toes... poor baby!

Caden LOVED having an audience for a few days... he was FIRED up! Again, I am not sure if Caden and I were more of a blessing or a burden, but regardless we sure did have FUN! And I think Grandmother liked having a little firecracker to entertain her as well! :)

Caden was always willing to share his drink with Gram... especially since she was so kind to share her coffee with Caden each morning! I know, I know... such a bad habit I've started! The kid likes his coffee, what can I say?!

Every Grandmother has "THE DRAWER," a safe place for kiddos to toss, taste and destroy! And Caden was LOVIN' his great-grandmother's drawer!

Now Caden was pretty upset that it had been SO long since we blogged and so he was determined to get something up while we were in Abilene... he just never could find the right words though... they just didn't come... writer's block!

So I think he opted for a little facebook browsing instead... and I'm sure he caught up on a few emails to his KK and Nana and maybe even Paps and Albi too!

Mostly we just played (ran around like a banshee) around the house... with our toys, Grandmother's toys and ANY thing else that looked worthwhile!

Caden did a great job as a nurse and an even better job as an entertainer... it was probably hard to focus on anything other than his sweet, crazy little antics!

We are glad to be home with our Daddy (we missed him A LOT!), but of course are missing all of the fun we had in Abilene too! Thanks for hosting us Grandmother... we had a GREAT time "taking care" of you! We love you!

AND we love you too, bloggies!! Hope everyone is having a good week! I'm looking forward to catching up on your world's too!

Much love!!