Over the Hills and Down I-10...

To KK's house we go... our car knows the way to carry our stuff through the hot and steamy roadways!!

Over the Hills and Down I-10, is that HWY 59 I spy?

Well, sure enough it is oh my, it's time to have a REAL good time!

Okay, so that maybe wasn't the best rendition of Over the River and Through the Woods... but I started it and had to finish at least the first verse... my apologies for those of you who actually tried to sing along! It was rough at best!

So I guess the secret is out... we went to KK and Albi's house for the weekend! The LONG weekend! We had lots of celebrating to do in Houston this weekend. First up was a baby shower for Aunt Ree Ree on Saturday and a perfectly pinwheel-ed first birthday celebration for Kaki on Sunday... BIG WEEKEND! But like any true party-goer knows... you've got to a little warm up before the big show! So we did just that!

The kids and I left our humble abode in the Rock and headed over the hills and down I-10 to Houston on Thursday morning to make the MOST of our weekend away. Lucky for us my grandmother and Aunt Martha drove ALL THE WAY from Abilene to be with us for the weekend too! We were SO excited to see them and get to spend some time together before all of the festivities began!

Once we got to the house we just relaxed most of the day... and by relax I mean pull EVERY toy out of the toy chests, pile up all of our junk in the entry way and spill food on the floor... you know... the normal grandkid type stuff! :) BUT who doesn't love a good grandkid?! :)

On Thursday night after a yummy dinner prepared by Chef KK we all headed out in the backyard which would later be known as the chigger swamp to play baseball. Caden was LOVING all of the attention and could not get enough eyes on him! My Aunt Martha can whistle with the best of them... like two fingers in the mouth and give it your all kind of whistle! It's awesome! So naturally every time Caden got a hit she whistled! And we all cheered and clapped and roared! The crowd went wild! And so did he! Kaki would even give him a clap every now and again! :) And of course before each pitch he'd look over at his fan club and ask, "Are you watching me?" Let's hope that if the big leagues are in his future he'll lose that particular habit! :)

Martha and I were sad to have taken on the role of pitcher that night as the next two days we were counting the number of chigger bites that were popping up all over our bodies! Apparently, Martha and I are made of the same stuff because boy did we get 'em! And Caden and KK are made of the same stuff because the mosquitos like them! Strange isn't it?! 

But bug bites be darned we had a GREAT time takin' Caden out to the ball game! :)

The next day was a busier day... we had pool things to tend to. So after Kaki got her a morning nap we loaded up and headed to the pool to play and eat lunch and then play some more! It was summertime at its very finest! We had such a great time running through the splash pad, floating down the lazy river and shootin' hoops in the pool! With five pools, a splash pad and a lazy river to choose from it was a kid's dream... and by kid I mean ME! It was awesome! :) And the perfect way to beat the heat/wear out two kids!

Sweet Kaki just won't get on the walkin train and the ground was pretty rough on the knees so we strolled her through the splash pad and she LOVED it! The stroller definitely needed a good soakin! 

Later that afternoon Aunt Emily arrived and the fun got even bigger! We had a yummy fajita dinner and enjoyed time sitting around drinking wine and chatting about life... that is when both Kaki and Caden weren't attempting to entertain us all! Which you know is not hard to do! :) They were so excited to have so many adoring fans in their presence... and ones that are not named Mommy and Daddy!

Next to arrive was Albi... straight off of the tarmac... and fresh out of a taxi... he arrived ready to eat and play some baseball with "that boy!" And the girls were happy to turn him loose... both of them! :) We needed a little testosterone...

And speaking of that... Daddy arrived not too long after we put the kids down for the night and so we had yet another man to add to the bunch! We were almost complete... just waiting on Uncle Josh who was tied up with work to join us the next morning...

And join us he did...

See there is proof...

Uncle Josh and Caden on the golf course!

While Aunt Emily and I were at the baby shower and KK, Martha and Gram were hanging out with Kaki-love, Caden went with the big boys for a round of golf. It was HOT but he made it his usual nine holes before he came home to see how the girls were doing. By the time I got home his cheeks were more pink than purple and he was resting on the couch, treating the rest of the women to a nice round of Oso and Doc McStuffins! Fun for them... :)

Caden had the BEST time playing golf and told us ALL DAY... "I played a really good game of golf! I am really good at golf." Similar to the way he talks about his baseball skills! It is clear that the child is loving the hand-eye coordination sports these days... and I'm just fine with that! :) He loves him some sports... it's crazy!! He would play baseball ALL DAY! And I know he is missing his backyard right now, so it was a huge blessing for us to have a place to go and let him loose with his bat and his ball! :) 

After golf, shower activities and naps we all went to the pool for a later afternoon/early evening refresh... it was marvelous! Cocktails, appetizers... cooling off... lovely! Again... it is what summer dreams are made of!

We all had so much fun watching how brave Caden was getting... with each pass through the splash park he'd stand further and further under the BIG BUCKET OF WATER DOOM! :) He even talked Uncle Josh into standing under it! :) It was classic! Caden was a wild man... and a tired man by the time it was all said and done!

After the pool it was pretty much... FEED 'EM, BATHE 'EM, PUT 'EM DOWN before they melt down! Those two kids had had a FUN FUN day and were ready for a nice night of sleep... or at least that's what I told them would be best for them. I am pretty sure they may have kept going if we had let them! :)

Albi treated us to a delicious steak dinner on the grill and KK and Aunt Emily cooked up a yummy salad and we were set... we had a great dinner around the table. We giggled and laughed until we cried! Times likes those around the dinner table are some of my VERY FAVORITE memories! There is nothing better than kicking back, long after you've finished your plate and enjoying a hilarious conversation with the people who know you best and love you anyways! :) 

Of course, I will put up an entire post about Kaki's birthday party all in itself, but I couldn't let this weekend go un-noted, because it was a really great weekend! My heart was so full all weekend getting to spend time with family and share my kids with people who don't get to see them near as much as I and they would like. It was such a treasure! I want to tuck it away in my heart for good!

I wish I had more pictures of the fun, but in this case I am positive that the memories will far outlive any picture! We had a blast!! I'm ready to do it all over again! 

Hopefully, soon!

Next up... the grand finale... Kaki's Pinwheel Party!! Stay tuned!