A Quick Trip To Abilene

Also in November...

(Have you caught up on the previous posts?? I have been a busy blogger this week!)

We traveled to Abilene the week before Thanksgiving to visit all of our Abilene crew since we would not be celebrating Turkey Day with each of them. 

First stop...

Grandmother's back yard... of course the kids would not take my word for it... they had to feel for themselves just HOW cold it really was! 

We beat KK on our trip North and West, and had lots of fun catching up with Grandmother while we were waiting on her. And then the fun just kept coming through the door.. quite literally, as Martha, Clay and Kyle all decided to stop in for a visit! 

We all ate dinner together and had a great time visiting!

The next day we had lots of people to see...

First up, Uncle Roger and Aunt Kay! 

We had a blast playing in their yard too... but then it got a bit cooler and windy... and so we ventured inside to find all sorts of fun! Including a fish tank ;) And chocolate... Kaki discovered the candy bowl and proceeded to eat chocolate for her lunch! :)

Kay and the kids had a blast and even made up their own peek-a-boo game which we have on video and it is HILARIOUS! Kay... I'll sent it to you! What fun! Kaki was not her busy, walking, talking self the last time we saw them so they were getting quite a kick out of our Kaki-pants... she is a bit unexpected at times! :) 

Group shot... such a good one!!

I love going to visit Roger and Kay because they live in my Grandparent's home... and a home I "grew up" in too. So much is still the same and it brings back lots of great memories. I think about the Sears catalogue that my Grandaddy would save for me and would let me look through each and every page while sitting on his lap, telling him what I wanted for Christmas. The popcorn that he used to pop fresh for us before we left for our trips back home... somehow he got salt in every single nook and cranny... he was an expert popcorn maker! The tootsie rolls they kept in bags on the counter... the round table that used to sit in the corner of the living room now sits in the center, but my Mommae used to keep all of our books on it and I would pick out a big stack and sit next to her on the couch and listen to her read them to me. I remember sitting in the formal living room when we opened our Christmas presents but only then... otherwise we were always in the den...  Except for when my Grandaddy put a putting green in there and we went in there to play golf... it was always SO FUN! I remember how my Grandaddy used to hum as he walked down the hallway and the way he ALWAYS had to use the restroom before we left the house. I love the way he said my name and I can still hear it so clearly in my head. He insisted that we always got the flag at Furr's that meant we could get unlimited servings of mac n cheese. I remember eating Grape Nuts and drinking Prune juice just because I wanted to be like him! My Mommae's scrambled eggs are the best I've ever had... only my dad can come close to doing them like her and I think he and I are the only two people on this earth who like them like that! 

The memories go on and on... I am glad I wrote a few down here, but it gets me thinking that I need to do more... so my kids and their kids... and their kids... until Jesus comes back can know a little bit more about their heritage!

I snapped this picture of a picture while we were visiting their home and I have looked at it more times than I can count since then. I want a copy of it... and I want my kids to know how awesome my grandparents were... and want them to be equally excited to meet them someday in Heaven! Caden would have loved talking football with Grandaddy Murray and Kaki would have sat for hours reading books with Mommae... It warms my heart to know that someday they'll get to do just that! Caden is certainly curious!

If I only knew then what I know now... famous last words, aren't they? I'd have cherished more... These are things I will tell my kids... I just hope they listen!! :)

And now I am boo-hooing... pull it together... let's finish this blog!

Okay...

After a good long nap that afternoon we joined the rest of our Abilene crew at Grandmother's for dinner! My cousin Michelle brought her two sweet girls over to play! Of course... babies were meant to be held... at least that is how Kaki does it! :)

She looks so proud ... and poor Kennedy is not so sure! :)

I snapped some pics... I couldn't resist that face!!

And neither could Caden...

Martha and Kennedy... comparing nails! :)

My sweet Grandmother... lots of grandbabies and greatgrandbabies have been in those arms and we are all the better for it!

My grandmother fixed us an amazing dinner... as per usual and we enjoyed getting to chit chat and play with everyone. Caden got an especially neat treat when my Uncle Mark took Caden on a fun little outting... to the gas station... bought him $25+ of junk... and he thought it was AWESOME! In one of his candy boxes he got a tongue tattoo... cool, right? So he wanted to do it...

Magic eight ball tongue... 

Uncle Mark used to do all sorts of fun things with my cousins and I, so it is fun to see Caden get to experience the same too! Tongue tattoos and all! :)

We left to head back home the next morning... we were sad to go but so thankful we had the opportunity to sneak in a visit just before the Thanksgiving holiday!

I snapped a cut pic of my dad and compared it side by side with my kids... definitely see some similarities!! :)

Thank you Grandmother for letting us come and set up shop for a few days... we always leave a trail behind us and we are grateful there are still people who don't mind cleaning it up! :)

See ya soon Abilene!