Quick Trip to Abilene

We decided to spend the weekend in Abilene since Miles' mom was keeping Elle on Friday and baby's arrival seemed to be on hold. Friday morning we rented a car and hit the road. Encountering heavy rain and traffic slowed us down a bit, as did stopping to eat. We finally arrived after 3 PM and checked into our hotel in the Big A. Susan, Aidan and Ally met us soon after and we were SO happy to see them! We enjoyed dinner out and then they all spent the night with us at the hotel. Corey was working late and wasn't able to come along. We talked, drew pictures, told stories and caught up on news. Aidan has quite the imagination and kept us amused with his stories and drawings. He also let us in on the secret that he has a little girlfriend named Vivi. Rich asked him if his heart pounds when she's around and he shyly admitted "yes!" So cute.

Saturday we went to the Abilene Zoo and walked around in the sunshine.

I thought this was really sweet--Ally grabbed one of the tabs on Rich's pants while we were walking along.

Then to Target to pick up a few things we needed, and of course, to buy some presents for the kids. Aidan picked a 288-piece Lego project. It was really the only thing he wanted so I didn't want to say no. Rich tried to warn me off, seeing what the future would look like in the hotel room. The box was full of tiny pieces and confusing instructions. But Grandpa put aside his "I told you so" and went to work helping Aidan.

Later we met up with friends at Jim's house and went out for dinner. Most of the photos did not turn out but here are "the boys," Jim, Aidan and Rich. Does Aidan look like he is controlling these two or what?

Sherri, Susan, Jim, Karen and Jane with Aidan in front. It's always so great to see these friends who've been with me through thick and thin.

Back at the hotel, Ally is ready for bed

Ally is such a sweet girl. She almost always has a smile on her face and a big twinkle in her eyes. She enjoyed playing some kids' games on the computer and could recognize most of the letters of the alphabet. She also had fun singing songs and telling us about her friends, including her "boyfriend," Raleigh.

Whew! Two hours later, look what these guys accomplished! One Lego car down, one more to go!

Cute, happy boy!