Visit with the Perry's

A couple of weeks before our Oklahoma trip, my dear friend Lindsey called to say she would do almost anything to get to see us and of course we wanted to see them too!  So we worked out a plan for us to meet up in Oklahoma when Micah and I were on our way back to Houston.  This meant Micah and I would drive a little bit out of our way on the way home but Brooks and Lindsey would drive 8 hours in one day to hang out for a couple of hours.  That will make a person feel loved!

As the time got closer, we decided to head our super early so that we could make a couple of other stops before meeting the Perry's to see other friends.  However, that morning we woke up super early, got in our car that was in the garage and opened the garage door to this:

 By the time we made it to Tulsa, there were signs saying the highway we had planned to take across Oklahoma was closed so we decided on a different route.  The extra time we thought we had for visiting other friends was taken up by having to drive super slow and careful through the snow.  Luckily we left that early or we would have been really late meeting up with the Perry's.

At last we made it!  We had decided to meet up at a McDonald's since we figured it would give us the best chance to catch up and keep the kids entertained.  It ended up being the perfect place.  This McD's had a big playground for the older kids but also a little separate area for Jacob.  We had a great time hanging out.  It was so good to see our friends again!

Thanks to the Perry family for being willing to drive to see us even if only for a few hours!  We love y'all!

Christmas with the Sperling's- Christmas time (and New Years)!

Micah, Jacob, and I spent Christmas day in Houston but we left on the 27th for Wagoner.  As I mentioned in the post before, there was a lot going on with Andy's family which led to us deciding to have our Christmas time on New Years day.  It actually made for a pretty fantastic New Year.

First, we decided we should take family pictures before the presents so that we would have something to keep Kate looking forward to.  I would say for the boys too but they didn't really know what was happening.  So we all got cleaned up and headed outside to take pictures.  I think they turned out great!

When pictures were finished, we headed back inside to warm-up, read the Christmas story, and open presents.  Shelly read us the Christmas story and Kate lit the candle.  Then it was time for presents.  Jacob still didn't really understand the concept but he really loved standing on the boxes.  This year, I had made Kate her own special quilt.

For our final Christmas celebration, Micah's extended family drove in from Kansas for a quick visit.  We had a wonderful meal together and a fun game of White Elephant gift exchange.  We are so happy the family was willing to make the drive to celebrate together.

 

Remember in my previous post when I said Jackie was running errands?  Well, it turns out what she was actually doing was making Micah and I a birthday cake to celebrate our upcoming 30th birthdays.  We were both really surprised!  It was fun to actually celebrate our birthdays in the USA with family…even if it is the BIG 30.

We had a wonderful week celebrating and spending time with family.  It was really hard to say goodbye.  Can't wait to be back again!

Christmas with the Sperling's- play time

** Due to missing pictures, I'm posting my Christmas posts out of order; Gilbert Christmas will come once I have pictures**

December 27, Micah, Jacob and I headed north for Wagoner, Oklahoma to spend Christmas with his family.  Unfortunately Micah's brother Andy ended up having an impromptu surgery (long story and every things ok) on Friday AND their kids were sick so we didn't get to see them for a couple of days.  But we still had fun playing!  Micah's parents gave Jacob a balance bike for Christmas.  I was so excited to see him try it out that we decided not to wait till actual present time.  Sadly, he is just about an inch too short.  Ohh well, I know he will love it very soon.

Once Andy and family arrived in Wagoner we spent lots of play time in the garage.  The kids rode tricycles and big wheels, played with hockey sticks, basketballs, and golf balls.  Jacob got to where he wanted to go in the garage any time the door opened.  Micah and his Dad also had several intense games of "around the world".

On the days that were pretty and not too cold we even spent some time playing outside.  Jake and Evan loved running through the leaves.  Jacob also enjoyed taking me on walks.  We walked the entire block one day while Jacob sang, talked, and observed everything around us.  I just let him lead the way and enjoyed the conversation.  Of course, Jacob also enjoyed taking Gizmo on a walk too. 

We also did a lot of playing inside with Kate, Evan, and Grandma and Grandpa.  Grandma has saved all the toys from Micah and Andy's childhood and it's so fun to watch them playing with the now "vintage" toys.  It was interesting to watch the dynamics between Evan and Jacob.  It was easy to see that Jacob was an only child and not used to having to fight for his toys or space.  It was also easy to tell that Evan was used to having to demand his space from his sister!  We had fun watching them "work it out".  

Ring around the rosy

We all fall down!

Jacob was also able to help Grandma with some cooking and he helped Grandpa make his famous slushies. 

After a while of being at home and sorta stuck inside, I decided we needed an outing.  So Micah, Marvetta and I decided to take the boys to the Tulsa Children's museum.  Jackie had some errands she needed to run that day and Kate had a birthday party that night so it ended up working out well.  However, the back seat of our car is not quite big enough for 2 big car seats and an adult but we did it anyway.   The boys had fun playing somewhere new and then we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch.  It was possibly the most crowded Chick-fil-A I have ever seen in my life. We had a fun day!