Traveling

If it isn't obvious already, we've done a lot of traveling over the past month.  The bookends of our journey from England to North Dakota were spent with great friends.  Tricia and her family were so patient, waiting for a SUPER long time at Chick-fil-A until we showed up from the airport in our rental car.  I couldn't help but cry when we had finally made it and she gave me a hug.  They were a wonderful welcome for us back to the U.S.

Ryan drove from Oklahoma to North Dakota, so the kids and I made the last leg of the journey on our own with a long drive and then two flights.  Pops on Route 66 was a fun stop.  And yes, Mom, I let the kids get their own soda drink.  Diet Coke with Raspberry was Gretchen's favorite.  =)

We don't eat out on a regular basis, and I still try to be creative with bringing our own food/snacks while traveling, but inevitably we've eaten in restaurants way more than usual and the kids haven't complained!

My friend, Alora, and her family were gracious to host the kids and I for the night before we boarded the plane to North Dakota.  Rooke was in boy-lego-heaven!

As we traveled, I tried to engage the kids in specific ways they could each help.  I had asked Gretchen to help me remember our gate: E13.  While on the shuttle from our rental car return, just before I snapped the photo below, this funny exchange happened that I don't want to forget:

I asked Gretchen if she remembered our gate - "Is it Eeeee . . . ?" and in the moment I paused to see if she could remember the rest, Rooke piped in with, "er, san, si!", which is "2, 3, 4" in Chinese!  A long "E" sound is how you pronounce "yi", which means "1", in Chinese.  Funny guy!  I guess since he was made in China, my sporadic use of Chinese numbers has stuck with him!

The kids were really good travelers, but even the best of travelers grow weary after they tell you your flight is going to be delayed and you've already been flying and in airports for eight hours.

The pilot of our second flight invited the kids to check out his seat after we'd landed in North Dakota!

And Ryan was there at the tiny airport to greet us to a beautiful evening in the flat land of our new home.  We're here. 

Thankful for Family and Friends

With all the major transitions that are happening for our family, it was good to spend some quality time with friends and extended family as we traveled.  We've made it safely to North Dakota, but these photos are from the days we spent reconnecting with friends and family along the way . . .

We got to stay with Ryan's brother and family for the first few days . . . this was round two of backyard pool fun!  

This photo pretty much sums it up: our kids were all about (and all over) anything Uncle Sean and Aunt Jessica were doing (and Bridgette is just a monkey!)

We had a Star Wars movie night, complete with light saber snacks and a new Star Wars t-shirt!

Sweet Phoebe put up with so much having her three boisterous cousins invade her space!  But it was great to get to know her better and we're glad she was asking where "the cousins" were after we'd left instead of throwing a party that we were gone!

The kids were big fans of the treats at church!

The splash pad was empty at 9:30am, but it was plenty warm to enjoy the water!

It had only been a week since we'd said goodbye to the Leach Family in England, but it sure was good to say hello again and get a hug from dear friends when we met up at Braums!  Our visits to family overlapped in the same city!

It had been a long time since I'd visited with Auburn!  We met in college, roomed together, and were bridesmaids in each others wedding.  It was wonderful to reconnect with her and get to meet her precious children.

We also hung out with the Campbell Crew!  What a wonderful blessing this family's friendship continues to be for us.

Ryan and I managed a little morning "date" at the Porter Peach Festival 5K run.  I said I'd do it if Ryan would run my pace, which he graciously did, and I actually enjoyed myself.  I ran the whole thing, without stopping, and - more importantly - without passing out.  Victory.

The family checking out our new van we have affectionately named Snowball.  This is how Ryan made it up to North Dakota!

Thanks for the lego help, Uncle Joe!

Speaking of Uncle Joe . . . he let Rooke take this sword home.  Oh my!  We've all agreed it will stay on the wall as decoration in his new room!

Uncle Sean outfitted our family with hyper-color Tulsa Tech glasses!

Brothers and sisters

Grammy Deb hosted a little tea party for the girls!

The Paynes!  It was great to be all together.

A Trip Down South

We took a little road trip to visit Ryan's grandparents while we are still in this part of the country.  Rooke was the only one of our children who'd had met his great grandparents, and this was the first time we'd been to their home of 50 years as a family.  It was a wonderful visit and I am grateful for the new memories that were formed in such a short time.

When we've Skyped in the past, Great Grandmother and Rooke always connected over cars.  She has quite the collection!  

I was honored to make pancakes for breakfast in Peggy Payne's kitchen.  The first time I made pancakes for Ryan and I after we were married, Ryan graciously encouraged me to learn how to make them like his grandmother used to make them!  The butter crust around the edge is the key.

Isaac Bonaparte Payne with his great grandson, Rooke Isaac.

Gretchen was showing off her ipad doll-dressing skills.

She let Great Grandmother take a turn!

The Paynes have a humongous fig tree in their backyard.  The figs are just starting to ripen, so the kids each took turns picking figs with Great Grandaddy.  I didn't get any photos of Rooke picking because he and Great Grandaddy were out together at 6:30am!

We had a delicious fried chicken dinner shared with extended family and friends.  Great Grandmother's niece, Laura, joined us.  It was wonderful to meet her after knowing she's been following us on this blog for several years!

Ryan's cousin, Bryan, made a stop on his route one morning.  The kids were super impressed and walked away with police badge stickers!

Thank you, Peggy and IB, for hosting us and loving on your great grandkids so well.  We are grateful for the time we spent together.