Playground with Daddy

On Thursday, the weather was gorgeous (unlike today--30s and raining) so we headed to the playground! Zach flew late Thursday night, which meant that he got to go into work much later than normal. Even Aunt Lauren joined us for some fun in the sun! The playground is great and very close, about 3 miles away, just across the Intercoastal Waterway bridge in Surf City. Dan loves the swings and the slide, but he also just loves running around. I think his favorite thing to do is run up and down the ramp on the boardwalk over the marsh area. Zach think that the railing will keep him from falling through, but I have my doubts, so I stay very close to him when we're over the water. I think we all know how the little man has a tendency to fall into strange bodies of water. Koi pond memories are just a little too fresh. (:

On the equipment with Daddy:





Cruising the boardwalk:





Big ol' grin on the swings:

No more mullet!

When we returned to North Carolina after all of our holiday adventures, it was time for a haircut! Dan was looking like quite the Southern boy with his little mullet so really just his neck and ears needed a clean-up. We headed down to Wilmington to a children's salon called Ribbet and they were great! Very patient and nice and Dan seemed to tolerate the experience fairly well, once he figured out how to take his arms out of the cape.

Of course, we had the video camera, the fancy new camera, and the salon had a camera too, so it looked like the paparazzi were stalking Dan's first haircut experience. What a handsome little guy!

Wichita to Oklahoma and Back

On Monday morning, we were back on the road again. This time, we headed south to the farm in Oklahoma. Once again, Dan was great in the car, especially since this was a relatively short trip, compared to our previous road adventures anyway. We arrived around lunch and immediately sat down to a huge meal prepared by my grandma. Everything was delicious, as always. Once everything was cleaned up, we got down to business opening presents.

Zach received tools, so now he can actually fix stuff around the house. But only if someone comes to help him, of course. I received my second cast-iron skillet, so apparently my family really wants me to make some good stuff when they visit. And Dan received trucks, books about trucks, and clothes that he can wear while playing with trucks.





On Tuesday morning, Zach went out with my Uncle Verl to feed the cows and break the ice on their water. He also shot a turkey, but don't tell anyone because December is not turkey season. The rest of us spent a cold day in the house, eating, reading, taking naps, and playing games. It was a gloriously relaxing day!





Unfortunately, the stomach flu fairy visited overnight and Wednesday was a pretty miserable day for me. I woke up feeling bad and got progressively worse throughout the day. The highlight was probably asking my dad to pull over on the drive home so that I could throw up next to the highway in Oklahoma City. Thank goodness my mom never got sick because she bore the brunt of taking care of Dan while Zach and I were recovering. Thanks, Mom! On Wednesday night, Zach felt well enough to see Avatar with Lauren and Jesse while the rest of us were dying at the house.

Some family pictures (sans me because I was indisposed) in front of Aunt Earlyn and Uncle Verl's fireplace:






Thursday was New Year's Eve, but none of us were feeling well enough to go out and get crazy. Wait, who am I kidding, we wouldn't have gone out anyway. (: I spent the day resting on the couch and getting ready to leave. On Friday, New Year's Day, we flew back to North Carolina uneventfully and made it home about 9:00 that night. Whew--sorry for flying through multiple days, but I am ready to move on from the holidays! Since we've been back, Dan had his first haircut, so that'll be the next post!

Wichita, Day 1

Let's just pretend that the travel days between Buffalo and Wichita didn't exist, okay? A long car ride, followed by layovers and delays and grumpy travelers and missing flight attendants made for a not-very-fun experience, but we made it to Wichita late Saturday night safe and sound.

No rest for the weary, though, because there were stockings to open bright and early Sunday morning! Lauren and Layne had already waited two whole days since Christmas and they were not going to wait any longer. So we got up and opened stockings in our pajamas before heading to church.



So sleepy after church:

After church, it was time to get down to the real business of opening presents. Like every year, we received too much good stuff! Good thing Lauren and Jesse are going to drive to NC to see us because I don't know how we'd get our gifts otherwise. Dan especially loved his wooden puzzle that made a noise every time a piece was put in it.





Later in the afternoon, a bunch of the Alexander family came over. It was great to see everyone again and it was really fun to watch Dan interact with my cousin Amanda's daughter, Taryn, who's about four months older than him. Aunt Ann gave Dan a really fun racetrack with three little cars that the kids really loved. Everyone had a great time and the food was awesome--brisket, Grandma Alexander's famous ham balls, strawberry jello casserole, and even homemade ice cream!

Buffalo, Christmas Day

After a very long night for all of us sleeping in the attic (thanks to a sugared-up Dan), we woke up to tons of presents under the Christmas tree! Santa must have heard that Daniel was a very good boy this year because he got lots of great stuff. It's a good thing that we had our car in Buffalo so we could take everything back with us!






When the presents were open (and the monkey bread consumed), it was time to follow the Missouri Rashmans to the airport. They dropped off their rental car and we brought back the car seats that they had been using. It was great to see them and we're looking forward to the kids being a little bit older because they will have a blast together!

After the airport, Zach, Tom, Daniel, and I headed over to Joan's house for Christmas brunch. Joan was married to Zach's maternal grandfather and is his only living grandparent. She always hosts Christmas morning and puts on quite a spread, with the highlight being delicious smoked salmon. Yummy! We opened a few more presents before we had to cut out early to get started on our long drive south.

The kids' couch (you better not get up or you'll never get your seat back):


Seriously, who keeps giving this kid a cookie?