Though this was a family trip, we actually ended up traveling there and back separately. The boys and I put Daddy on a Dallas-bound plane on Friday afternoon, so that he could meet up with Uncle Justin, his friend Brandon, and Jefe and the gang for the OU/TX game. Meanwhile, we stuck around Pittsburgh and got prepared for the next day, when we would fly to OKC. I was anxious about my first time traveling solo with both kiddos, and even more nervous when Porter woke up from his nap looking like this:
Well hello, Sicko.
The remainder of my evening was spent with a hot babe who was very cranky and very clingy -- so clingy, in fact, that he wouldn't let me walk away from him in order to prepare Kaiser's dinner a few feet away. My solution? Drag his high chair into the kitchen with me.
"Sucka!"
Needless to say, I kept the kiddo on a strict 4-hour Tylenol schedule, prayedd that he'd kick this virus quick, and did my best to get he and his big brother in bed at a decent hour! As soon as they were down, I scrambled to finalize packing our bags and loading them in the car so that I could get some shut-eye, too, as my alarm clock would be waking me much sooner than I'd like...
At 3:45 on Saturday morning, my feet hit the ground running. After getting myself showered, dressed, and ready, it was time to wake the boys. Kaiser popped out of bed with a smile (and a request for milk); Porter was in a less chipper mood, but cheered up once I offered him his sippy cup of milk, too. We were on the road to the airport by shortly after 5:00; during the next hour and a half, we arrived, checked our bags at the curb, parked our car in the extended lot, made it through security, took a potty break, and got to the gate to board right on time for our 7:10 flight. The first leg was a piece of cake, as it lasted just an hour, and feeding the kiddos their breakfast kept them pleasantly occupied. Our layover in Baltimore lasted three hours, so we camped out at an empty gate with lots of space to make ourselves comfortable.
Naptime was a no-go, but a still-feverish Porter held it together.
Veggie Tales kept Kaiser's attention for a while, until he decided it would be more fun to talk the ear off of a nice lady sitting nearby. :)
Trying his darndest to play with those electrical outlets.
Now, I don't want to sugarcoat things and imply that our trip wasn't without its bumps; there will several instances when I had to reprimand Kaiser (even threaten a spanking) because he was flat out disobedient, and sickness and sleep deprivation definitely affected poor Porter's mood for the worse. However, I must say that, on the whole, they were troopers and did quite well hanging in there with their single momma.
Makin' Daddy proud in their Sooner gear!
Our second flight lasted just under three hours, so it was a bit more taxing. We were fortunate to have a sweet, grandfatherly man sitting beside us who took to Kaiser and let him lean over him to look out the window, lay on him when he got tired, etc. Porter was able to catch a few minutes of shut-eye and only squawked/shrieked a couple of times. By the time we landed around 1:30 (2:30 to our bodies), all three of us were exhausted and so relieved to see Pops, grab our bags, load in the car, and drive north to Edmond.
Just couldn't keep his eyes open until we got home.
Getting reacquainted with Pops's house.
Shortly after arriving, I got both boys laid down for much-needed naps. Then I headed back out for an appointment with my friend Naz, who worked her eyebrow-threading magic on me (a must before our week got started!). That evening, Aunt Cami, Uncle Carl, Emerson, and Ellis brought over a yummy casserole for dinner, and we all just enjoyed hanging out and playing together.
"Whatchu lookin' at?"
"Cheers!"
Books before bath and bed.
In case you're wondering how Brett was faring all day without his wifey and kiddos...
At the Cotton Bowl with his favorite guys.
It's game time!
I'm fairly certain he was having the time of his life cheering on his beloved team with his brother, sister, bros-in-law, and best friend by his side. OSU grads Chris and Justin even donned crimson and cream to show their support! Oklahoma won huge over Texas, which was the icing on the cake for my Sooner-born and Sooner-bred hubby. Boomer.
Jefe stayed at the hotel to babysit, but celebrated with everyone at dinner that night.
Sunday morning Kaiser, Porter, and I just relaxed with Pops at his place. We had plans to meet up with the OU/TX crew at Jefe's and Nana's later that day.
Serious about his morning milk.
Intently listening to a Thomas story.
Someone got bored and thought Mommy's feminine products would make great toys!
Trying to make his fussy brother laugh on the drive to Noble.
We arrived at their ranch around 1:30 and got the grand tour of the house (Jefe and Nana just moved in a month or so ago). Then, while Kaiser went out with Jefe, Daddy, and Pops to see a bit more of the property, I got Porter settled in for his afternoon nap.
Behind that sippy lies a tired baby boy.
Kaiser soon joined his brother in Dreamland, and while the boys rested, the adults sat down to a late spaghetti lunch. I was thrilled when, shortly thereafter, Katy and Patrick arrived, and I was finally able to meet their beautiful 3-month-old daughter, Kinsey Grace!
Our precious niece!
Upon waking up, Kaiser and Porter were excited to meet their newest cousin, too! The age gap prevented them from spending too much time playing together, but they will no doubt be good buddies in the years to come. :) The remainder of our night was spent chatting, playing, cooking, eating, and enjoying every single second of quality time with the Braly clan. Love these folks!
Checking out books in the reading nook.
Glued to the TV with Uncle Patrick.
Foot massage, anyone?
Porter helps Jefe field a work call.
Kaiser and Nana get dinner started.
Wearing a special apron painted by Nana's mother 20+ years ago!
"Fire up the grill!"
Cousins John, Alison, and Beth were also able to join us.
Slow fade...
Beth gets some Kinsey love.
Blowin' it up with Uncle Chris before bedtime.
Time with the lil miss was in high demand.
These dudes stayed up playing poker into the wee hours (long after everyone else threw in the towel).
Monday morning the four of us hung out at the ranch together. It was nice to have some peaceful, quiet time to catch up with Daddy.
Reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear all by himself!
Trying to master Lincoln logs.
While the babe was taking his morning doze, Kaiser, Daddy, and Mommy ventured outside to visit Jefe's and Nana's horses and take their cars and tractor for a test drive.
Still talking about feeding "salad" to Chili and Judge!
Vroom vroom!
Farmer K was hard at work.
Despite our encouragement, Kaiser wasn't willing to sit on this one.
Walking down to see the ducks.
Can you tell that OK has had a drought this year? :(
When Porter joined the land of the living, we headed to Jefe's office to say hi to everyone. He just had one case scheduled at 9:00, so we showed up right around the time he was wrapping up.
Lookin' spiffy in their scrub caps.
Not feeling up to walking the halls.
He'd rather make important phone calls.
Tinkering with the toys in Jefe's office.
"Dr. Braly, your grandsons need you back here STAT!"
Just shootin' off a couple of emails.
We weren't the only ones who came up to pay Jefe a visit; Katy (who works there) had taken the day off to hang with us, and she brought up this pretty princess!
Doll baby.
Snoozin' on Suzan.
Aunt Katy nabs her nephew.
After Jefe was finished at work, we decided to hit up Jason's Deli. None of these to be found in PA, and how I have missed their salad bar!
Waiting for their food.
She's just so stinkin' happy!
"Lemme fill in that mustache for you."
Porter and The Boss.
He's really just a big kid.
After lunch, Jefe got called to the hospital for a bit, and the rest of us went to his place so the youngins could rest for a couple of hours.
Acting like "a turtle in his shell" before laying down.
Recharged and ready to party!
Playtime for the munchkins.
Big boy posing with his baby cousin.
She's got him wrapped around her finger!
Beautiful momma and daughter.
I just love this girl so much!
Since everyone was awake, we had to wrangle Kaiser, Porter, and Kinsey for the very first (of many, I'm sure) picture of Jefe and all his grandkids.
Proud Papa!
We also snapped a few shots outside right before we said goodbye.
Would you believe this is the first picture I have of all three generations?!
This kid loves his Jefe!
We all do.
Our familia of four.
That night we had plans to meet up with our dear friends the Pettijohns at BJ's in Norman. My guys and I were pumped up to see Nat and her brood after over six months of separation!
Porter was antsy to see his Belle Monroe!
Practicing letters with Daddy to pass the time until they arrived.
Of course, between feeding and entertaining our children and trying to carry on conversation, dinner proved too busy to take many pictures. I did, however, manage to catch Porter and Belle in a little tiff:
"No, that's my crayon!"
Once we'd finished up eating, it was back to JR's and Nat's place for a few hours. My boys were in awe when they saw that their dining room had been transformed into a play room full of awesome toys! We couldn't help but let them stay up way past their bedtime having fun.
C'mon ride the train!
Giggly girl wrestling a gigantic bear.
Porter wasn't in the mood for a pic with his gf.
Sweet, pensive Hudson retreated to his room to watch Diego.
Porter wanted to join him after his bath.
Three peas in a pod.
Once we finally got the kidlets tucked in, the mommies and daddies had some adult time! Nat and I stayed at home and chatted while JR and Brett made a Braum's run. By now, the Pettijohns know that when the Bralys are in town, ice cream is a given.) We spent the rest of the night lounging, enjoying our milkshakes and yogurt cones, and chatting about life lately. Oh, and, of course, dreaming about the day that we can come home...
Okay -- first three days down. Only nine (!) more to go. Hang in there with me, we were busy bees! :)
1 comment:
Welcome back! I've missed your blog posts! :)
Looks like your first few days of your trip were great! Can't wait to hear about the rest of it!
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