Topeka Trip

Before Carter's surgery was scheduled, we had already planned a trip to Topeka for the weekend of Memorial Day because Paul and Amanda would be visiting from Florida with their son, Wyatt. Ty took some time off work so we would be there Friday evening through Tuesday afternoon. We figured by day 5 Carter would be doing pretty well so we went ahead with our trip. Ty was able to leave work a little early so we were on the road around 3:30. We stopped at Sonic for dinner on our way there because Carter requested a hot dog for dinner. We found that ketchup burned his throat, we weren't sure whether he'd be able to eat tomatoes and acidic food yet so we had our answer. We enjoyed some time with Rocky and Leina before it was time for bed. Carter and Elise shared a bed because the crib moved up to Paul and Amanda's room for Wyatt since he's too big for a Pack n Play now. I wasn't sure how it would go since Carter wasn't feeling up to par. He's usually pretty patient with her when she talks to him and keeps him awake but I was afraid he'd get really upset. The only issue we encountered was when I woke Carter up in the middle of the night for medicine, it also woke Elise up.

Saturday morning we went fishing at Leina's friend's parents' house. Carter had so much fun. He ended up catching 16 fish. Elise quickly caught 4 fish and then was done. She wanted to go home but I told her Carter was still fishing. I walked around with her looking for fish and frogs. Then she got bored and grabbed my phone by the water. I got onto her for grabbing it and she got upset with me. She ran off and hid from me by a tree with her back to me. After a while she was over it and we searched for more animals, finding some snakes. Ty and Rocky were also fishing. Ty hadn't caught any fish so I caught one with Elise's pole so I could be ahead of him. But then he kept fishing and ending up catching up with Elise to tie with 4 fish a piece. Gpa caught 8 fishing with fake worms. The real worms the kids were fishing with were definitely more popular!

Elise was loving it at first!

Carter's first fish.

Elise's first fish.

When Elise got bored and got my phone.

Elise hiding from me.

That afternoon Carter and Elise both napped. Carter was still recovering from his surgery and was pretty sleepy. When they woke up we had some fun outside. Leina had Rocky help her set things up so she could pass things out through the kitchen window. The kids had a lot of fun waiting at the kitchen window to order and receive their snacks. We also spent a lot of time playing in the garage. The kids rode cars and played with sidewalk chalk. Gigi and Papa came over for dinner and brought the kids some coloring and activity books.

Sunday morning the kids were so excited for Wyatt to arrive. They just couldn't wait for him to come! He arrived at naptime and Carter was desperate to play with him. Luckily for him, Wyatt didn't end up napping right away so they got to play in the garage together. When Wyatt sees a camera he'll stop what he's doing and smile while saying "cheese," it is so cute! Leina had Ty take Carter downstairs to discover the Legos she'd saved from Ty and Paul's collection. They were a huge hit and even Wyatt enjoyed playing with them. He especially enjoyed the wheels and would pick them out of the pile. After naps the kids had window service again for popsicles as snacks.

Moving the car out of the garage so the kids could play in the garage.

That evening Papa and Gigi came over again for dinner. After dinner we played with the sprinkler and then with bubbles. Carter was a little hesitant at first but then started jumping over the sprinkler. Wyatt wouldn't really get in the water but when Leina picked him up and carried him through the sprinkler, he'd kick his legs and laugh. Elise ran around in the spray but didn't get too close to the sprinkler. The homemade bubble solution always seems to work better than the kind you buy in the store. Leina had saved all kinds of string and netting to make bubbles with and we brought the bubble wand Carter got for Christmas from Uncle Marty and Aunt Brenda. It was a little tricky to make bubbles with the string but Rocky was able to make 3 bubbles off one set of solution and so was Leina.

Monday morning we enjoyed a bit of a lazy morning followed by a tractor ride. At first it was just Wyatt on the tractor and he wasn't sure he liked it. It was a little noisy for him. Carter and Elise eventually got on and they all drove around really slowly. Carter got to steer a little and enjoyed it. Then Grandma and Grandpa Shupe came over after lunch for ice cream. I figured the kids could go without naps since they'd both napped the day before but they both started to lose it a little during the visit because they were tired. Carter cracked me up when he came in to tell me if I saw a cookie on the fridge, not to eat it because it was his and he was saving it for later. I went in to check and he'd clipped part of a cookie to a magnetic clip and put it on the fridge. The homemade ice cream was some of the best I'd ever had. It was so delicious! When we were all playing and talking in the living room, Elise climbed up in a chair with Gma and eventually fell asleep. She ended up sleeping for about 2 hours. That evening before dinner Ty, Rocky, Paul, Elise, and I walked down to the creek to skip rocks and check things out. It was a beautiful but hot day.

Tuesday was the day we left. That morning Carter was eating grapes and Wyatt kept trying to get some so Carter asked Amanda if he could cut some grapes for Wyatt. It was so sweet and I was impressed he knew Wyatt would need the grapes cut before he could eat them. He sat and held the bowl for Wyatt to eat. Gigi and Papa came over again and we did some pictures of them with the great grandkids. Then we headed to a new Mexican restaurant for lunch. Carter ordered a hot dog and it came out with ketchup on it. When our waitress came back he said, "Excuse me, can I get a hot dog without ketchup? Ketchup hurts my throat because I had surgery." I took the kids out to walk around before our food arrived and then again after we finished eating. It was fun to watch Wyatt explore and then copy his cousins. We found some water on the ground and the kids enjoyed walking through it to make footprints on the sidewalk. It was hard to leave and we were sad to say good bye but it helped Carter that we were headed back to a friend's birthday party. It was a wonderful trip and we look forward to seeing everyone again!

I thought I adjusted my phone to get Amanda in the picture but still cut her head off!

You know it was a good trip when the kids fall asleep on the way home!