Over the River and Through the Woods...

...to Grandmother's house we go.  Who knew that the river we'd cross would be the Mississippi?  The boys moved to the middle row in order to make room for Duke and Brandy in the back seat.  I like this configuration so much better than the more spread out two row system we generally use.  It's so nice to be able to reach all three kids, although the down side is that sometimes they are a little too close for peace in the middle seat.

The kids were great passengers.  They sat in their chairs for such a long time going (8 hrs the first day and 5 hours the second) and for 15 hours coming back home.  Bob and I enjoyed our swift passage fully realizing that the next time we make the trip back to Texas we might be having lots of potty stops.

Ryan did so much better this time than our trip out to Florida.  In September, he would get so tired of sitting in his chair and so frustrated that he would bite himself, hit himself, and generally thrash about.  He did not have any sign of that on our trip in December, for which I was truly grateful.

James has his own strategy for dealing with his brothers and general unhappiness of being in the car - he hides his head in his blanket.  Pretty good method for dealing with life, if you ask me.

We dropped Daddy off in Mississippi to work, and Grandpa Newhouse met us there and drove with us to Tyler to Aunt Sue's house.  Probably the most fun the kids had at Sue & JP's place was playing with Daddy & Aunt Sue's old toys.  There is some discussion about the ownership of the black semi car hauler, but there was no discussion about how much fun it is to play with.

 Ryan loved to make Aunt Sue's baby buggy race like a mad man.

We didn't put up a tree at our house, so the poor tree at Sue's house seemed to have migrating ornaments.  They kept moving north.

Unfortunately, we caught some colds in Tyler.  You can tell Ryan doesn't feel too well in this picture, but he looks so sweet.

One of the things I miss most about Texas is Mexican food.  By request, the whole crew ate chips and salsa in honor of our neighbors to the south.  It was delicious.

The best part of a Mexican restaurant is the free ice cream.  I adore the way James eats ice cream with lots of tiny licks.  Notice that he can't be bothered to stop watching his movie on the phone.

Ryan is always a ball of energy.  He loved the fish tank in the front of the restaurant and had to take several trips up front to see it.

Michael has recently started eating almost everything liquid or soft in texture with two fingers.  He applies this method to ice cream, cereal in milk, and mashed potatoes.

Bert and Ernie needed a ride, and Michael was more than happy to oblige.

Ryan's best buddy Uncle JP watches him "drive cars."

James takes a turn at the wheel.  Hold on tight, Bert & Ernie.

Last summer on the way home from my grandma's house, we stopped in Tyler for a quick visit at Sue & JP's place.  Ryan was fascinated with the drums.  He loves all things rock band, and when we told him we were going to Aunt Sue's house, the first thing he asked about were the drums.

Sue's drum set took a little bit of a beating, but we figured out how to make the set triplet friendly by putting things against immovable surfaces like walls.

James gets in on the action.

My three pack of cuties having a great time pounding on the drums.

We spent a week at Sue & JP's place.  The boys had a good time.  We looked at Christmas lights, watched a lot of kids programming, learned Uncle JP loves the Bugs Bunny movie, and played with some classic toys.

Sue has a tub with jets that caused poor Michael to freak out, but James and Ryan loved it.  Sue failed to realize that half a jug of bubbles might be a few bubbles too many, but James and Ryan enjoyed them.  After spending time with the Newhouse clan, we headed to Haslet for a visit with the Ptomey/Cain clan.