We headed up to the frigid Midwest last Sunday, after a fun surprise party for
Mrs. TD on Saturday. Working for the airlines allows free flying privileges, but it requires travel where and when seats are available. So we left early Sunday and went to Newark and then on to Madison. It was Justin's very first flight, and also I realized, the first time he has left the city of Houston! Wow!
In Newark airport
We made the trek for two reasons. First, I was wanting to see my grandmother, who I haven't seen since Justin's birth. And second, my father is selling the house where we grew up and I needed to get some of the things that all kids leave at their parents' house until they are forced to do something with them. So, we combined the trip and headed to WI in February. Randy went to WI one Christmas and said that he has done the winter thing and he refuses to return during winter. So thankfully my mother offered to make the trip, and I am SO glad she did! I traveled with Travis often by myself. We had quite the system, but I knew I couldn't do that with Justin. Justin needed constant attention on the flight; he either slept or fussed the entire way. (It was about 50/50!) And Travis kept my mother busy too. My shirt looked like a kleenex by the time we made it to Madison. A very snotty, messy kleenex.
It was a very busy week: Monday I spent packing and organizing what to move since the movers were coming that night. Oh yes, NIGHT! Between 8 and 10 pm. I cannot believe that is when they wanted to come, but at least I got it all done that day.
It was a very difficult day. I suppose it has to be hard no matter how old you are when you say good-bye to the house in which you spend most of your formative years. We grew up in a two-flat near the UW-Madison. Saturdays during football season we could hear the roar of the crowds at Camp Randall, and we often made friends with the college students who lived on the floor below us and we still keep in touch with one of those friends. We had a swimming pool in the backyard and we had many family gatherings during the summer around and in the pool. My parents divorced recently and no family has lived in the house for several years. It has fallen in massive disrepair. The pool hasn't been uncovered during the summers, the top floor where we lived was filled with items left behind, and a thick layer of dust covers everything. My mom wanted me to take Travis to see the place where I grew up, but it's not that place anymore. It's the shell, but there is nothing of our family left. Now, that is truly the case. The garage is empty, the cellar is bare, and the memories are fading. That chapter in my life is officially closed.
When the truck door closed and I drove away that night, huge tears rolled down my cheeks. I struggled to understand why. It's been so long since we were that family, and even longer since we lived there, but the ties were still there. It's only a house, and my home is here now, with my husband and children. Remembering that helped the tears dry a bit, but I still mourned.
The rest of the time was spent visiting family. Most of my extended family, including my grandmother, live in WI so we made the rounds. Here is my cousin Jeff's children. No one is looking at the camera, but I love Justin's pose!
And then we spent the day with my grandmother. I LOVE visiting her because I love her and I love every bit of wisdom she has to share. She is one of the wisest, most godly women I know. It's also hard because every time I have to say good-bye I know it may be the last time I see her this side of heaven. I pray each time that I could have just one more visit, but I know there will be a time when the answer is no.
Whenever we visit, we stop by the Brandon meat market and the Rippin Good Cookie Factory. This was the first time I took Travis to the cookie factory, where they sell extra cookies at a discount. The very best part is the samples. They have a box of every type of cookie open for tasting. And not little pieces, the WHOLE COOKIE! Travis was like a kid in a cookie store, well, okay, he WAS a kid in a cookie store! He probably had at least part of a dozen cookies. He ran here and there and asked if he could have one of this and that. And he loved that I said yes. After a while, I think it was more just to hold them in his hand, knowing he could eat one if he wanted. We ate mint cookies, oatmeal cookies, marshmallow cookies, fudge striped cookies, carousel cookies, sandwich cookies, and a few more. He didn't eat much dinner that night....
I forgot to take the camera to the cookie store, but here's his chocolaty grin after we returned.
Then we visited with Nana Sharon and Daddy Jack. They babysat for me when I was a baby, and they also have taken in several hundred newborn babies as foster parents. They are like family, and they love me and my kids a whole bunch. It's great to see them.
And the last family stop was at my cousin Kim's. My aunt and uncle were there, and my cousin Kurt too. I am so glad that we were able to see them all in one stop, since it was our last night. Kayla is their oldest daughter, who is in the wheelchair. Travis was fascinated with all of the medical equipment in her room, and he asked all kinds of questions. When we left he said that he missed Kayla and that he wanted to go back and play with her. He wanted to know when she could run and chase him. I told him not until heaven and he said that he was excited about that and he really wanted to play with Kayla in heaven. It was very touching. And we saw Kurt and his wife, Mary, who is expecting a baby in July! They don't know what they are having, but Travis said the baby is pink, so who knows?
Here's a few other pictures from WI:
We have been giving Justin these veggie sticks to practice chewing and he hasn't really wanted to hold them very much, so this was the first time he really wanted to hold one. I tried to get the picture, and he let go, so instead it looks like we let our baby smoke!
And Travis wanted to hold Justin for a picture. He has a thing about bellies!
And this is Justin in his "jacket". My mom bought this reindeer outfit for him to wear, so we had to try it on at least. It even says, "I love mommy!"
We were ready to come home. The boys didn't sleep very well. Travis kept seeing things that made him scared, so he came into my bed sometime every night, and each night it was earlier and earlier. And Justin woke up a lot too. So the last night, by about 3 am, Travis was in my bed and I was on the couch holding Justin who was sleeping fitfully on my chest. I, of course, didn't sleep any after that.
And on the way home, I called Randy and he said that the movers were on their way over that night (again, in the dark!) to drop off our things. So by the time we got home, everything was here! Quite the surprise! Whew, I am glad the week is over!
lions, 
and a few sundry primates. It apparently was napping day at the zoo, so most of the animals were asleep. Not very exciting, and Travis was ready to move on to the next animal quickly. Then the kids got hungry and after a few attempts at feeding while traveling, we stopped and let the kids run and eat. (Okay, eat and then run.) Justin did fabulously eating his food, given all the distractions. And he is getting better with his cup drinking. He still spills, and since I had to hold him to eat, I looked like I had a potty accident by the time he "finished" his water. But it helped clean off the outline of the sucker on the leg of my shorts (it was 80 degrees today!) from Travis. 
