Aunt Cathy and Cousin Morgan Visit Dallas

This past weekend, Aunt Cathy and Cousin Morgan came to Dallas to visit. We were so excited to see them! We hadn't seen each other since Christmas, and that is way too long to go in between visits. We are very thankful to Grandma Linda and Grandpa Bob for giving us all such a wonderful gift of visiting with Aunt Cathy and Morgan.

They flew in on Wednesday morning. Jillian was very excited, so she came to the airport with me so we could "catch" Aunt Cathy and Morgan. On the way there, every plane she saw, she'd ask if Aunt Cathy was on it. When we were almost there, she asked, and I told her that Aunt Cathy was on the plane she pointed at. Jillian said, "oh, we have to go to catch her at the airport!" I snapped this picture just as we were pulling up to pick them up.

Once we got there, Jillian was a little nervous. I got her out of her seat and let her stand on the sidewalk with Morgan while we loaded their bags. Unfortunately, while I was taking Jake's carseat out of the car (so there would be room for everyone), Jillian started to run to get me, and Aunt Cathy had to yell to her to get her to not run in the road. Of course, that scared Jillian, so she started crying. It didn't take long, though, for her to be happy again. Morgan rode in the backseat with her, and they became friends pretty quickly.

After we picked them up from the airport, we all went to Sam Moon, a store that sells tons of purses and jewelry. We all made some small purchases, and then had lunch. After that, I had to go back to work for the rest of the day, and Jillian, Morgan, and Aunt Cathy went to Build-A-Bear Workshop, where Jillian created Pickle Bear! She had such a good time.

After work, our church Life Group was meeting at Going Bonkers, a big play place for kids. Its huge, with a giant maze-like thing that goes up to the ceiling. Jillie, Morgan and I had a blast playing in it - but it was definitely a work-out!

The three of us were at the very top of the maze in this picture. It was so much fun!

Here you can see how high up it goes:

The following day, we took Morgan school shopping for some last minute things that she needed. Morgan is not the most excited shopper in the world, and her mother isn't the most patient, so I went in order to pump some enthusiasm into the process, and to play referee. We were successful - everyone made it out alive, and Morgan got a bunch of jeans and shirts for school, and some shorts for PE class. On the drive home, Aunt Cathy was thrilled with these metal horse sculptures. We had to drive around the block several times to get a good picture!

That evening, Aunt Cathy, Morgan, Rick and I went to The Melting Pot for dinner. Yum! The kids stayed at school while we ate, because its not really a kid-friendly restaurant. But it was delicious!

After we finished dinner, we went back to the kids' school. They were having an open house to celebrate the new school year, and there was a petting zoo. The kids had a blast with the animals! I think Jake had his eye on this little white chicken from the very beginning...

"Look Jillian, I found some ducks! Can I pet one?"

Jake found a goat...

Jillian got a close-up look at this one!

Hmm...can I get in here?

The kids took a break to eat their dinner. It was no Melting Pot, but they were happy!

Back to the animals! Jillian inspecting the wrong end of the calf!

Oh, this end is better!
Jake kept running his fingers through the fluff on this chicken. The chicken was very small, and his feathers were very soft and fluffy. I think Jake really liked the way it felt on his fingers!

Oops! Too much petting! All of a sudden, Jake had this chicken in the air! I guess when he pulled his hand back, he didn't let go of the feathers, and the chicken was airborne! I'm not sure who was more surprised - Jake or the chicken! Or me!

"Mommy, can I go in there again?"

Taking a break to play on the playground area with Morgan.
Whee!

We could barely keep Jake off of these tricycles. Every time I turned around he was trying to climb up on one. He's here with Miss Ros, his teacher. She's one of our favorites - both Jillian and Jake have been in her class, and she's just so nice! Both kids love her! For awhile, when Jillian was younger, she and Miss Ros had their own secret language (sounded kind of like Chinese, but they were able to communicate! I've heard Miss Ros try it with other kids, but no one else seems to "get it" like Jillian did!).

Jillian riding her bicycle with Ms. Ros.

After all that activity, we had to go home and relax! What a busy day!