Christmas in Abilene

I'm picking back up on our roadtrip with week 2!  After we said goodbye to the Texas hill country and our family from San Antonio, we began a round-about way of going north by heading to Texie's house in Abilene.  We got there just in time to have dinner at this amazing steakhouse that we've fallen in love with in Buffalo Gap, Perini Ranch.  It's sooooo good, like good enough to cater a meal The White House, good.   Pam and Craig were very sweet to take us there again and apparently I was so busy devouring my steak that I forgot to take pictures of anyone but Texie and the kids! 

Happy to be with Texie again!

Finger lickin good for everyone...

See?  I wasn't kidding.  It's that goood!

In fact, if you can keep a little secret, I'll tell you a good one.  They have a dessert there, a Whiskey Bread Pudding that is to die for.  We got it last time we were there and of course, got it again this time.  It was such a yummy treat that *someone* (ahem, my Father-in-law) decided to buy a pan to take home for us!  Wasn't that sweet??  Now here is the secret...We did take it home and decided we better not eat it that night, we were too full.  Soooooo, we ate it for breakfast the next morning!!  Do NOT tell anyone.  I'm not sure I've indulged in that many calories before 9 am before, but I will tell you, it was worth every bite!!

After we collapsed from our breakfast of champions, Texie got some things out to make Christmas sugar cookies with Ava.

She very patiently let Ava do all the steps under her watchful eyes.

She showed her what to do then let her go for it!

And of course Ava was totally into it.  She just loved it!

Seeing these pictures makes me kind of teary because they bring me right back to when I was a little girl and I stood on a stool in my Grandma Ferguson's kitchen, while she stood behind me in her apron and let me decorate sugar cookies with her.  I have so many memories of things like that with her and they are memories I treasure.  I can just hear her voice telling me what a good job I was doing, even though I'm sure they were not a work of art!

Sort of like these!  Ha ha!  Beautiful in their own right, just LOADED with sugared sprinkles :)

Pam, thanks for taking the time to do this with Ava.  These are exactly the memories we want her to make with her Grandmas and we appreciate you making this day so fun for her.

The proud artist :)

She decided a snuggle with Oliver was the perfect way to end her decorating session.

After this little guy woke up, we went out for lunch.

Carty decided he would face his adoring public in his sister's flower sunglasses.  I thought he was definitely cool enough to pull them off!  Sadly, after lunch our day took a little nosedive.  It began with Ava in tears after some boys chased her through the playground in Chik-fil-a, which resulted in the Mama Bear in me rescuing her and telling those boys' Moms that their kids were totally out of control.  While their Moms sat and texted at a table nearby.  Gotta love that.  Anyway, we took her out of there and said we'd take her to the soft playground in the nearby mall.  She and Carter played for awhile there, with about 3 other kids, and had a great time.  Until Ava came over to us, sobbing and holding her right elbow.  No one saw her fall nor had any idea what was wrong.  We honestly thought she just needed a nap and was overreacting, so we took her home.  She cried everytime we touched her arm or tried to move it and she just held it close to her.  When she woke up I realized she never moved an inch during her nap, which is very unlike her.  She was still crying about it and refusing to move it, so we decided we probably shouldn't ignore it without getting it looked at.  We drove to an Urgent Care Clinic, who took one look at her and sent us to the ER instead.

So our first ER experience with either of our kids happened in Abilene Texas.

They admitted her and she cried and cried while they tried to take her blood pressure and ask her about where her arm hurt.

But then they got us set up in a room with the movie Happy Feet, which calmed her right down.  I pulled out some snacks and books I brought along and soon she was charming every staffer that came to see us.

They initially thought maybe she dislocated her elbow, but they x-rayed her just in case.  They couldn't see any visible break in her arm, but they said she may have fractured a growth plate in her elbow, which would be nearly impossible to see on an x-ray.  So they sent us home with instructions to watch her closely and if she didn't move it, to be re-x-rayed at home, where any potential break would be visible after 7-10 days.  Not exactly bad news but not great either.  We left with her still in tears about moving it, but no sling or way to immobilize it.  Thankfully we got her some dinner and in bed that night, but she was certainly not her normal self and was still crying about it.  I spent the most of the night with a migraine, which makes me incredibly nauseous, because I was stressed about her and the fact that we were in Texas, away from her doctors.  Thankfully I was able to get rid of the worst of it in the morning, but it was a bit of a hiccup in our trip.

We delayed our present opening for the kids til the next morning, but they were both very ready!!

Carty is just starting to figure out what wrapping paper is and the joy of ripping it!

He's also at that stage where the paper is just as exciting as the gift :)

We all got in on the action and he got some darling things from Texie and Craig.

He got this cute truck, a book with lots of activities, a musical pot with lots of food inside....

...and his favorite, this ball popper!  He was a happy little boy :)

Ava was having just as much fun opening a new puzzle, a great book...

...a new outfit for her Baby Stella...

...and the MOST exciting gift...

...a new carseat for Stella :)

She and I had looked at them online before, so she knew what it was immediately and she just loved it!

Texie also surprised her with a little potty chair for Stella, which was also a hit and will come in handy as we potty train with Ava!  They are both so cute.

She loved all her new things and was totally excited to play with them while we packed up the car.

The proud Mommy!

Seriously, she was just in Heaven about Stella's new carseat!

Pretty comfy ride, don't you think??

We had a great time in Abilene, although it was a short visit.  Thank you Pam and Craig for spoiling all of us, we love you and we appreciate it!

And just like that we were back in the van, headed for the Dallas area to do have a little family time and spend the night at a hotel in Grapevine.

Our little travelers were so good and we were grateful because we had a few more stops up our sleeve, but lots of fun for them in store!  After a stop at the ER to pick up her x-rays and then the drug store for a sling her Pediatrician requested, we were off!