Me & Jeremiah's Texas Trip!!!!

FYI: This is a VERY long post and super long video.





Well I will start with the beginning of our trip and work my way through our 8 day stay.





On Sunday the 16th we arrived at the Ontario Airport at 5:20am and quickly got our ticket and on to security. Kyle at that point had to say Goodbye to us which was sad, but we then moved on to getting through security. If you ever thought going through airport security was bad alone...TRY IT WITH A BABY!!! Once we would get up to security I would have to remove my belt, my jacket, my shoes, Jer's shoes, Jer's jacket and put it in a box....then I would have to take Jeremiah out of the stroller and collapse the stroller and put it through the machine....then I would have to load my diaper bag and carry on bag through the machine also.....after we would walk through the metal detector I would then have to redress me and Jer and get all our stuff back together...it was HORRIBLE! Once we got through security it was ok, however Jeremiah really wanted to run around and push our stroller throughout crowds of people...which didn't work out to well. Jeremiah is so confident in him self and just wants to push that darn stroller everywhere but he can't see, so he would then run into things...that is the problem. He did get most of his wiggles out and once we got on the plane he took a nice long 2 hour nap on our flight to Texas (thank you Lord and everyone for their prayers). The hardest part for Jeremiah was take off and landing because I had to hold him and of coarse he doesn't want to be held tight but instead running around. Thank the Lord it really was an amazing flight considering his age and gender (hehe)....he cried for about 15 minutes on the way up and 15 minutes on the way down...not to bad.





Once we got into Texas it was so nice getting to see all of the family and the newest addition Stephanie Jo. My Aunt Linda & Uncle Ricky have 2 amazing dogs that Jeremiah instantly fell in love with. Every day he would follow them around giving them hugs, kisses and cookies (they were really crackers). He certainly wasn't gentle all the time and actually about 70% of the time he was trying to pull their hair or hit them with whatever he had in his hand at the time. So to say the least this week was a little tiring on me only because I had to make sure that Jeremiah was learning that it ISN'T ok to hit or hurt the doggies....I believe I said the phrase "that is not ok Jeremiah" at least 900 times (hehe). It was a good learning week for Jeremiah and hopefully he will remember the lessons on being nice to dogs for next time.





Stephanie Jo is so cute and such a happy baby. She has amazing eye contact and just smiles all the time. She was truly a pleasure to be around and it was so wonderful to see my cousin Kristi really enjoy being a mom. It was also soooo precious to see my Auntie Linda being a grandma, she is so nurturing and loves on that little girl like no other (very cute). Stephanie Jo is definitely a very lucky girl to be growing up with so much love around her. My Auntie Linda really reminds me of how my mom is with Jeremiah...really cute to see the similarities.





For the first 4 days we just hung out around the house, partially due to the storms that hit us for a few days. Jeremiah definitely loved playing in my Aunt's backyard and really enjoyed throwing dirt everywhere. Jeremiah also got to go see the horses that live right behind my Aunt's home which was amazing to see...I always love seeing big animals up close. Those 4 days at my Aunt's we all ate VERY well....my Auntie Linda is an amazing cook to say the least....I absolutely love all the food she makes.





Jeremiah met my cousin Kimmi's fiance Michael for the first time (last time I was preggers). It was really wonderful how Michael and Jeremiah hit it off...it was definitely a God thing. Michael just absolutely loved to play with Jeremiah, which was really nice because it would give me breaks here and there when Michael would take him out back to play in the dirt and stuff like that. Michael (who is an inspector), grew up building things and getting dirty with his dad (a lot like Kyle...he's a manly man). Since Michael is very much like Kyle and Jeremiah (they like to play rough, get dirty, break and build things)...it worked out well because he just thought Jeremiah was so cute and funny...since he is kind of a mini version of what Michael and Kyle are today. Michael will definitely be an amazing father (just like Kyle), you can just tell by the way he played with Jer and would goof around. It was so nice because a few times while we would be eating dinner, Michael would finish eating early and take Jer out to play while I finished...it was such a nice treat and blessing because 8 days with Jer and no Kyle can be tiring. Well to say the least I am so glad that Kimmi is marrying Michael...they are really cute together and will both make wonderful parents.





On Thursday, we headed to the Fort Worth Zoo....it was a blast, however very hot and crowded. Jeremiah sure did enjoy seeing all the animals, however sometimes he was more amused by the bird flying over head or the bolts in the railing...he's a boy what can I say. We stayed for a few hours and then took off to eat lunch and play in my Auntie Linda's backyard.





On Friday, we went to the Fort Worth Stockyards where there is a TON of animals, shops and even rodeos (YAY....I love those). We stayed for a few hours and enjoyed the petting zoo (Jer actually cried because the goats are mean and would ram him for food), bought Jeremiah cow boy boots (Michael's suggestion since he has some....and they are really cute on), looked at the Long Horn cattle and just played on the grass in front of the stock exchange.





On Saturday, we went to see Kimmi and Michael's wedding site where they will be getting married at in 3 months. It is called the Lantana Lodge and is absolutely GORGEOUS. It overlooks a lake and has a billion trees (you feel like you are in the mountains). Kimmi is going to be a extremely beautiful bride to say the least...I can't wait for June to come!!





On Sunday, we went to church and celebrated Easter there (their pastor is amazing) and then went back to my Auntie Linda's home. At their house Jeremiah and Stephie Jo opened their Easter baskets which were so cute. Stephie got a bunch of clothes from her Grandma and Jeremiah got a bunch of water/backyard toys from them also. I got Jer a Veggie Tales DVD, a new book, a new sippy cup and some new bouncy balls. After opening the baskets we then went to the Koehler's home (Michael's parents home). Mrs. Koehler made an amazing dinner (Turkey, Ham, Mashed potato's and sides)...and then they set up a Easter egg hunt for Jer, that was extremely nice of them to do that. Jeremiah also was able to play in Mr. Koehler's restored classic cars...there are some really cute pictures of Jer. This Easter was a wonderful day full of amazing food and family.





On Monday, we flew home and Jer Jer finally got to see his daddy. Jeremiah did wonderful on the flight....he cried for about 15 min. on the way up, slept for about 2 hours and then cried for about 10 min. on the way down due to being held.





Our trip was really wonderful and it was so nice getting to spend a lot of time with family. It was such a blessing getting to see our Stephie Jo while she was still small and getting to see her amazing personality. She is truly a gift from God and it is so nice to see a mother like Kristi who truly cares and is really attached to her daughter. Kristi is really doing an amazing job at parenting and especially since her husband is in Iraq. She has such a great support system with all of her family and it is so wonderful to see that for her. LOVE YOU ALL!!!





Enjoy the slide show....






FYI: the Slide Show is 10 min. long

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