Maryn standing and thinking about getting that glass

David and Maryn

Cole playing

Grandpa gets a smile

Bath time

Grandpa and Florence

Bart & Dee at Pietro's

Christine and Florence at Ben & Jerry's

Arlington - Almost Home

We arrived in Arlington yesterday afternoon in time for some lunch at Bennigan's, a pedicure for Tippy, and a run to Petsmart for Stu and Alex. We drove over to David's in the early evening, fighting traffic, to see everyone. The whole family has been ill to one degree or another but we all enjoyed the visit and were amazed at how much the grand kids had grown in the past four months.

Before we left the St. Louis area we were able to spend some time with John, Christine, and Florence on Monday evening. We hung out for a while at the house and ordered pizza for dinner after Florence went to bed. We enjoyed watching John give Florence a bath before bed. He is really a great dad! We also had lunch on Monday with our good friends Bart & Dee Collida. Bart is a former Committeeman on the APL Committee. Like me he is now retired but he enjoys his grandson's success at golf. Sunday afternoon we also spent time with John's family before they went to a friends home for the evening. We all drove down to the "Loop" to Ben & Jerry's for icecream before heading for home.

Our drive from St. Louis to Arlington went without a hitch. The first day we stopped at a KOA in Joplin, MO and then on Wednesday we drove to Sulphur, OK. The final leg, of only 148 miles to Arlington, was uneventful other than a stop at the Camping World in Denton, just north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I picked up a couple of quick connects for hoses while Tippy walked Alex and then we completed the trip into Arlington. The traffic here seems heavier than in Streetman but I may be mistaken.

We will go over to David's again this evening with a possible trip to Chucky Cheese for an outing with the kids. Apparently Cole really enjoys the activities and the excitement of the place. We also discussed some possible activities for Saturday which will get us out with the kids and allow us to see some of the local sights. On Sunday we will head for home after Tippy goes to Mass. We both miss being home and we heard yesterday that the deck has been stained and looks great which makes us even more anxious to want to get home. I will post again on Sunday morning with pictures from Friday and Saturday. Enjoy a few pictures from St. Louis and a few from here as well. Be safe.

Florence with her Dad

Florence with Grandma Tippy

Florence with Grandpa

Florence in her Bouncy

Dining room

Living room

Florence

We arrived safely in the St. Louis area on Friday after a couple of harrowing days on the road with bad weather and lots of traffic. We decided to rest on Friday evening, rather than battle more traffic and construction, and go into town to see John, Christine, and Florence on Saturday. Wow, has she grown! She weighs over 17 pounds now and is continuing to grow every day.

She tries to support herself on her legs when you hold her and she can grab your fingers very tightly. I was fortunate to get some great smiles which really made the trip worth it.

Tippy brought a chuck roast for dinner, which we enjoyed before heading back to the coach. She slow cooked the roast in a crock pot overnight and served it with mashed potatoes, gravy, and some great garlic bread. We were all full at the end but had plenty left over for them to enjoy for another meal or two.

We returned on Sunday afternoon and had lots of time to talk with John and Christine while Florence took a nice long nap. Christine shared some pictures of Florence she had on her computer and John shared some pictures of the raft trip on the Snake River. All of the pictures were great and we enjoyed sharing the experiences with them.

We are having lunch with our dear friends Bart and Dee Collida today at a fine Italian restaurant. We will also make one last trip into town to see everyone before we begin our trek toward home tomorrow.

Enjoy the pictures and expect more from Texas as we see the other two grand kids next weekend. Be safe.