Weekend in Dallas, Part 1

FRIDAY

We took our time getting packed and loaded Friday morning for our big trip up to Dallas. Usually we are rushed and that leads to tension and silly little fights as a result of stress, so this time we just went at our own pace and it was much better. We tried to time it so we would leave right before the twins’ 11 AM nap time so they would hopefully sleep most of the ride up to Dallas. That worked until we hit Waco (about halfway through our drive) when we needed to stop for gas and lunch.

There is one thing that you absolutely cannot do to Carson — wake him when he is sleeping. There will be all kinds of hell to pay, and that’s exactly what we got. He fussed, cried, refused to sit in the high-chair at the restaurant in Waco. He made a scene and Mark could barely eat his lunch. This entire weekend Carson only wanted Mark. Not me. He would fuss and toss around as if I were a stranger if I tried to hold him.

So, we weren’t off to a good start with Mr. Carson, and I can’t really say it improved after that.

We finally made it to Dallas, and checked into a hotel near his mom’s house. We had decided not to stay with at his mom’s house because (a) it’s a full house anyway, and (b) we thought the twins would do better with just us at night. We we rested, showered, and just decompressed after the long drive while waiting for his mom to get off from work. Once again, it was nice not to be rushed. We had time to get the Pack-n-Plays set up and the twins also had a chance to relax in the new environment before being whisked off again.

We had a great time at Mark’s mom’s house. We got to see his mom, his nephew Dakota, his sister (briefly), his brother-in-law (briefly), his niece, and his great-niece. I loved watching the twins interact with Dorothy (Mark’s mom). Kate immediately went to her (and everyone for that matter), and put on a cute show of laughing, dancing, and talking. Dorothy made us dinner, and we enjoyed just being able to visit with everyone.

The kiddos crashed in the car on the way back to the hotel, and slept until 7 AM the next day. (These are the kids that usually grace us with their presence at 5:30 AM, so this was a treat for us.) We headed back over to Mark’s mom’s house early in the morning for breakfast and more time together. We left around noon and drove across the metroplex to my friend Amanda’s house.

Mark, Carson, Dorothy & Kate

Kate with her cousin Dakota clapping and yelling “yay!” She loves to cheer!

 Cousin Dakota (14 yrs old), Kate and Mr. Fuss Pot Carson. Dakota was our ring bearer at our wedding. I can’t believe how fast he has grown-up!

Kate with her grandma (“Madame”) Dorothy. I think they have the same shaped eyes.