Family, family and more family

This past week we were able to see many family members and enjoyed catching up with everyone. I took the Horton kiddos to paint pottery for their birthday outing (only 3 months late, but better late than never I guess!) so Ryan got to spend the afternoon with Aunt Michelle and see his cousins briefly.

With cousins Katie, Maggie and Jonathan

Friday and Saturday Ryan and I were to Wichita for a work event and baby shower for my cousin Ryan's wife, Jeni. We stayed with my cousin Mandy, her husband Brad and their adorable and precocious 4 1/2-year-old Isabel. I had a wonderful time visiting with them and Bell made us some excellent waffles for breakfast. Unfortunately, my cousin Beth's two little boys were sick so Ryan didn't get to meet Carter and Tyler and we weren't able to visit Beth as long as we'd hoped. She hosted the shower though so we got to see her for a while and her and Paul's new home is beautiful. While in Wichita, we were also able to see my Aunt Sally and Uncle Gary. Gary is recovering from a serious car accident this summer and is doing great. It was good to finally see him and we're all very happy his recovery is progressing so well. My mom came down from Clay Center for the shower and brought my Aunt Mary with her who was visiting from Denver. Since we can't make it out to Colorado very often, it was nice to see her and catch up. While at the shower we also got to see my cousin Jamie and her daugther Kailey and my Aunt Karen and cousin Aran's wife Kate from Manhattan .

with Nana

with my Aunt Mary from Denver

with my cousin Beth who hosted the shower

Upon returning to Kansas City, we got to visit more family on Sunday. My step-sister Erin and her 10-month-old daughter Tessa were in town from Denver to help her cousin Nicole do some wedding planning. We were able to get Ryan and Tessa together for the first time and got a glimpse of the constant activity we can expect over Christmas since we'll have 3 babies under a year in one place! They were very cute together and it's fun to see how advanced Tessa is and anticipate the neat things Ryan will be able to do in a couple months.

Ryan and Tessa on the move


Ryan hugging Tessa goodbye. He doesn't really
know how to hug but it was a very cute coincidence.

With Grandma Marcia

On their way home from the lake, Grandma and Grandpa A stopped by with their friends the Williamses from Lawrence. Mary Ann is Jane's best friend from their childhood in Linwood and is like family so it was nice to get to see them again and for John to meet Ryan.

With John and Mary Ann Williams

While Ryan and I got intimate with the Kansas Turnpike visiting many of our family members, Todd was back in KC for a conference he spent the past year helping to plan, then enjoying KU Homecoming and doing house projects. We missed him a lot and are very much looking forward to a relaxing weekend at the lake with just the three of us (and Callie).