Fun days in Kansas!

Over our past 2 weeks in the hotel, our boys have gotten lots of practice at restaurant etiquette, as you can see in the picture below! : ) Since we don't have a full kitchen, it has been much easier to just eat out. I never thought I would get tired of eating out, but I think we've all reached our limit and are ready for a few more home cooked meals again! I do have to admit that we've felt pretty spoiled being on per diem and getting to try lots of new restaurants... maybe just in smaller doses from now on!

We've also gotten lots of 'togetherness' in the hotel! Wyatt has become a pro at feeding lil bro his bottle...

Wyatt and Isaac have gotten tons of time with their cousins, along with Auntie B and Uncle Trent. Wyatt absolutely adores my sister... At night when we're getting ready to say our prayers and I ask Wy guy what he's most thankful for, he usually says "Auntie B!" I love to see the cousins love each other and it has been very affirming that this move was the right decision... It is so fun and such a blessing to live out life together! Here is a photo of Wyatt at his very FIRST FOOTBALL GAME! Daddy missed out but I'm sure there are many more to come!

Wy's favorite part of the game was the marching band... He is my little music man!

We got a quick lunch date with Aunt Jen and were able to meet cousin Alexa for the very first time!

Papa and Gamma also stopped through on their way home from Springfield, MO. Wyatt had a little laughing fest with Papa in the hotel lobby!

We've been to Deanna Rose petting zoo numerous times in the past couple of weeks! Here's Wyatt and his buddy Lawson watching the ponies, I think!

We made a trip to the CIRCUS which has been the topic of many conversations since!

Wyatt was so excited to share the experience with lil bro, who cut his first 2 teeth in the middle of the performance. Isaac was biting my fingers so hard and then all of a sudden, POP! Two sharp little teeth cut through those gums right into my hand!

Wy was determined to get in some pool time even though the water has been quite cool!

We were able to cheer Poppy on at one of his Saturday morning softball games. Yes, that's right, Poppy still plays ball! It was so fun to see a bunch of 60 and older men, mostly former college ball players, still out on the field playing in quite a competitive league. Poppy plays first base and Wyatt kept a pretty close eye on him until he got distracted by a digger! :) Here's my little slugger congratulating Poppy after a big win!

It has been so fun hanging out with family, catching up with old friends, and just enjoying life together now that Joe has a more 'normal' schedule! Life is good...

Bye-Bye Burdette Forest...

Last Friday was a bittersweet day packing up and saying goodbye to our neighbors, friends, home and life on Burdette Forest Road. It was a short, yet incredible 10 months in Maryland! I've learned and grown, been stretched and mentored in ways that I would have never imagined in such a short time! We spent the day getting both Hondas loaded down in prep to head out early on Saturday morning for the long trek to Kansas....

One last fam photo on our front porch!

Still on the market! It was a strange feeling to leave most of our belongings in our fully furnished house and head out for KS, but we're trusting the Lord to protect our home bring the perfect buyers in due time!

Here I am with cousins Lori, Sheila, and Aunt Jackie out for dinner! It was hard to say goodbye to our MD family but we're so thankful for the year of fun memories and holidays spent together!

We split up our 1100mi journey into 3 days, making a mini vacation out of it. Our first stop was Columbus, OH where we stayed at an indoor waterpark and had a blast. Below are pics of Wyatt playing at a park in Louisville, KY which was our next stop. This was the neatest park with an outdoor, live band playing... Wyatt had so much fun being out of the car, running around, and getting very DIRTY!

Isaac took lots of cat naps while Wy guy was out playing!

Our final stop was home of the Arch in good ol' St. Louis!

Wyatt actually took this photo of the 3 of us on the lawn under the Arch... He's quite the little photographer, I tell ya!

Here's Daddy and Wy guy wrestling under the skyscraper...

"Just hanging out." as Wy guy would say!

And finally on Tuesday we arrived in KANSAS CITY!!! We pulled up to our new apartment and were a little disappointed with the location, so we opted to stay in a hotel for 2 weeks while waiting for another apartment to become available... So our new home sweet home is temporarily on the 3rd floor of the Homewood Suites, complete with continental breakfast, housekeeping, and very tight living quarters for a family of 4 plus Gabbi dog! Now this is what you call down-sizing! But we will survive :) and will certainly grow in gratefulness for the comforts of home, I'm sure!

KathQueen came to visit!

My best friend from KSU came to visit me and the boys this weekend. Wyatt called Kathleen, "Kathqueen!" which I thought was a fitting title for the post! ; )

Joe was supposed to be home so that we could have some girl time, but he ended up getting assigned to one last trip! : / Kathleen was such a trooper and a great help to me as we ventured out with the kiddos... She got to see the craziness of life with 2 little boys in tow! We went to the county fair but it was very HOT so we didn't last too long, but long enough for a tractor ride...

and to see lots of animals and even take a cow ride : )... and sit in a big fire engine!

We got to eat out and play at the park and just enjoy some time catching up...in between tackles, and spills, and meltdowns, and everything else that goes along with bringing the boys out! ; )

Thanks SO much for taking time to come see us, Kathleen. It really was just like old times (with a couple of boys added to the mix!). I am so sad to no longer be living only 3 hours apart, but hopefully we'll get to see each other during your visits to KS... and I will definitley plan a girls weekend in PA too!!!!! Thanks for being so good to my boys this past weekend. I'm always so humbled after spending time with you... I appreciate so many of your character qualities, from your sweet spirit and patience that never seems to falter, to your dilligence and and quiet strength... You are such a beautiful person! Love and miss you, Friend!

Rehoboth, DE... a trip to the beach!

My fantastic husband surprised us with a family vacation to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware! This had been on my to-do list for east coast excursions and I was so glad to be able to check it off the list, even if it was 5 days before packing up and moving back to the midwest!

Here we are on the 'Hotel Rehoboth' golf cart heading down to the beach!

The boys loved the sand! The weather was AMAZING... 85 and cloudy most of the weekend. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend for the beach! This is a photo of Isaac while making his famous'motor boat' noise! The boys are always wrestling!

Chillin' on the pier

Wyatt thought the waves were the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. He wasn't the least bit afraid and the waves were very BIG!

Somewhere in the middle of the weekend I turned 30! I had not been looking forward to turning the big 3-0, so a trip to the beach eased the pain! :) It really wasn't so bad afterall, although I definitley feel older now (but not old enough for a minivan! This is an ongoing jolk I've had with the hubby--I told him that maybe when I turned 30 I'd be ready for a minivan...well, maybe not!). But as I've had time to reflect on being 30, I'm increasingly grateful for where the Lord has me and what he's teaching me with each passing year... The verse I've claimed for the next decade is Psalm 90:12 "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."

First helicopter ride!

Daddy was very BRAVE to let Wy guy eat an ice cream cone while riding on his shoulders. He got a lot of giggles and comments on our walk back to the hotel! : ) But Wyatt enjoyed the ice cream so much that he didn't even let a single drip fall on Daddy's head!

Crossing the Bay Bridge on our way home...

Isaac is 7-Months!

Here's our little man posing for his 7-month photo!

Isaac has gotten to try lots of new foods this month! He's a very healthy eater, to say the least!

Bath time is one of the highlights of the day for Ike... He loves the water! Isaac is all about playtime now... So long to the days of him sitting back in the swing and observing the world around him... He is Mr. activity these days!

Isaac and Wyatt now 'wrestle'... It is so much FUN to watch them PLAY together. Isaac can definitley hold his own with big bro Wyatt around.

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Fun Facts About our 7-Month-Old:

ISAAC...

• is very ACTIVE now... He wants to be in on all of the action these days!
• has a very easy going, fun loving personality, but he's defintiley getting an OPINION. I love it! This little man is definitley not passive and will certainly be able to hold his own!
• has really discovered his VOICE BOX... Oh, my! He can be so NOISY!
• SMILES all the time... I would think his cheek muscles would eventually get tired, but he just keeps on smilin'.
• is starting to study others a little more... He's defintiley aware of new people and is a bit more cautious than he used to be, but will pretty much take to any open arms available...but he just might stare you down!
• LOVES to wrestle big bro but will also let him know when he's finished playing!
• Is a great EATER... Loves all fruit, except apples and any green veggie!
• HATES to have poo poo in his diaper.
• Thankfully, Ike is so good at entertaining himself and being independent in his crib, pack-n-play or jumper! He's got to be the most low-maintenance and easy baby EVER.
• it has been a little bit of a rough month for sleeping in the McCulley household. Isaac started waking again in the middle of the night and I refused to let him cry in fear of waking Wyatt. And Wyatt has been waking almost once every night due to bad dreams. Hopefully next month we'll all get more rest...