Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas

I thought I should mention that James and I flew to Arkansas December 8th to visit my dad and stepmom. The day we arrived, we immediately drove from the airport to my Aunt Kay's in Springfield, Missouri to celebrate some family birthdays and early Christmas. We had a great time there with aunts, uncles, cousins, and cats. James was very energetic and excited to meet new people... and to pet the cats.

After a great weekend there, we got to spend time with Grandpa Tim and his dog, Kirby, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. James had just come from Tallahassee, where my brother has a dog named Yoshi. So James's favorite thing to do was keep repeating "It's not Kirby, it's Yoshi!" to us. He really knew it was a different dog, but I think he saw the constant back-and-forth of us explaining over and over again that it really was Kirby as a game. Like so much of his life.

The next weekend we visited my Grandmother Ada in Emporia, Kansas. James and I drove over from Arkansas with my sister, Meredith. It was a nice visit, but very snowy outside and cold.

The remainder of our trip was spent back with my dad and stepmom, Holly. Holly even took James for his first pony ride! We all had some fun times together and were sad to have to say goodbye. At least I was sad... I think Dad and Holly had had enough of James terrorizing their usually quiet home.