Happy Birthday Auntie Annie!

First things first.

David's surgery went exactly as planned and was successful.

He's recovering in the ICU and breathing on his own.

Tomorrow he will be transferred out of the ICU and will be encouraged (forced) to walk.

We know that there is a lot of hard work ahead, but are so thankful that everything went well.

Aleks spent the night at his Dad's house so that they could be at the hospital before the sun was up.

Which meant I got all the fun of a 4:30 am wake up to myself!

We had pancakes and milk while waiting for daylight and then took our pails and shovels to the marina to dig.

One of the things I love about this age, is that filling up a bucket with sand is super entertaining and can last for a half hour.

We would have stayed longer, but it was cold!

On the drive home we saw this great park, which the girls adored.

I thought it was pretty spiffy too.

Until I saw some people sleeping in the middle of the structure.

I'd forgotten that is something that comes with living in a big city.

When we got home I talked spoke to my grandpa who mentioned that he was on his way to see my Auntie Annie in Wheatland and off-handly mentioned that we should come along.

I hardly do things spontaneously anymore.

Mostly because I think the girls' sleep schedule is so important.

So initially I didn't consider driving out to see my aunt as a viable option.

But, you only live once right?

And an hour and a half drive is a lot shorter than it would take to drive from Wichita.

As I took this picture, I thought "this is either a really great idea or a horrible one."

We arrived after an uneventful drive (the girls did not take their naps in the car) and totally surprised Annie and Rob.

We went for a swim in their saltwater pool, which is awesome.

After our swim, Maia told me that she was teaching "the boy" (my cousin Nate, who is 12) all about the classification of dinosaurs.

(Thanks for being a good sport Nate!)

Then the girls sorted bouncy balls according to size.

And when that got old, Aunt Annie took them to the shower and dumped them out where they bounced off the walls and floor.

And then there was birthday cake.

And the girls dug right in.

And 10 minutes into our drive home, they both fell asleep.

I'd say it was a pretty successful trip.

Happy Birthday Auntie Annie!

Thanks for letting us crash your party.