Notes From Guam: Trip to Wisconsin *Warning Picture Overload!*

Our new nephew and cousin, Drake Bradley Robinette, was born January 12, 2013, and we decided to make a quick trip to Wisconsin to meet him! We went to an indoor play center, which the kids loved, made some freezer meals for Danelle and Ryan to have on hand, and just hung out. We thought we timed things really well with the winter weather, but a storm moved more quickly than predicted and we decided that we either needed to leave or risk getting stranded for 3-4 days in Wisconsin. We wouldn't have minded getting stranded there, except I had a really important meeting that I was not supposed to miss at work. But, as things go, I missed it anyway. It turned out they sent the appointment for the meeting for the wrong day, and they called me the afternoon we got home and wanted me to participate by speakerphone. I agreed to that but I was seriously sleep deprived and probably made no sense. Once we decided to leave, we were packed and ready to go in 45 minutes, right before the kids were headed to bed. And of course before we had taken any pictures. So Lizzy was in her PJ's, I had no makeup on and hadn't done my hair, but we were determined to get some pictures! It was also sad we had to leave because Ryan left that day for his first business trip away from Danelle and the boys since Drake was born, and then suddenly we were leaving also! I felt bad for abandoning her like that, but we really had no choice. We ended up leaving two days early and driving through the night to beat a massive winter storm. The drive home was brutal! It was so cold in Wisconsin that we took shifts packing the car so we didn't get frostbite, and once we left we had the heater on high for several hours, but it was still so cold in the car that the kids slept with their coats on and with their blankets on. It was freezing!! Cori drove most of the way, and when he finally needed to take a break I barely made three hours of driving before he took back over. This is super unusual for us as usually I drive most of the way! But I really dislike driving at night because I can't see as well with my glasses and my contacts get irritated, which makes me cranky. The kids, however, slept super well, waking up when we stopped for gas and bathroom breaks, then going right back to sleep. We made it home in about 14 hours and beat the storm. We were so sad to go and really wanted to stay the entire time! Here are some pics of our time there-taken right before we left.

Reed started playing with my hair when he was a few months old, winding his fingers in it, and now he does it to everyone. But since I have the longest hair, I think he likes it the best :)