Lubbock

Zach & Shanna were going to Florida this past week with Shawn & Lissa so the girls could photograph a wedding and so they could all have a little fun.  So Zach & Shanna asked the 2 grandmas to take turns babysitting Dax.  Kay went Tuesday and then I went down Friday after I got off of work and stayed until last night.  I knew my two oldest granddaughters would give their right arms for the chance of helping with Dax for that long.  And I also remember how much I loved taking care of my baby cousins.  So Caitlin & Alexis went with me to Lubbock.

This is Dax in his "Alaska" onsie.  I'm not sure if Aunt Amanda got it for him or if his grandparents did when they went to visit Aunt Amanda in Anchorage.  But Alexis wanted to dress him in it and I didn't think it would fit since it was a 12 month size.  But..as you can see...it did.

I'm not sure Dax had ever ridden in a grocery cart this way, but he got to this day!  He loved it.

Only a grandmother would pick him up and put him in the middle of a display of pumpkins at the grocery store and snap a picture!!  He wanted to stay there though.

On our way home from church, I saw this large pumpkin and wanted to take a pic of all three kids beside it.  Caitlin refused to get in my picture.  Something about being seen by the world on my blog or some such nonsense.  ;) Love you, Caitlin!

The girls took count of whose turn it was to feed Dax his food or give him a bottle.  They had a ball.  And...they're pretty good babysitters.

We had so much fun together.  The girls made a delicious cake, carved pumpkins, helped with Dax, and even cleaned house.

The last day we were there, THIS happened!!  It was getting close to time for Zach & Shanna to fly in to Lubbock.  It had been windy all day...and I'd been praying they'd be able to get home.  I knew Shanna would be upset if she couldn't get to her baby boy!  We'd cleaned house that day and I just happened to look out their north window and saw this coming toward us.  It was about a mile away.  I must have screamed because the girls ran to the window and Caitlin asked, "Is that a tornado??"  I assured her it wasn't (not sure how I was so sure!) and we just watched it come towards us.  It was mesmerizing.  And then it hit.  It was as if the lights went out and then there was an eery reddish glow for about an hour afterwards as the dust fell over us.  I began texting Zach & Shanna, knowing they wouldn't be landing in Lubbock.  Sure enough, they were rerouted to Dallas because of the dust storm and debris on the landing strips in Lubbock.  I told the girls to remember this day---they could tell their kids that they had been through a dust storm and lived to tell about it.  Since I needed to get the girls home, Zach & Shanna's friend, Heather, came to stay with Dax until his mommy & daddy could get from Dallas to Lubbock.  They made it home before we made it to Amarillo.  I called Zach this morning to see if Dax was bored without all his entertainment!!  The girls & I felt like we'd failed--we'd planned to teach Dax to say "Momma" and to crawl--but that didn't happen.  But Caitlin did teach him to reach for us.

I promise, Shanna...we did dust.