After a 16 hour red eye, we landed mid morning on April 7th. Ashlee and Hunter picked us up and then we met Alex for a quick lunch. We had been gone a long time for an 18 month old but thanks to weekly Facetime, Hunter seemed to remember us. When we left he wasn't walking and barely talking, now he is running and making an almost constant stream of noise (some of which are words). It’s so good to be home.

After lunch we went to pick up the RV, which didn’t go quite as smoothly as we would have liked. The motorcycle batteries were dead and the tires were flat. The water heater was acting up and we had a small leak from our lower tank drain. It took us (mostly Bill) 3 days to un-winterize, get everything back in working order, and get the bikes running.

We stayed in an RV Park about 1 mile from Alex, Ashlee, and Hunter’s house (yes we are those Grand Parents), so we got to see him (them) a lot. We caught up on some baby-sitting, and Bill even baby sat all by himself one Sunday for about 5 hours. This was a first ever for him, and fortunately no dirty diaper changes were required (Actually a diaper change was required but no one told me that they had switched diaper brands. Before we left the diaper would get a blue streak if he wet himself. Although I checked him several times there was no blue streak and fortunately no other proof of a dirty diaper. Of course when Dessa got back she figured out he definitely needed a change). Hunter is the sweetest thing, and I only had one problem with him… by the time we left, he clearly preferred Bill. When we would arrive at the house, Hunter would walk around me to get to Bill, and he would wait till he was past me to raise his arms for the pick up to make sure I didn’t get in the way. I’m sure he likes Bill better because Bill is really just a big toddler himself. Bill loves to get down on the floor and play, and he and Hunter spent hours doing just that. We will miss him terribly.

Hunter is also smart as a whip (check out the 1 min video). He amazed us at PF Chang’s, when he used chopsticks (sort of), and ate 5 whole dumplings, dipping each one in his own bowl of sauce. He has a small hockey stick and has gained enough eye/hand coordination to swing the stick and hit the puck when it is passed to him. Of course he also used that same stick to break the 70" 3D Plasma TV we gave to Alex. He is talking some, and quickly learned Bill’s latest grandfather name. Bill initially liked 3G given his career and that he is the 3rd grandfather but I think he likes his new name, Bilbo, since Hunter can say it (it doesn’t hurt that it sounds a lot like his favorite 3 things – Balls, Balloons and Bubbles). Hunter of course also knows how to throw a quick fit, turning on the waterworks and dropping to the ground at the slightest provocation. He’s still young enough for even that to be cute.

Great news…we will have another grandchild in December. Yeah!!

It was also great to see Sami, Heath and my Mom. Sami is beautiful and Mom was looking and feeling good. Sami has a new job which she is enjoying and Heath’s business has really started to take off, so they are doing well. Mom turned 85 while we were home and she is starting to consider a move, so we took her to check out several retirement communities. I think she decided on which one she liked, but will need to get on the waiting list. We also took her to Arkansas where we visited family. We took the motorcycles along and rode the Pig Trail while we were there. We had perfect spring weather for the ride and lots of fun. To wrap up family time, I went to a baby shower for my niece Michelle who has since had a strapping baby boy named Jack Ryan.

Dessa dropped by LP (where she worked for almost 25 years) and had a great lunch with several of the girls. We both had multiple doctor visits and we also got to catch up on some old favorites. On every aisle at Walmart there was something we were glad to see. Diet Dr Pepper, Chesters Hot Fries, Yasso Salted Caramel Yogurt Bars, just simple stuff that we had missed. It all seemed so cheap after months in Australia. Finally we got to visit our favorite restaurants and fast food places. Taco Bell is the bomb, Chuy’s, Chick-fil-A, Paradise Bakery, so many yummy options.

We’ve been so busy that we delayed our departure for a week and a half but we are now off again, heading west with stops in New Mexico and Arizona on the way to California. There are so many great places to see, it has been hard to pick a route and stick to it. Bill has planned and re-planned more than once (with encouragement and/or upon request and probably not for the last time). The original plan was to leave in early May and be back in November, but after our 3.5 month international trip, we realized that is too long, so now we will come back in August, right after Sturgis. We wouldn’t want to miss the Texas heat…