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Indeed, we are back. The internet access on our travel (not to mention lack of time!) didn't really allow us a chance to post much, so we have a lot to catch up on. So let's get to it.

When we last posted, we had made it as far as South Dakota. From there, we went up to visit my Dad's family in Montana. I forgot to get the camera out in Lewistown, but in Billings we visited with Dad's aunt Lauretta, seen here with the family:

Then we started swinging back to the southeast, with our first stop being my cousins' place in Colorado. It was so good to catch up with them (and that's my cousin's children with Matthew and Steven on the trampoline in the first picture). It was a shame that we only had one night there to spend, but that seemed to be the story of our trip. In our haste to get home to set up all the therapy things for the boys, we cut the trip a lot shorter, meaning that our visits were more packed in, and a lot of people we only got to see for one evening.

Proceeding east, we made it to Kansas, which is where my brother has been staying lately. He recently got married to a wonderful lady who we hadn't met yet, so we spent several days with them. It was a great time, and they're hoping to come out this way for Christmas so we can see them again. Yay! And the weather there was splendiforous, so we enjoyed it with lots of outdoor activities.

And of course, they got to spend time with their nephews as well:

One of our favorite things from the whole trip was a day at the zoo with my brother and his wife. We took loads of pictures, and the boys absolutely loved it!

On the way to our next stop, I pulled a surprise on Bobbie. We had seen a program on TV in Michigan about the world famous barbecue restaurant Arthur Bryant's, in Kansas City, and Bobbie had remarked offhandedly that she'd love to try it.

So, when I realized that it would only add an hour or so to our drive, we went through KC and stopped there. I think Bobbie was doubting my navigation skills by the time we pulled up, but we enjoyed a yummy lunch!

Actually, in my opinion, NC barbecue is better, as the sauce had a lot of chili powder - not spicy, but just chili-flavored too much for my taste. It was still pretty good, and it was a ton of food for $10; both of us were full with one order.

After a stop in Missouri, we went south to Alabama, to spend a few days with Bobbie's family. I think they really wanted to see Matthew and Steven more than us, but we enjoyed the time there anyway!

Matthew and Steven are probably not going to be world champions in croquet any time soon, I think it's safe to say.

Uncle Jimmy did take us all for a ride behind his tractor. The boys loved that, of course.

Just a quick shot of some Southern cooking, in case any of you were wondering what heaven looks like. And yes, that's fried okra in the lower left, in case you didn't recognize it. One of the few ways in which we get a glimpse into our future wedding feast on this earth, in my opinion.

Matthew loves all kinds of food, but I think Southern food will hold a special place in his heart from now on!

Bobbie's uncle and aunt are members of a square-dancing club, so Bobbie went with them one night and danced the evening away.

In Huntsville we took the boys with us to a high school football game. We left at halftime, as the boys were getting restless, but it was a fun night for the first hour or so.

Anyway, that's about it. At least to this point. Thanks for keeping up with us - please be thinking of us as we try to set up our routine again back in NC. We have meetings with a lot of evaluators to determine the best course of action for the boys in the next week or two, so please be lifting those up.

We'll also be trying to find jobs, so hopefully we'll have something to report on our new "careers" by the next time we post. See you next week!