As luck would have it (extreme sarcasm), Kristen and I both became ill on Thursday evening. Thinking it would pass we did our best to pack our luggage and Emmy's since we had a 7:30 a.m. flight to Chicago. We had planned to spend the weekend in the Windy City before Kristen's week long training in St. Charles, but as the night went on it looked bleaker and bleaker. Let's just say that we had a less than perfect night and were unable to take Emmy on her first plane ride and first vacation. I guess we will have to save this for something even bigger and better.

Up at 3:00 a.m. Friday, we tossed the idea of getting on the plane back and forth, but the fact that we never made a move off of the couch while discussing the issue made the choice that much easier. Kristen, who was worse off than I, went back to bed (and by bed, I mean the bathroom), while I scrambled to call the hotel and Continental to cancel our travel plans. Talking with a Continental rep regarding cancelling flights is much easier if, when your daughter screams because she wants attention and she asks you about it, if you say "I am trying to keep her happy as my wife is currently in the restroom vomitting." It also helps if this is true, as it was in this instance. By 6:00 a.m., Kristen, Emmy (who was very considerate and caring for her mother this very morning) and I were all back asleep.

Despite our ruined vacation, I made note of the fact that if we were to be stuck in Houston for any weekend, this would be the best one. I was made aware of that fact by our local weatherman during the 3:30 a.m., 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. news. I didn't even know news came on that many times in one day, much less one morning.

Unfortunately, Friday was a bust. Kristen and I did very little, keeping Emmy entertained as we napped with her due to our illness. We both vowed to be better for Saturday. Saturday morning came and both Kristen and I were ready for some weekend excitement since Chicago had been shut down. After watching some of tu v. OU, we ventured out of the house for the first time since Thursday. We went to our church so we could get some pre-halloween pics of Emmy in her adorable costume Kristen found for her. She won over all of the volunteers and others taking photos, being her adorable self. I never knew that something that is supposed to smell so bad could actually be that cute. Much like most of our photo sessions, I took a hundred pics to get this one perfect example of why we both melt when we see her every day.


Some of the other great ones below...





As a follow up to that excitement, Kristen and I took Emmy to the park over run by ducks at Gleannloch Farms. These ducks are not your standard "scared of humans" birds, they are aggressive and come running when any car stops in hope that they have any food they are willing to share. We had come before, unarmed, but came this day with bread in hand so that the ducks would stick around for more than a few moments. And come they did. All but one, who seemed to shuck our offerings, spurning us, because as Kristen and I said, he had so many better alternatives. Emmy again was not impressed, not because the ducks ran away, but because one had the gall to snatch the bread in her hand that was going to be headed for her mouth right from her tiny hand. It frightened her of course, and cemented her feelings about ducks in general.


Chicago it wasn't, but our weekend was filled with adventures CHItown cannot offer. Hopefully one day in the future, we will be able to take Emmy on that plane ride we missed out this weekend.