Indiana Fun Time

The joy of traveling was granted to me and Emilia once again. She really is a pleasure to travel with because she occupies herself, sleeps, and looks out the window. The 2.5 hour trip helps with the attention span (opposed to 6 or 7 hours that we normally do). It tickled me to hear her say "Where's Brooklyn's house? I can't see it anywhere!" She repeated this statement about twice an hour until we reached the driveway. I'm thrilled that she loves her cousins so much.

Spring Break Fun

This Spring break we decided to spend a few days visiting my brother and his family in Gulfport, Mississippi. We had a morning at the beach (haven't seen sand and ocean in 4 years and it was great), a half-day in New Orleans at the Aquarium, an evening at the movie theatre and pedicures without kids, and an overall relaxing, fun time. As always, I love seeing Emilia having so much fun with her cousins.

Ready to go!!

 They couldn't wait to start playing in the sand!

 Emilia thoroughly enjoyed the water.

I had a hard time keeping her out of it, especially when I wasn't next to her.

 Sweet girls, Ana Jo and Emilia.

 New Orleans Aquarium.

Checking out the coral and fish.

 Tried to get a group picture in front of the penguins.

It didn't work out so well. This was the best I could do. Ha!

Please notice Emilia and Tate.

Neither one was too excited about this picture.

Quick Trip to Indiana

Newburgh, Indiana greeted us with more cousins and fun times. We just stayed one night, but the kids thoroughly enjoyed playing together. Because of the rainy, cloudy days, Emilia hadn't run around outdoors in quite awhile. The sun was peeking from behind the clouds and the temperature was warm for January. I thought it would be a great idea to let the kids burn off some steam in the backyard, but didn't realize how muddy it was until the dog joined them! Oops! Thus, baths for all afterward.

 The girls were playing "kitchen/restaurant."

Check out Emilia's pants - so muddy!

Tate and Ana Jo

On Friday afternoon, Emilia and I took a trip to Montgomery to visit cousins. Not just any cousins. These were the beloved Tate and Ana Wheeler! Emilia talks about them daily, so I knew we must get away to see them as soon as we could. Leigh Ann and I agreed to meet half way so neither of us had to do the grueling 8 hour drive alone with young kids - and considering the weather was so iffy, it turned out to be a brilliant plan!

We took a similar trip last year, so it looks like this will be an annual thing. It's nice to have the cousins together as often as possible, especially since we live far apart.

Last year, we managed a trip to a children's hands-on museum in Tuscaloosa. This year, our goal was the girls' first big theater experience: Beauty and the Beast 3D! Tate enjoys going to the movies, so we were hoping the girls would, too. I could almost taste the anticipation as we stood at the ticket counter, and then searched for our seats. As the previews and then the movie played, the children couldn't take their eyes off the screen while eating their snacks and drinking their "special movie juice." Success!

While waiting for the movie, we all were able to eat lunch with Cousin Clay. Emilia hadn't met him before and even in the brief hour we were together, he made quite the impression! She couldn't stop talking about him! On the way home, we took a small detour to Huntsville to see Cousin Blake, Honey, and their girls. Emilia had a ball playing with Kyndal and Skylar. Hopefully, it won't be years before we see them again.

Uncle Paul, Aunt Leigh, Tate, and Ana!

We were so pleased to have cousins visiting us for a day or so this past week! We hadn't seen Uncle Paul, Aunt Leigh and the kids since May, so the visit was definitely needed. The children had a fantastic time running, playing, and sharing.

 Emilia got a raincoat for her birthday. Ana is helping her put it on.

The girls took turns reading the letters off the fridge.

Story time!!

A Visit from Cousins and a Trip to the Parthenon

I was ecstatic when my cousin said she was coming to Nashville and bringing her kids in tow! Emilia loves playmates, so this was perfect. Even though it was just a short visit Saturday and Sunday, it was worth every moment.

We all met at the Parthenon to show a site of Nashville and let the kids run around. We fed the ducks, had a picnic, and took some pictures. I don't know why I haven't done that before...it was fun and Emilia still mentions "feeding ducks."

Sunday we went to church, ate lunch, and swam in the pool. Good summer fun! We look forward to another visit from them soon.

Memorial Day Weekend

Emilia and I took a long awaited trip to Indiana so we could visit cousins. We had fun times hanging out by the lake (she was reluctant to get in at first), going to the park, and eating Mexican. (What else do you do on the line between Kentucky and Indiana in the middle of cornfields??)

 Busy working in the sand!

 Sweet cousins playing in the water.

On Memorial Day we did this…

 And I thought sidewalk chalk went on the sidewalk!?! Silly me!

Aunt Rachel and Arabel!

Tuesday, Aunt Rachel and cousin Arabel came to visit. This was the first time we've seen the little one since Thanksgiving, and it was so wonderful to see how much she's grown! She and Emilia loved playing with one another, sharing, hugging, and kissing. Occasionally, there would be a territorial battle (dominated by Emilia, of course), but kindness (and Mom) won in the end. I can't wait for many more meetings like these! At the end of the week, Rachel and I head West to Harding for Spring Sing with our two girls in-tow.

 Arabel, 7 months

 Sweet girls!

Aunt Rachel and Emilia