Travelin' Girls

On Monday Ella Ann and I packed our bags and headed to Kentucky to stay with my parents until Friday. We had a great time! Ella Ann was so excited to get there that she never fell asleep in the car! Great for me! :) I have now realized the older she gets, the more she is aware of what's going on, where we're going, and that she may miss something if she goes to sleep so why sleep? In fact, she was up at all hours the first 2 nights needing something or other and then up for the day around 5. I can handle being tired, but pregnant and exhausted and having to severely limit the amount of caffeine I drink is not a good combination for me. I was not a happy camper but my parents were there to do everything for me so I couldn't really ask for more! Fortunately she slept better the last 2 nights. She was in a good mood, except for one day, most of the time because she was totally entertained all waking hours by my parents. The first day we were there my Dad bought her a little playground for outside. She loved it! They will bring it down to us when they visit in August and I look forward to being able to sit on our deck and watch her play! On Wednesday we drove to Evansville, Indiana and shopped around at the mall and a few other stores and went out to eat at an awesome Italian restaurant. It was so great for Ella Ann because as soon as we got to our table they handed her crayons to color with on the paper tablecloth and a little appetizer plate full of healthy foods that she loved! It is rare when she actually eats more than a few bites of restaurant food (because it doesn't look like what I make at home for her) but she ate a ton of her spaghetti!

We also went to a friend/relative's house so Ella Ann could play with their daughter, Morgan. It was good to catch up with Ashley while Morgan and and Ella Ann played together. Ella Ann loved her baby doll and all her accessories!

On Friday afternoon we drove down to Tennessee to stay with Zach and Mandy. Gayla (Gary is in China) also drove down from Kentucky to see all her grandchildren in action together. As soon as we got there Carter and Ella Ann took off with Seth, now walking, close behind! Zach and Mandy moved to a new house too last month so it was fun to be in a new place! On Saturday morning we all went, including Craig, to the zoo. Boy was it hot and humid! We all had a really good time, especially the kids, who were absolutely worn out by the time we got home for naps! Ella Ann never really got out of her cranky/tired mood after her very long nap and asked to go to bed at 7:15. However, I put her in her bathing suit and she joined Carter and Seth in their spacious backyard for some fun in the pool, Elmo sprinkler, and jungle gym. Only Seth got in the pool and Carter ran through the sprinkler while Ella Ann watched and whined! :) What made the mood even worse was that she fell out of the swing on her head! Poor kid. I know it hurt and so that was it for the outdoor fun for her. We enjoyed a great meal together Saturday night and Ella Ann and I left early Sunday morning to get home to Spencer. We really missed him and on the way home Ella Ann kept saying, "I want my Daddy" over and over and even said it numerous times on Friday as we drove to Mandy's house. We drove through torrential downpours when we left Tennessee and driving into Atlanta. I was going 25 mph on the interstate, as was everyone else, with my flashers on. I've never been so nervous driving in my life and I was so thankful to be home!

I took quite a few pictures since we were gone for a week so click HERE to view them.