Whirlwind Weekend

Spencer, Ella Ann, and I spent last Friday through this past Monday on the road and visiting every family member we could along the way. It was crazy, but fun! We spent the night at Craig's house in Tennessee Friday night and got to hang out with him and Kasey. Saturday morning, we got up early and Craig traveled with us to Kentucky to visit with Spencer's two grandmother's. We also got to see his Aunt Connie, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Vickie during our visit also! We had not seen them since Christmas, so you can imagine how happy they were to see Ella Ann and were surprised to see how much she has changed! More hair....yeay!!! Of course everyone still is in agreement, except for Gayla, that she is the spitting image of Spencer....I agree! That afternoon, Craig left with Ella Ann for western Kentucky to stay with Gary and Gayla and Spencer and I drove north to Elizabethtown to go to one of our good friend's, Joel's, wedding. The wedding was fun and we were thrilled to see some of our old friends from Kentucky that we hadn't seen since we left two years ago! Everyone was sad that they didn't get to meet Ella Ann...still... but Spencer and I couldn't have been any happier to be baby-free for an evening! We drove to his parents house after the reception and spent Mother's Day with our family. My parents drove over to their home to spend some time with Ella Ann that afternoon and we all got to enjoy some family time together. Carter and Ella Ann babysat one another and we didn't have to do to much to take care of them...especially with the grandparents around! They just loved seeing one another and both of them hugged and kissed each other often! It was SO cute! Seth had gotten bigger since we had seen him last and would just smile and coo at me...I loved it! :) On Monday morning we drove to see my parents once more to look at some cars on my dad's lot (long story as to why we have to get another car) and then we headed back to Georgia. Whew, what a trip it was!!!!

Here are some pictures from our travels. Sorry to everyone I missed getting a picture with, I figured I'd miss some people and I did.

Reading with Uncle Craig at Granny's house.

Ella Ann and Aunt Connie. She wasn't too interested in having her picture made with anyone pretty much all weekend...as you will see!

Reading, again, with Granny and Spencer.

Ella Ann and Nanny.

At Joel and Lauren's wedding. We spent a lot of the evening with Emily and Paul, since we hadn't seen them in quite some time either!

Spencer and our good friend, Barry.

From left to right: Barry's fiance, Elizabeth, Barry, Paul, Emily, Josh, Spencer, Me.

Carter and Ella Ann at Nana and Papa's house before church on Sunday.

In their loving embrace! awwwwww!!

Papa and Nana with all the grandchildren.

Playing outside with one of Spencer and Craig's old toys. Ella Ann loved the tool bench!

Relaxing outdoors! Note the sippy cup in the cupholder...hahahaaa!

A quick picture with my parents on Sunday afternoon.

Funny Girl

I had to post to let everyone know what a funny girl we have! We are always laughing at her about something, but this story takes the cake! Ella Ann is now starting to respond to our questions, usually with a "no" because she doesn't know how to say "yes" yet, but she pretty much understands what we ask her or tell her to do. I know what she says will get even funnier as she starts to get older, but this is her first "official" funny remark! Okay, last night I was putting Ella Ann to bed. We have the same routine that we do for naps and bedtime every single time, so she knows what's going on and what to expect. We first read several books, or sometimes one book over and over and over, then we sing, and lastly we pray. After we say our prayer, we will end it as "in Christ's name", obviously followed by "Amen". She knows how to say "Amen", but last night after I said "in Christ's name", Ella Ann didn't respond with an "Amen" right away so I asked her, "What do you say?". Ella Ann looked up at me and said, "Please???". I think God will appreciate her manners!

Super Busy Cinco de Mayo

Unfortunately Spencer and I didn't get to celebrate Cinco de Mayo OR the Derby, but we did have a busy Saturday! Surprisingly, there was a lot of Derby coverage for being in Georgia but nothing like it is in Kentucky, which is actually something we miss! The Kentucky Derby is a huge deal for all Kentuckians and we really miss going to Derby parties, watching the Derby, or even going to the Derby! We forgot to record it while we were gone this evening, so this year we didn't even get to watch it! Ohhh well, I guess it's bound to happen when you move out of the state!

This morning I took Ella Ann to have her 18 month pictures taken. I know, I can't believe she's nearly 18 month either. So sad. :( She absolutely hammed it up for our photographer so I am really looking forward to seeing the webshow-----I'll receive it in about 3 weeks, so I'll send out the link as usual. The outfit she is wearing in the pictures below is one of the outfits she wore for her pictures. I had to drive 45 minutes to our photographer's new home, so when we got back to our house I left Ella Ann with Spencer and went to a gardening workshop that a woman at our church was hosting. Her home was so beautiful, as was her garden....it was featured in February's issue of Better Homes and Gardens! It was amazing! I learned SO much this afternoon about gardening and cannot wait to have my own yard to start planting. I just hope I don't forget everything by then! :) I even won the drawing and received a small container garden! I just went to listen and get some tips because I had already potted my "garden" before I had heard about the workshop, so I didn't bring a pot of my own to make while there which is what most of the women did. However, one of the ladies had brought an extra pot and there were quite a few plants leftover, so she gave me her big pot and I got to make a big container garden! Yes, I am actually this excited about it!!!!! hahahahaa! Ohhh how my life is changing! :) I couldn't wait to get home and show Spencer and Ella Ann what I had created, rather I should say what the ladies who led the workshop told me to plant and stuffed them in the pot for me while I stood there and said "Ohhhhh I like that!"

Our church held a Family Fun Night this evening that the three of us went to. Ella Ann was one of the youngest kids there, but boy did she have a blast running in circles in the sanctuary with all the other crazy kids! There was lots of good food and the older kids played several games while the parents sat around and talked. Spencer and I were so thankful Ella Ann isn't at the age yet where she can volunteer us to participate in games because 12 of the kids dragged their parents to the front of the room so they could shove baby food down their throats for a prize! I saw one of the mom's literally laying down in one of the isles in the sanctuary trying to hide from her 3 kids, but unfortunately for her they found her! It was quite entertaining!

While I sit here at home tonight Spencer is going out with his friends, which I am so glad he gets to do because it's pretty rare these days that he is able to get out with them. I'm taking one for the team by staying home while Ella Ann sleeps! :)

I am so proud of my beautiful container gardens that I took pictures of them! I'm sure everyone else will be just as excited about it as I am after seeing my lovely potted plants!

Ella Ann is checking out my gardens to make sure I did it right! The big one on the left is the sad one I did before the workshop and the smaller one is the door prize I won!

She got a kick out of the flowers!

Ella Ann is making note of my Impatiens.

Now it's time to go have some fun at church!

Hot Child(ren) In the City

Yesterday afternoon, Jana and I walked from her house to Centennial Olympic Park for some water-filled fun! The park has the Olympic rings in the ground and the rings are composed of fountains that shoot water high in the sky. It is always filled with kids in the spring and summer getting totally soaked and having a blast. Even though we just have toddlers we thought they would have such a good time, even if they did just watch the water. Kane and Jana had taken Mara Kate before, so she was already used to the water and enjoyed it right off the bat. Unfortunately it took Ella Ann a good 20 minutes to even let me put her down on the pavement, but once she realized the water was something fun she joined right in the action! Neither of the girls would run through the water or anything, but they didn't mind getting a little wet. Every 30 minutes or so a dancing water show is held and everyone has to get out of the fountains. One of the songs was "Under the Sea" and the girls really enjoyed dancing to that one! You know my little diva enjoyed all the music! hahahahaa!

Anyway, we had so much fun watching the girls experience something new. Being able to walk around in the city and enjoy all the fun and free things it has to offer is something I will never forget! I feel like I'm on vacation sometimes living here because there are often tourists around us, but I have to remind myself that this is my home and I am very fortunate to be able to experience life in a big city!!

I used the same pictures from Jana's blog because I forgot to put new batteries in my camera, so thanks Jana!

I thought this picture was great because it shows the girls out and about with us at the mall when they were just 3 months old. Now look at them......

a little over 17 months old. Our little sidekicks go with us everywhere!

This was before she'd let me put her down. She'd wrap her arms and legs around me and hold on wayyyy too tight!

Now they're having some fun inside one of the rings!

Jana and the girls.

They had so much fun!

Enjoying the water show.

A water break for Mara Kate.

Making a few laps around the strollers!

Tennessee Trip

This past weekend we traveled to Tennessee to stay with Spencer's sister and visit our family. We were so excited to go because we hadn't seen Spencer's sister and her family and Craig and Kasey for a while. Although we had some rough nights with Ella Ann waking at the crack of dawn, or should I say 2 hours before dawn on Saturday, it was totally worth the sleeplessness to hang with the family! Carter and Ella Ann really enjoyed playing with one another and they both got to spend some quality time outside in Mandy and Zach's backyard digging in the dirt! Ella Ann does not like anything on her hands, so any time she would get dirt on them it had to be wiped off by someone asap! We all really enjoyed sitting outside with the kids and even Seth got to lay on a blanket and enjoy the spring breeze! He is getting so big SO fast! I had the privilege of feeding him a couple of bottles and taking care of him during church on Sunday.....that was because Ella Ann was an absolute disaster in the nursery with Carter so Spencer and I had to rescue her and were not able to go back in the service. Surprise, surprise.

Anyway, we had a really good time with everyone grilling out, shopping, sitting outside, and just enjoying each other's company. We look forward to seeing them again soon! Thanks again Mandy and Zach for having us!

Ohhh yeah, our camera went dead before I took a single picture this weekend and after Mandy and Gary emailed me great pictures, I was still unable to upload them to the blogsite. So, to see pictures of our weekend, you'll have to click on The Evan's Family blogsite to the right of this page and check out their pictures! Sorry, fans, I'm not a complete genius when it comes to computers! We've been busy lately, so I'll post pictures soon of our other happenings!

My Climb Atlanta Time

For those of you who wanted to know, I found out my time from Climb Atlanta on Saturday and it was 12 minutes 17 seconds. I didn't place or anything, but there were way more men that had faster times than me than girls, so at least I did well for a girl! ha!

Papa and Nana Time

Spencer's parents came down this weekend to see us. I felt like we hadn't had in visitors for a while, or maybe it's Spencer's long hours, but I was so happy to have company!! Spencer had Friday night off, so I made dinner for us and Ella Ann got to enjoy some time with her Papa and Nana. They brought her a big bubble maker and an animal book so she was very entertained with her new stuff! She is still loving her books and always enjoys new ones, which I do too because I'm the one that has to read them to her 50 times a day! :) We got outside on Saturday while poor Gary fixed our shelves that had collapsed upon one another in our storage closet!

Spencer and his parents took Ella Ann out to lunch at a restaurant in the park on Saturday while I participated in Climb Atlanta. For those of you I didn't hit up for money and don't know about Climb Atlanta, I climbed 116 flights (55 floors) to the top of the Bank of America building downtown. It was really fun because they had all kinds of fun things going outside of the race, including a jazz band and food to pump us up! I was the 261st person to hit the steps and, although I don't know my exact time yet, I think I made it to the top in about 10 minutes. I'll post my time when I find out. Anyway, it was super fun, even though my lungs were on fire by about the 5th floor! It was to benefit the American Lung Association, so thank you to all that contributed!!!! I did survive!

Okay, so back on the family, before Spencer went to work on Saturday night we went to dinner at a really good southwestern-type restaurant that I had previously taken my parents to when they came down. They visited with Ella Ann and I for a little while that night and then headed back to Kentucky on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, it was a short visit that passed too fast, but it was fun and I'm glad they came! It wasn't a sad goodbye either because we will be seeing them again this coming weekend!

Ohh and on a funny side note, I put Ella Ann in a dress for church this morning and after I had put her shoes and sweater on, she stood up, looked right at me, and said "pretty"! Maybe I should start focusing on her "inner beauty" instead! hahahaa!

Ella Ann would have rather touched all the flowers than sit in her Nana's lap!

Handing me a dead leaf!

She refused to put the blanket down for a quick picture before we went to dinner!

Such a ham for the camera!

Playing with some of her toys.

Gayla told Ella Ann to go get her purse so she could take her picture and Ella Ann did just as she had asked and ran up to the camera, stopped, and posed!

Gardening 101 with Ella Ann

Yesterday Ella Ann and I went to Lowe's Gardening Center, which she absolutely loved and said "wower" no less than 600 times, and picked up some Impatients and silver ivy to plant in my big pot that sits outside of our front door. Last year I grew a huge Impatient plant that stayed in bloom for nearly the entire year so I am hoping to have the same luck this year, I say luck because I have no green thumb. Since Ella Ann is obsessed with flowers, I thought she would enjoy helping me plant them. We don't have a small shovel, so I used plastic cups to dig the dirt. I gave her a cup, which she immediately started to try and drink out of. She did not enjoy the dirt whatsoever and kept coming to me to have me wipe it off her hands. She mainly just sat on the curb and watched me work while she read a book on the importance of taking care of your teeth by Dr. Seuss. Okay, so the main points I took away from Ella Ann when it comes to gardening are as follows: 1) Do not get dirty, 2) Wear a stylish hat (preferably a Disney princess one) and if you have trouble with the first 2, then the best lesson is 3) Let someone else do it while you sit back and watch them do all the work! It is obvious that she takes after the Simms family when it comes to performing manual labor!

Trying to get the dirt off of her hands.

Reading her Dr. Seuss.

I couldn't get her to smile! :(

Our Weekend

This weekend was the annual Dogwood Festival at the park we always go to in the city. Friday was such a beautiful day so we went that afternoon and checked everything out. The park was filled with tents that housed artwork from local artists, clothes, glassware, wood carvings, etc. to admire (for us) or buy (not us!). They also had all kinds of foods and treats to enjoy and many places gave away free samples and coupons, which of course we, more so me, hit up at every corner! Spencer was embarrassed by my handfuls of crackers, protein bars, coffee, chips, lotion, etc. that I carried away from the tents, but then he'd pass something he wanted and would make me go and get a sample for him! :) As my Dad would say, you never pass up a drive by, and I do not!

Once we made our way through the Festival, we threw out a blanket and enjoyed some much-needed time together as a family. Ella Ann LOVES the park and running around in the grass is a favorite activity for her.

On Saturday, Ella Ann and I made a trip up to Tennessee to attend an open house a very old friend of mine had at her new home. She recently got married and had a small wedding, so she did an open house for her and her family's close friends. I hadn't seen Molly or her family since my wedding, so I was thrilled to get to hang out with them and they got to finally meet Ella Ann. My parents also drove down and met us at Molly's house. Ella Ann was SO excited to see them and she kept saying "Mimi" and "aaapa" while we were on our way to Tennessee. She gave them a huge hug when she saw them and didn't leave their side while at Molly's, which was fantastic for me because I got to eat lots of great desserts and talk with friends! Afterwards, my parents and I grabbed a bite to eat and then we parted ways. It was a treacherous drive home with all the bad weather, but thankfully we made it home safely.

A quick pic at the Festival.

Ella Ann would take all the samples out of the stroller and pile them under the tree. In this picture she is bringing me back a cigarette butt that she had picked up! At least she brought it to me! Normally, she would have just gone ahead and put it in her mouth!! :)

There was no resting for Spencer at the park with Ella Ann around!

Checking out all of my coupons I picked up!

Molly and I at her home.

Ella Ann with Grandpa and Mimi.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! I'm sure it is cold where you are since it is absolutely freezing here! I was very excited for Ella Ann to wear her Easter outfit this morning and was determined for her to wear it despite the cold temps, so she ended up looking a tad bit silly in her pretty outfit. I put an undershirt under her sleeveless shirt and pantyhose under her pantaloons....I know, such a fashion no-no, but it was worth it for her to stay warm!

I had to work in the nursery this morning and Spencer stayed home to sleep so none of us actually got to attend the amazing worship service, but that's okay. Ella Ann was a disaster in her nursery room this morning and ended up with me in the baby nursery so I figured I would have been called out of the service anyway had I been able to go.

We're not going to do much today since Spencer will be sleeping for most of it, but I am going to make a big dinner for us tonight before he leaves for work, so I'm looking forward to cooking a good meal! That's always fun!!! I'm sure Ella Ann will be my little helper! We'll have to hide some eggs for her around the house too so it will feel somewhat like Easter today!

Posing with her lamb and bunny basket Mimi and Grandpa sent her for Easter.

What a ham!

A Trip to NC and an Egg Hunt

Okay, I know I'm being a little lazy by combining what should be two separate posts into one, but I don't have time to be perfect today! The first set of pictures below are from our trip to Winston-Salem last Thursday through Saturday. Spencer interviewed at Wake-Forrest and one of his old friends from home is a resident there so we stayed with him and his wife. Kevin and Andrea were such good hosts to us and we had so much fun with them. It is a rare opportunity when we are able to see them, so we really enjoyed getting to stay with them for a couple of nights.

While Kevin worked on Friday and Spencer interviewed, Andrea took Ella Ann and I to some beautiful gardens and neat boutiques. Ella Ann loved all the pretty flowers as you can see from the pictures!

Since we went out to dinner on Thursday night, we ordered in on Saturday and after Ella Ann went to bed the men made a fire in their fire pit and we sat outside and talked and roasted marshmallows. Spencer and Kevin loved reminiscing about their fun times together and it was fun listening to all their stories.

Ella Ann loved getting to know her new friends and after only about an hour after arriving, she was climbing in their laps and handing them books! We were very sad to leave them, but hopefully we will get to see them sometime again in the near future. We miss them already!

We came back home on Saturday because Spencer had to work and we wanted to go to an Easter egg hunt that our church was having on Sunday. The forecast called for thunderstorms, but God cleared the skies for all the kids to get outside for about 30 minutes to hunt for their eggs!

Spencer and I walked in the home of the family that was hosting the hunt and we thought we had arrived at the zoo! Seriously, the place looked like a madhouse! There were parents running around in all directions chasing after their child or their 10 children who were covered in chocolate, strawberries, juice, etc. that was spilling and grinding into the rugs right before our eyes! At that moment we were so thankful we only had one child to keep up with! It was fun, though, and we were so glad we went. There were tons of families there and Ella Ann had a ball with the other kids!

After pushing her way to the front, she was the first toddler to be let loose in the yard and Spencer and I were right behind her with the video camera and camera both going at the same time! Don't worry, as you can see from the pictures we weren't the only crazy parents there! We were actually embarrassed by the amount of eggs Ella Ann had put in her basket, which, by the way, she wears as a purse! One kid dropped his basket full of eggs and Ella Ann ran over and started putting them in her basket! I guess all that practicing payed off! heheheheee!

Pretty, pretty flowers!

Ella Ann and Andrea in the gardens.

Kevin and Andrea had bought Ella Ann bubbles so we were testing them out on their deck Friday afternoon. She tried really hard to chase them around!

She wanted the glow worm back that Kevin stole from her!

Checking out the backyard before we left on Saturday.

Egg Hunt Pictures

Trying to scarf down some food with the Barkers beforehand!

Ella Ann's locked and loaded at the gate.....

And she's off!

She didn't let one single egg pass her by!

I'm narrating as I film and Spencer was the photographer!

Dad had to get in on some of the action!

This is just a picture of a fourth of the kids there!

Ella Ann couldn't pause a moment for a family photo!

There's only 1 egg and 2 little girls!

Mara Kate watching Ella Ann and her Daddy sort through her loot!