Visiting

We just returned from our first long distance trip with Ansley.  We decided to spend the week of July 4th with Mitch's family in Virginia.  Mitch's mom grew up in Greenville, VA, and his Granny, Aunt Debbie, Uncle Jimmy and cousin Jennifer all still live there.  They hadn't met Ansley yet, so we thought it would be a great week to go visit.  Mitch's parents went too, so Mitch was looking forward to getting some time to play a few rounds of golf.  Ansley loves to ride, but she hadn't been in the car for longer than an hour, so we were concerned with the 9+ hour drive to Virginia. I am sad to say I didn't snap too many pictures this week.  I am making it my goal to take more pictures!

I never realized how many things I use daily for Ansley.  After packing what seemed like the entire house, we were on our way. 

Mitch's Jeep was packed with all of the essentials. 

We decided to go a day early and spend the night in Augusta with Joe and Amanda Todd to break up the trip.  We had a great time catching up with all of them.  They have the most precious girl, Kate, and the sweet twins, John and Matthew.  They all played so great together.  I snapped a few pictures on July 4th before we hit the road.  The twins and Ansley were so cute in their festive attire.  Kate hadn't gotten up yet, so unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of her sweet face.  She's such a big helper though. (I hope I am labeling the boys right, Amanda. :) )

Sweet Matthew smiling for the camera.  He and Mitch bonded.

Ansley was wondering what he was doing.

I THINK this is John.  He had a red bib on for most of the morning, but it did come off.  It could be Matthew though.

The boys were playing so great together.

Matthew showing us that USA is #1.

Joe is a pro!

Ansley and Matthew were holding hands...so sweet. 

All three looking at the camera!

 After a great night at the Todd's house, we hit the road for Virginia.  We only had 6+ hours that day, so the trip wasn't bad.  Ansley was a great traveler.  Mitch's Granny lives in the family farmhouse.  It's a beautiful antique home in the middle of their cow farm.  I meant to get a picture of it during the summer, but sadly my camera didn't come out very often.  Here is the only picture I have of their home.  It was taken several Christmases ago.

These are the only pictures I took during our week visit.  I will do better next time.  :)  We had a great time relaxing, shopping, eating, and the guys did a little golfing. 

Ansley was being a ham for the camera.  She likes attention! :)

Granny and Ansley meeting for the first time.

Cousin Jennifer and Ansley.  Jennifer was 4 years old when I first met her.  She's 15 now! 

We had a great time, and overall Ansley did great on her first road trip and time away.  The ride home wasn't as great as the ride up because we didn't stop and stay the night, but she did as good as she could have.  I'm so thankful for a great traveler. 

An afternoon at the pool

Saturday afternoon we took Ansley to the pool.  Robyn and Austin, across the street, have a pool, and they invited us over for an afternoon of swimming.  It was Ansley's first time in a pool, so we were really excited about getting her in.  She loves taking a bath, so I knew if the water was warm enough she would enjoy it.  She loved it!  They had a baby float we put her in at first, and she just lounged and relaxed in the float.  I didn't get any pictures of her in the float, but I will next time.  She started to get a little tired of the float, so we just passed her around the rest of the time.  I'm so glad she liked the water because it will make our upcoming beach trip so much more fun.  Ellie woke up from her nap in time to play too.  It's so sweet to see the girls interact with each other.  Later, Jesse and Roy brought their baby, Charlotte, over too.  These three girls will have so much fun growing up together. 

Ansley's first time in the pool.

Ansley and Ellie Claire saying hello.

Kisses from Ellie.

Wee...this is fun!

Loving my daddy and fingers.

Sweet kisses from daddy.

Seven Months

I love taking Ansley's pictures each month on her monthly "birthday".  It's been so fun to watch her grow and learn new things each month.  For the most part, she's been a really good sport.  At the beginning months, she wouldn't always smile, but I can get a smile from her any time now.  The seven month session had a different struggle....her mobility.  She isn't crawling, but she can roll.  She's very active now that she's learned how to roll and wiggle, and she simply wouldn't sit still.  I thought these pictures turned out pretty funny.

You trying to take my picture or something??

I'd rather just lay here.

If you would just let me relax...

I'm telling you, I'm not in the mood.

See, I just want to sleep.

My yummy toes.

And my yummy fingers...

Hmmm, what's down here???

After my failed attempts, I decided we would try later.  A nap and a bottle later...and I won the battle.  I think the picture turned our pretty good too.  :)

A letter to me, from me.

My parents received a really neat letter in the mail yesterday.  It was addressed to me, and it was written by me.  On February 27, 2001, our 11th grade Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Collier, had us write letters to ourselves.  She wanted us to include details about the day, what we were wearing, who our friends were, high school information and even recent world events.  She told us she would mail us the letters 10 years from then, and she held up her promise.  The letter came in the mail (with quite a few extra postage stamps added!), and it was so fun to read what an 11th grader thought about life!  In the letter, Mitch and I had only been dating for 7 days, but I mentioned that we had been friends since November.  I talked about the excitement of prom coming up and my pride in our cheerleading squad winning the region competition and doing well at state.  I talked about how thankful I was for my friendship with Ashley, lots of funny inside jokes that were fun to remember, and I wrote about some other high school "drama".  I even wrote about the recent death of Dale Earnhardt, which must have just happened because I'm not a big Nascar fan.  I also discussed future plans to attend UGA and major in elementary education.  It's neat to look back at what I thought was a huge deal in the 11th grade and to realize how worry-free my life was then.  I am so thankful to be happily married, have a wonderful job, a precious baby, and the best family close by.  It's neat to look back and see that so many of the things I hoped for came true.  I am so grateful for a teacher who did something like this for us so we could remember the small details of our high school life.  Thanks, Mrs. Collier!

Yay...it's Summer Break!

I just wanted to share this cute picture I took of Ansley today.  I share the same excitement about summer break too.  :)

Shower for Baby Anabelle

My sister, Shana, is having a girl this July.  It's her second baby, so she didn't really want a shower, but I know how fun it is to open baby girl gifts.  I wanted to do something special for her, so I hosted a shower for her this past Sunday.  We had a great turnout and a lot of fun.  Anabelle already has some precious outfits!  We can't wait for her arrival.  Instead of cards, I asked everyone to bring a book with a message inside for Anabelle.  She received a lot of great books, and there were no books that were the same!  Here are a few pictures from the shower.

Shana 34 weeks pregnant

Anabelle's name banner that mom made.

Drinks....delicious peach lemonade.

The gift area.  Mom found that adorable hamper/toy storage.

Mom brought over beautiful hydrangeas from her yard.

The cake was a hit!  Mrs. Jan McCord made it, and everyone loved it!  

Tutu and burp cloth for Anabelle.

Mom also made Anabelle's nursery bedding and...

...a cute bow board to match!

Every little girl needs a pair of monogrammed diaper covers.

Reading a message in one of the books for Anabelle.

The cutest romper for Anabelle!

Her first Bible...it's even personalized with her name.

Even Big Brother Asher got a new book from the shower.

Another cute outfit for Anabelle.