Home from the Family Reunion

We got home Friday night from a weeklong visit with our family.

Last week started with my sister Nancy and her husband and FIVE boys (Sam, Jake, Ben, Alex & Isaac) stopping at our house the Saturday before Memorial Day. They live in Western Nebraska (about 8-9 hours away) and used our house as a waystation on their way to the family reunion. Evvy didn't quite know what to make of all those noisy boys but she enjoyed all the extra love & attention from her cousins.

Monday morning we left along with Nancy's family to drive to Mountain View, Arkansas to meet up with the rest of the family. We left at 8am and were there by 2:30. Evvy was a great traveller. She sat in her carseat and either slept or read a book for the 6 1/2 hour car ride to Arkansas. I am very blessed to have a child that is so contented. We stayed at a nice little compound that had 4 very nice (not rustic at all) cabins including a nice cook/dining hall. We stayed in a cabin with Uncle Robert, Aunt Aimee & cousin Ethan from Alabama. Evvy did remarkably well sleeping in the pack & play porta crib. I wasn't sure how she would do sleeping out in the open with everyone around her but she did great. We brought her sleeping CD and it really was pretty quiet. The cabin was a good place to get away to when we got too tired or overwhelmed.

Evvy LOVED being around her grandpa. This was her 3rd time being with Grandpa. He & Grandmas came with me to pick her up in Guatemala and then visited a few weeks ago. Whenever Grandpa would walk in the room, Evvy's little arms and legs would start pumping like crazy. If for some reason, Grandpa didn't acknowledge her by coming over, she would throw a fit. If Grandpa left the room, she would cry. I think there is a good bond between these two. I think we might be seeing more of Grandpa too because he just bought a small airplane so that he and Grandma can go and visit all their Grandchildren more often.

Evvy also liked meeting her Uncle John & Aunt Vickie & cousin Adam from Memphis. Aunt Vickie had Evvy decked out with some cute new outfits that she had sent to welcome Evvy home. Cousin Adam was funny too. He is VERY tall and has lots of curly hair so she thought he was pretty funny. Evvy sure seems to like men. I wonder if this is a sign of what I have to look forward to in her teenage years.

She got to see Uncle Allan and cousins Abby & Ally again from Texas (they visited over Mother's Day weekend) but also go to meet the brothers Avram & Andrew. Avram just graduated from High School and Andrew will be a senior this next year. She thought they were all pretty neat and funny. The boys were very sweet with her making silly faces and entertaining her.

Evvy got to go swimming in a swimming pool for the first time. She really enjoyed it a lot I think even though it was a bit chilly. We also went to a lake twice which she enjoyed. She got to sit in sand (didn't like this so much at first) and build a pile of sand with grandpa. She took a long nap under a tree which allowed mommy to lay in the sun for a bit and try to take the white off of her legs (not much progress made there yet).

We also ate LOTS of yummy food! Evvy really liked eating watermelon, especially if Grandpa was feeding it to her. She also really liked the homemade ice-cream and the ice sticks (popsicles in plastic tubes).

We celebrated Evvy's 1st birthday with the family. I brought her birthday crown and made a tres leches cake for her. It was really pretty simple but she had a good time. I will post the birthday cake pictures on her actual birthday (just 1 more days!).

I will post a few of the vacation pictures on the blog and put the rest of them on our photoalbum website (see link at left) if you want to see them all.

As I have said many times, I am so grateful for my wonderful daughter. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect little girl. She is so laid back and easy going. She really likes to be with a lot of people but can also be content just hanging out at home with mommy. I was a little worried that she would miss being around the big family once we got home but she seems to be OK ruling the house with the cats & mom. It feels like she has always been a part of our family.

This will be a busy week. It is my last week before I go back to work (sadness) so I plan to spend lots of time with my girl at the pool (weather permitting).

Susan & Evvy

Evvy exploring a plant in a rocky alcove.





This water is just way too cold!