Home Sweet Home

We had a blast on vacation and I'm still struggling to get back in the swing of real life...including blogging.
Our adventure began when Kate and I flew down to spend a few days with my parents in St Marys, GA. It was great to see them and we enjoyed them spoiling us. Kate did great on both legs of the flight there and had a blast with her Pa and Grams.
Then my parents drove us to Orlando where we got to see lots of family and Kate got to meet most of them for the first time. We enjoyed the day there catching up, swimming and playing. Dan met us in Orlando and we got to visit my brother and his family. Kate had a blast watching my nieces, 7.5 and 5, play.
Then we loaded up the car...which was PACKED tight...and drove over to Bradenton Beach where we spent the week with our friends, Tim, Missy & Ansley. We stayed in a very nice condo and enjoyed the beach every day. The sunsets were amazing. Kate loved being in the water and even enjoyed being splashed by the waves. She ate her share of sand, but I'm not so sure she really enjoyed it. We walked on the beach and picked up sea shells. We vegged out and really took things easy.
Since we were so close to Orlando, we drove over on afternoon to take Kate and Ansley to Disney. Ansley is 3 and is really in to the Disney Princesses, especially Cinderella. Kate didn't get too much in to Disney, but it was such a joy to watch Ansley see Cinderella's house. That is all she talked about when we first got to the beach. We enjoyed taking the girls on a few rides like the Carousel, the Tea Cups, and It's A Small World. One day...several years from now...we'll go back and take the kids.
While we were gone, Kate cut a new tooth up top, started saying "mama", ate lots of new foods, took a couple steps on her own (which she hasn't done since), got really quick at toddling around couches and using fingers for balance, and she traveled the long drive home like an angel. She is such a blessing and I'm so thankful to be her mom. I often lose sight of that during a rough day of sickness and whining, but it comes rushing back with a smile or laughter, which is happening a lot more these days. Her bubbly personality is really starting to blossom and I love how she makes people smile no matter where we go. Our prayer for her to love people is already beginning to be answered.