We had a wonderful trip home! We began our 2 weeks in The Loveliest Village. We visited Yarbrough and saw a lot of friends and my old students during the 3rd 9 weeks behavior celebration.
We ate dinner with Jason and Melissa and their most precious little angel girl, Briley. We went to Laredos, of course. We also visited with Joanna and baby Reed (Hollis was out of town visiting the grandparents). Charlie and I rode to the hospital with Joanna and Reed to visit our friend Kristi and to meet her new beautiful baby girl, Reynolds. I am so thankful we got to meet her. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. Next time! We haven't gotten to meet Leighton's new baby girl, Mae, quite yet, but hopefully next time we're in town. Her pictures are so sweet and with a mommy like Leighton, I'm sure Mae is a doll! We also grilled out with Kelly and Joseph and celebrated Aunt Kelly's birthday!
Becca drove through town on her way back to school to grab some lunch and visit. We had fun with Aunt Becca!
David, Charlie and I went to an Auburn baseball game. We were a little really late to the game, arriving in the 7th inning, but it was the perfect amount of time to go with a baby. We sat in front of one of my former students and her sweet family. It was so great catching up with them! Charlie loved people watching and then took a little cat nap in my lap.
On Monday, Charlie and I took David to the airport and then made our way to B'ham. We spent some time with Dad, Lisa, and Dylan. The timing of our trip was kind of bad because I left for the beach Thursday and then they went skiing for a week Saturday, so we didn't get to spend a lot of time together. I'm thankful for our 3 days though!
We visited Mom at work and Charlie is a HUGE fan of Anna George. He thought everything she did was the funniest thing he had ever seen!
Charlie and I headed to Rosemary Beach Thursday. We got to Elizabeth and John's house, unpacked, and got ready to head over to see all of our friends in Santa Rosa. We were a little late, but traveling with two babies and trying to adjust feedings and sleep schedules was a little tough. Charlie goes to bed at 7:30 and Hudson around 9:30 and we got to our friends' house at 9. Charlie woke up and cried for like an hour. Hudson was a doll. Finally, we get them both to sleep in the bathroom (to block out noise).
Friday we went for a jog and people watched, then headed to Santa Rosa again after Charlie's nap. Charlie LOVED the beach! I was so glad that he didn't panic when I put him in the sand. He played with his toys, but he preferred the sunscreen bottle.
After our day at the beach/pool, we went back to Elizabeth and John's to prep for the babysitter and get ready for the after-rehearsal cocktail party. Luckily, Charlie went down for the night before we left, so I didn't have to worry about him fussing the whole time. The sitter got to know Hudson, which made the transition to 2 babies easier. The next night she had both boys awake and luckily, she said everything went smoothly. I think it really helped to be with Hudson because Charlie is fascinated by other babies. I was so relieved when she texted updates and was able to relax and enjoy both Friday and Saturday nights. The wedding was gorgeous and the bride was flawless. I loved seeing so many of my college friends and their husbands/boyfriends. We had a wonderful weekend and are so thankful to Elizabeth and John for opening their home to us!
We went back to Birmingham and the rest of the trip flew by! I visited with Mom, Mamu, Uncle Jay, Aunt Dawn, (cousin) Charlie, Tempie, Aunt Lynn, Uncle Tommy, Paul, Wendy, Grammy, and Carly (briefly at work). Thankfully, Tempie came home from the hospital on Thursday so I could take Charlie to see her. She seems to be doing so much better. She's still weak, but spending 2 weeks in the hospital would make anyone weak and exhausted!
Wednesday we went to the zoo with Blaire, Caroline, and Bill Louis. We met their friends, Rachel, Charlotte, and Hampton there as well. We had such a fun day! It was so nice to visit with Blaire and Rachel as Caroline and Charlotte (6 months apart) ran around holding hands and playing. The baby boys, Bill Louis and Hampton, are 3 weeks apart and are both 4 months old. Precious, precious children! Charlie of course just chilled in the stroller watching all of the children run around. The only animals that he could really see were the lions. He watched them walk around a little bit, but mainly focused on watching kids and playing with his stroller toys. We went to the sea lion show, which I remember being so fun, but it's changed since I was little. It was a lot of talk with not much action. The kids (and the mamas) got bored quickly. Some things were neat, but the majority of the show was the trainer talking about predators, habitats, food, etc. Booooring. I appreciate any educational plugs, but you have to make it fun and engaging. Lecturing 3 year olds doesn't work. Other than that, we had an amazing time!
Mom got to take Thursday off, so we spent the day running all around town. We hit some great children's consignment shops, went to story time at the Homewood Library, ate lunch at Saw's, and played with Charlie. Our day went too quickly, but we are so thankful for uninterrupted time with Gigi!
Friday we went back to ATL to pick David up from the airport. Charlie had so much fun waiting in the cell phone lot!
Dr. Palmer drove to Auburn for a visit on Saturday. We went out to the barn to see Joseph's horse, grilled out, and played with Charlie and the dogs. Lots of fun!
Next on the agenda... Charlie will be 7 months on the 26th!
