Memorial Day Weekend!

We left Nashville about 12:30 on Friday and it was a LONG trip because we stopped three million times - slight exaggeration - for various reasons. Our first stop was for lunch, then bathroom break, work break, fuel break, dinner break, etc. It works so much better for us to leave in the morning!

Evie was excited all the way there and did not sleep one wink. She was good as gold and continues to be easier in the car than anywhere else. I guess she feels at home on the road. She just watched movies, snacked and played with her toys. Evie thought we were near She She's house every time we changed roads. She was full of energy when we finally arrived at 8:45 and ready for some adventure. Poppy and She She enjoyed seeing all of Evie's new tricks.

I put her to bed. She slept in our room and we did not hear from her again until nearly 4. Evie got in the bed with us and went right back to sleep. She was so excited when her cousins, Mary and Lucy arrived that morning. They are VERY accommodating to her and it's just so sweet to watch. Evie calls Lucy - juicy which is too cute! We had a quick lunch on the porch and then it was nap time for Evie. I went to the slip and slide with Mary and Lucy and their parents. It was fun to see all the kids making their way down the Great Lawn. We hit the pool next and Evie met us there later with her Daddy, She She and Bessie.

Dinner was a street party in front of the market. It was really festive and the food was delicious! Evie and her cousins ate pizza. I had grilled chicken, watermelon salad, and a few other sides. Lollie and I were super impressed with the watermelon salad. It also had jicama and mint in it and was so refreshing. Bessie, Lollie's sweet mother, is Evie's best friend for life because she got her a large handful of olives. Then, Evie scored a brownie with frosting for dessert and then I took the girls to play. Mary and Lucy showed Evie how to cartwheel and we have been hearing the word cartwheel ever since. Carl took Evie to dance a bit since she loves live music just like her parents. We brought her back to the house for bed. Thank goodness for Mary and Lucy because they keep Evie entertained so she made it a lot longer than we thought she would at the dinner. I went to sleep before everyone got back and we all slept pretty well. Evie ended up in the bed with us around 5. It's not something that I'd want to do all the time but it sure is sweet to have your baby girl sleeping right with you.

We woke up the next morning and had some delicious waffles that She She made before we headed to church. Evie made it approximately 10 minutes in church. It's hard to be 2 in church especially when sitting on the second row next to your cousins. I took her outside to run around for a bit. Evie made friends with a little boy who walked right up to her and said, "pretty girl." Evie liked that! We met up with everyone after church and then headed back to the house for lunch. I LOVE Poppy's potato salad and had a large portion. Evie was extra tired by this point so it took her a bit to settle down for her nap but she finally did go to sleep. Everyone went out on the boat and then to Pooches on Parade. Hattie, Mary and Lucy's dog even won two prizes. Carl and I met up with everyone at the pool with Evie. It was the perfect pool day! We had more delicious food at the pool. Evie even had  a rib and some baked beans although the apple tart was her favorite. I learned to check Evie's diaper after dinner. Swim diapers are not quite as reliable as I thought. Mary, Lucy, Evie and I were in the pool when I noticed Evie was in desperate need of a diaper change. Needless, to say we made a quick and speedy exit from the pool. I did not want to be the one that shut down the pool!  We decided it'd be best to leave after a quick shower. Evie was ready for bed! Carl and I sat out on the porch for a bit until everyone got back. We stayed up way too late! Evie slept well and when she woke up she just wanted her covers. It was shocking that she did so well sleeping right next to us. We think it was the combination of the swimming and playing with her cousins. Maybe Baby Boy will sleep more soundly although Evie is a really good sleeper logging around 13 hours a night and 3 hours every afternoon. That makes a huge difference!

Evie woke up bright and early on Monday. We packed up and hit the road about 10. Evie was sad to leave everyone. Our trip back was a piece of cake. We stopped once for lunch and made it back to Nashville in a much more timely manner. Evie was thoroughly entertained by her new movies from her cousins. We swapped some movies which gave Evie something new to see. I took lots of cat naps on the way back and then we camped out on the couch when we got home.

We had a great time! It's going to be a long time before we head back to the Carolina's since Baby Boy will be arriving in about 6 weeks. It's time to hunker down and prepare for his arrival.

I will post pictures later. Server is rejecting pictures right now.