Our First Trip sans Ellie

Justin and I decided to take a little relaxation trip without Ellie a few weeks ago. It was the first time we had left her overnight, and it was hard! But we knew we needed to do it before baby #2 got here. We drove up to the "mountains" in north Alabama to stay at the Lodge at Gorham's Bluff . It is a beautiful place with great food and absolutely nothing to do. And that is what we wanted. Justin was a little nervous at first, since he always has to be doing SOMEthing. But he made it. We sat in the lodge (it was way too hot to hit the hiking trails, especially with me being pregnant) and read books and talked and it was wonderful. We had every meal provided at the lodge, and the food was fantastic. I hope we can go there again sometime!

Moving Day

On May 15, Justin, Ellie, and I moved into our new house in Tuscaloosa. For the last 5 months we have been remodeling this 70's ranch-style house to make it our own. It is a four bedroom, three bath home, so there is plenty of room for us and the new baby! Our second little girl is due in October. We have not chosen a name yet, but we're working on it. I have posted some pictures of Ellie during our move. She decided that she wanted to wear ALL of her bows at once. Too cute, right? Of course the move was a lot of work, but it was fun. Thanks to all of my church friends who helped pack and unpack and do lots of things to help me. It is tough to move when you are pregnant and have a toddler running around! I will post pictures of the house once we get more settled. It is great!

Our Little Gardener and Mommy's Roses

I love to grow roses.  They are beautiful and fragrant and make wonderful bouquets.  Recently I have been taking Ellie outside to "water" the flowers.  She usually pours all of the water out of her bucket before she gets to the flowers, but she really enjoys it.  Here are a few snapshots.

First Haircut & Visits with Grandparents

Around Easter time, we did a little traveling...to Mississippi and then to North Carolina to visit the grandparents. During our visit to Mississippi, Ellie got her first haircut from her Aunt Katie. We also got to see some family friends from New York and eat some great catfish. Here are some highlights.