New Cousin On The Way

Tracey Ann, Hubby, and I attended Cousin Zivah's first birthday party a few days ago.  Zivah is Hubby and my first niece, and we were at the hospital when she was born.  She and Tracey Ann are seven months a part and she is a very special little girl.

Not only is Zivah a special little girl, but she is getting a new sibling in December, and Zivah's parents used this first birthday party as the gender reveal for the new baby.  Zivah had a "smash cake" which revealed the gender of the new baby.

Since Zivah is half Mexican and both her parents are biligual, the theme for her party was UNO!  It was really cute.  Normally I would have taken more pictures, but I was pretty busy with my own little one... so here are the pictures I did take:

Hubby, Aunt Sharon, and Tracey Ann

 

 Tracey Ann with Zivah's other grandmother, Abuela

Zivah just found out she is getting...

A LITTLE SISTER!

"REALLY, A Little Sister?!?!?!"

"Can we call her Zivah Junior?"

Tracey Ann and Great Grandma Holifield

We're so happy to be getting a new little niece.

Family Roadtrip in Pictures

At this point, I will not be able to re-cap small bits and pieces of our road trip at a time, but I do want to remember what we did.

Behold our summer 2014 family roadtrip in pictures... family, friends, baseball, dinners, swimming, beaches, experiences, fun!

 

 

 

 

Bests and Worsts

I haven't been able to post for a few days because they were the last few days of our family road trip and they were CRAZY.

Even today, I'm still recovering from the travel... and unpacking/laundry hasn't even begun, but I still want to briefly re-cap our trip with my bests and worsts.

Worsts:

1. Getting out the door at the beginning of the trip -- it took A WHILE!  We had planned to leave around 1:30pm... and I think we finally left around 6:30pm.
2. Getting off the road and into hotels LATE night after night after night.  It would have been easier on Tracey Ann if we weren't arriving so late so consistently.
3. There was one evening when Tracey Ann was inconsolable in the car -- she cried for nearly an hour and I couldn't do anything to soothe her.  We think the pain might have been due to teething (although we're not sure), and the only thing we had to decrease her pain was essential oils (which I didn't realize for almost an hour).  Thankfully, 15 minutes after using the oils on her jaw, and her feet, she was sound asleep.
4. We got stuck in a traffic jam in Nashville on our way to the Grand Ole Opry and missed the first couple of acts of the show.

BESTS:

1. Time with Chris' parents.  Chris is their only child who lives away from St. Louis, and Tracey Ann is their only grandchild who lives away from St. Louis, and so we don't get to spend the time with them that their other kids and grandkids get to.  It was really nice to have quality time with Chris' parents when no one had to work.
2. Connecting with friends and family on the trip.  We were able to connect with several friends and family throughout the trip -- friends in Nashville, family in Miami, friends and more friends between Atlanta and Nashville.  Chris and I live so far off the beaten path, that it is REALLY special to us to connect with friends and family when we are in their area.  This year it was especially special to us because we were able to introduce them to Tracey Ann.  We love to see sights, eat food, and share experiences on our travels... but most important to us is re-connecting with friends.
3. Hubby got to see a game at his 30th baseball park.  He love baseball and loves exploring ball parks, and he has looked forward to marking his 30th park for awhile.  He could have visited these two parks last summer, but I wouldn't have been able to go with him, so he waited until I could go with him.  It was exciting watching him really enjoy these last two parks with his dad, his mom, his wife, and his daughter.
4. The food on our trip was really good.  Not every meal was amazing... but we had great food all along the trip.  We found great seafood places in Florida, and great southern places in Georgia, and Nashville.  We had keylime pie near West Palm Beach on the water the memory of which is still making my mouth water.
5. Our weather was AMAZING!  We did not have nearly the heat or humidity we expected in Florida in July.  We had a little rain a couple of times, but nothing that impacted our plans -- it was perfect.
6. We saw the Grand Ole Opry with Chris' parents and Tracey Ann on Saturday night and it was SO much fun.  We had great seats, and the show was awesome, plus it was fun that it was Chris' parents and Tracey Ann's first times there.
7. Tracey Ann was SUCH a trooper during the entire trip.  A crabby baby could have made our trip miserable, but she was wonderful.  She was tired at times, but she went with the flow, stayed flexible, and handled the time on the road like a champ.

We made great memories and were so blessed to have had this time as a family and with Chris' parents.

Freedom Is Not Free

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE 

via

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze
A young Marine saluted it, and then
He stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought, how many men like him
Had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?

How many Pilots' planes shot down?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, Freedom is not free.

I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen"
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
at the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, Freedom isn't free!!

Copyright 1981 by Kelly Strong

Beach Day!

Tracey Ann's first trip to the beach in St. Augustine, FL.

"I'm ready, Mama!"

 

Our system -- sun screen, sun hats, baby sling

The water was REALLY choppy -- we didn't go in far, but we were both able to catch some waves and have fun

That was fun

"The sand is comfy as long as we're in the shade"

"Hi there!"

"Grandma saw me out in the ocean.  I'm getting to be such a big girl."

"Mom, did you tell them that while you were feeding me, our beach umbrella blew over... and three high school boys helped you put it back -- while you were feeding me?"

Great time with the Grandma and Mama.

Great day.

Ready...

Ready for the beach...