#sisterweek

A couple of weeks ago, my sister, Becky, called me to see if I wanted to go on a sister trip.

OF COURSE!!!

Becky found a house on VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) that was about 5 hours away from Naples, FL, Rome, GA, and Charleston, SC perfect for "Sister Week".  House was booked, bags were packed, and I was ready to go!  Eli gave Micah a pep talk about being the only man on the trip and out the door we went.

The morning of the trip, Mari ended up taking Olivia to the doctor where she found out that she had the croup and a sinus infection - contagious for three days.  Needless to say, she couldn't go.  So I headed down the road towards Jacksonville, Florida where I was planning on stopping to see my in-laws.  Traveling with an 8-week old is a lot like traveling with a 5-week old.  They have to stop to eat and get diaper changes...still!  So I won't go into too many details here, but it did take about 6 hours to get to Jacksonville (normally right under 4 hours).  I was creative in choosing locations to stop - a gas station, McDonald's (hello wifi), and a rest stop - and everything worked out just fine.  I learned from the Tennessee trip about time estimate with a little baby, and made adjustments as needed!

It was so good to finally make it into Jacksonville, and even better when I rang the doorbell and mom peeked out the window and saw the baby!!  It was so special for us to be able to stop there because her birthday was the next day.  I also got to surprise Dad and Grandma! After a few hours there, I headed west towards the very small town of Fort White, about 30 miles from Gainesville.

The house we stayed in was situated on the Itchetucknee River, a river that flows from a spring that is a constant 72 degrees year round.  We stayed up late, slept in, enjoyed the dock where we watched the water flow, hiked at the Itchetucknee State Park, and jumped in the 72 degree water!  It was amazing!

We found a little restaurant there called "Charlie's Rib Shack".  Now this is not a place any of us would ever pick unless my BIL, Corey, was with us, but we decided to go for it.  We ended up going twice!  The people in this place were so loving and kind.  I loved watching the townsfolk come in and out of the place - black, white, asian, hunters, fisherman, bikers, etc. - just with a smile and so cordial.  It was like a tiny glimpse of what heaven may be like! I would go back to this place in a heartbeat.  In fact, I hope to go back again between Labor Day and Memorial Day when there is tubing down the river.  Apparently it's a pretty big deal in the town and people come from all over to tube.  They even have shuttles that run everyday.

The week went by so fast, but like every time I travel without my husband, I can't wait to get home to see him!  So it makes leaving a little easier!!

Looking forward to spending time with ALL of my sisters and brother too at the next event... not sure when that will be, but I'm hoping it's soon!

The babies had the best seat!

Absolutely gorgeous Florida State Park

View of the blue springs

Micah and I in front of the Ichetucknee River

Sweet boy!

Becky, Rachel, and I after jumping in the springs

The babies while we were swimming

#sisterweek

Traveling with a 5 week old

Last weekend, Eli, Micah, and I loaded up the car for our first road trip to Crossville,  Tennessee. Sounds like a pretty good plan, huh?  Well it was until about an hour into the six and a half hour trip.

Last Christmas,  we went to spend a week in Jacksonville,  Florida with Eli's family as we have been doing every year since we met. This time, we added a road trip to Rome, Georgia the day after Christmas. One month pregnant and MANY hours on the road, I decided then that I no longer liked car rides lasting more than four hours.

I don't know what I was thinking committing to this trip, except for we were going to see a good friend of Eli's get married!  Low on funds (hello, Dave Ramsey and stay-at-home mom pay) and lack of airport in Crossville, I was left with no choice but to drive! And that we did!

Micah doesn't mind being in the car seat as long as we are moving. I think he already has a sense of direction because if we are stopped, for traffic or even at a light, he starts to cry.  So after about an hour or so, baby boy decides he wants to eat. I rode in the back and was able to pump a bottle for him. We stopped at a rest stop and his daddy fed him while I walked around and went to the bathroom. Great first stop, but a couple hours later we had to do it again. This time I gave up on the pumping and we found a quaint little church on the side of the road to stop and handle business. Multiply this times 4 or 5 and a six and a half hour trip will easily turn into ten or eleven.

Needless to say,  we made it to the small town of Crossville. The family had reserved a couple of lodges on the 4H park in town. The camp was an extension of the University of Tennessee and absolutely gorgeous. The wedding was held in a little gazebo overlooking a pond there on site, as was the reception. Eli was one of the groomsmen which worked out well because Micah and I arrived as the guys were walking down the isle. Micah decided he wanted to take forever to eat and just as we were walking out, I noticed milk had gotten on my dress. After a quick change, we headed over and stood in the shade in the back!  The sun was hot but in the shade you could feel a beautiful mountain breeze.

The ride back was like the ride there but worse. We didn't leave Tennessee until about 4 (our time - we crossed into the next time zone) and got home close to 2 in the morning. Late night driving along with feedings at shady gas stations made for a long ride! I was so glad to see exit 205B and pull into our gated community, I mean campus. Thankfully,  Eli drove the last 30 minutes and whipped us through security.

Lesson learned:  Plan for longer travel time and get more sleep before driving.  I have trouble staying still so being at home a lot isn't an option! 

The 4H park

Beautiful front porch 

Here Is the quaint little church we found. Great place to feed  the baby!

Micah dressed for the wedding

Jamie and Becky!

Eli's GPS

A month in the nest

Have you ever heard people say, "It goes by so fast" or "enjoy every moment"?  Well I am sitting here finding myself believing those sayings are absolutely the truth.  Our son, Micah is one month old.  In fact, he is one month, plus a few days.  Here is a photo recap of one of the most awesome months at the Byrd's Nest!!!

This picture was taken on Tuesday (9/25) on our way out of Pop Pop's house in Annapolis and heading home.

I finally got to meet my sweet niece, Isabel.  This is Becky and Corey's second daughter.  These two little monkeys are 20 days apart.

Olivia and Ella Mae love to play with the babies, but they don't understand why they won't play back.  They also love to shove pacifiers into the babies mouths.

Isabel and Micah loved being next to each other. 

Kisses from Olivia!

Uncle Dave was holding Micah at the table during my cousin Jennifer's wedding reception.  Eli, Micah, Mari, Olivia, Rachel, Becky, Ella, and Isabel all went to Maryland to see Jenn marry her sweetheart, Scott!

 

This was Micah's very first picture at Charleston Birth Place after he was born.  We had such an incredible experience there.  I will write about the birth in another blog since so many people have been asking about the water birth!

Micah's just hours old and home at our apartment.  His first visitors were my parents, Olivia, Ben and Mari.  Eli's parents came two days later to meet him!

Micah loves to take walks in the stroller around the pond at CSU (or anywhere for that matter)!

A few months ago, I hit the most amazing sale on plane tickets.  So glad I booked them because we were able to go to the wedding and Micah was able to meet family for the first time!  He did so good on the plane.  He slept the entire way there... even through security.  They way home was a different story... He cried through the entire process until we got on the plane.  Then we was quiet for the ride.  Finally he fell asleep just as we were landing.  His cousin, Olivia, was on that same schedule, minus the crying in through security and while we were waiting.

We went to Quiet Waters Park while we were in Annapolis and took a hike through the woods.  Yes, we have matching "Birds" shirts!

Eli and Ella swinging at Quiet Waters.

Micah loves to take a bath.  He loves the time he spends with his daddy and loves feeling the water.  Truly a water baby!!!!

Micah was only a couple weeks old in this picture.  He is such a peanut.

I saved the best for last.  This month, Eli was ordained by the Southern Baptist Convention and Summit Church to be a minister.  I am so proud of him and his obedience to the Lord's calling.  He is such a great leader of our home and I am excited to see where the Lord will lead our family!!

xoxo

For some reason, this last picture went to the bottom.  All of my sisters and the babies... including baby boy Eckert who will arrive on February 4, 2014 (ok, so that is my prediction).