There Is No Place Like Home

Okay, I can't believe I have not posted since December. I do have a few problems with staying consistent in my endeavors and I am really starting to realize this lately. Maybe that's the first step though right? Acknowledgment of the problem. In my defense I have been pretty busy. Since the new year Reese has really become quite the world traveler. She officially has her first stamp in her Passport. We have seen cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents on both sides and we are not even half way done with all of our trips this year. We have been really spoiled living in Atlanta. We have been able to find really good deals on airfare and of course everyone wants to see us! Okay, lets be honest there is no "us" involved here. Everyone wants to see Reese and I am just a bonus. I really don't know what I am going to do when she turns 2 and can no longer fly for free. 

We really have become great little travel buddies. She is a pretty awesome little girl who is growing way to fast. We pretty much have air travel down to a science and we learned that she pretty much needs her entire bed from home with her at all times in order to sleep well at new locations. Her entire bed being: her binkis, her teddy bear (booboos), her cow (Ms. Darcy), her pillow (one of those travel pillows that are shaped like a horse shoe), and her blanket. There really is only one bad thing about traveling with this kid. She misses her dad terribly. Those two really do have something special. Its always nice to come home and see their relationship just pick up right where it left off. I'm a lucky girl.

Okay without further adieu here are a few pictures from our travels . . . . 

 First up: Wichita/Grinnell

In January we flew to Wichita to see Christopher's sister and her girls. These girls are so special to us and they just love love LOVE my little Reese. They are a fun family and we miss them dearly. After a few days in Wichita we packed it up and drove to Grinnell, IA to see Nana and Poppa Dougherty and Christopher's twin brother and his family. Reese was having a hard time feeling comfortable with any male figure on this trip and was missing Christopher a lot until she saw Joseph. She loved him from the very first sighting. I think she caught on that it was not her dad but he was so good to her she didn't care. She followed him around everywhere it was really sweet. 

 (Joseph and Reese)

 (The cousins at Nanas house)

 (Reese and the newest addition to the Dougherty family, Eli, this was also the beginning of Reese's obsession with babies, just wait you will see what I am talking about)

 (Madz, Papa, Reese, me and Eli)

(Love these crazy girls! We were also so happy to see Jason too for a day. Reese really took to him right away, which never happens with guys. He is a great dad to his little girls so it didn't surprise me to much.)

Next Trip: Mexico

 We went to Mexico with my friend Danae and her family for a week in February. We had the best time with them. Its always nerve racking going places with people you are just meeting for the first time but this trip was not that way at all. Reese and I felt right at home with the Davenports. Reese loves Danae and her kids so she didn't have a hard time adjusting at all. I don't have as many pictures as I thought I did but here are a few. We definitely got some good stories from this trip that we will always remember. A few small lessons might have been learned as well, but maybe that is for another post.

 (Danae and Bugs on our way to the resort)

 (Walking the beach at sunset it was Windy by the ocean. It wasn't the smoothest beach but the pools made up for that.)

 (This girl loved the sand)

 ( It is almost impossible to get her to look at the camera long enough to catch her cute smile.)

 (Perfect view)

(Knox and Reese sharing treats. They became good little buddies)

I can't believe I do not have a picture of Reese and Ella. Ella is pretty much the light of Reese's life these days. Ella is Danae's 4 year old little girl who is so kind to Reese. Reese follows her around everywhere and Ella doesn't mind keeping her entertained. I love that little Ella too!

 To Michigan in March

My sister Abby had her baby girl Katherine (Kate) in Feb. So Reese and I were lucky enough to go meet her in March and be there for her blessing. My brother was there with his family too so there was no way we were going to miss a chance to see them and meet their newest addition as well. We had a really good time. I was pretty exhausted from all of the traveling we were doing but this trip was so worth the extra push I had saved up. I loved watching Reese with her cousins. She had a blast! It also was a plus because my sister-in-law Angela who is also my sister Abby's sister-in-law (it gets a little complicated trying to explain that one in words, its much easier for me to just explain in person how we are all related) was there with her boys so we got to see them again too. We had a great time!

 (Reese informing me that Kate has eyes, ears, a mouth and nose for the one millionth time. Somehow it just never gets old though)

 (Jones cousins to the right of Reese and Dougherty cousins to the left)

 (Reese loving on Eli. This is the same little boy Reese was holding 2 months earlier in Iowa from the pictures above. He has gotten so big in just two months.)

 (Duck Duck Goose for family night)

 ( Bedtime Stories with Papa)

 (fusball with Papa and Isaac)

 (Bathtime with Uncle. It was a tight squeeze in there)

 (Pretty Abby and her sweet Katherine)

 (And of course Reese mauling the baby. this is pretty much what happened everytime she saw a baby. She just wanted to hold it or find its toes or fingers or point out any body part. She really was pretty sweet to these babies though, she never got rough with them.)

 (Charlotte, Reese and Kate)

 (Abby, me Phil and Marge)

 (Ring around the Rosie)

(Love these two!)

We really had a great time on our trips but it was always nice to come back to Christopher. Even after the best trips there really is no place like home!