More Georgia Pictures

We went to Stone Mountain while in Georgia and had lots of fun. My camera ran out of batteries at the start of the day so I don't have many pictures but we had a great time. I think that the highlght of the day for me, was watching my horrified mother do the sky hike with Ben on the second highest level. She didn't know what she was getting into when she said yes to him. How many grandma's would do that with their grandkids? Olivia also did the kiddie zip line. After the first couple of times, she was hanging with one hand on the rope and the other hand hanging upside down like a circus performer. She even got some applause from bystanders.

On top of Stone Mountain

Georgia Trip

My Mom, Gina, the kids and I all headed in two cars back down to Georgia for a few weeks. Even though I had sworn, after the last trip went really badly, that we would never return again, a mere months later I was doing it again. Crazy!

This trip however went much much more smoothly. Maybe Will was a little older but I'm pretty sure it was the 40 dollars in toys and candy that Mom and Gina bought to entertain the kids on the way down, that did the trick. My Mom drove one car with Ben & Olivia and I drove with Will and Gina. Although I thought it was an awesome trip, I think Gina was completely worn out from being the entertainment committee. :)

A few days after getting there we went to the Georgia Aquarium, which is always such a treat.

This is what Will did almost the entire trip. He was a really good baby that day.

After the aquarium we walked over to the Olympic park

I had brought the kids bathing suits to play in the fountains.

I love this picture! We had a great day but sometime between when this picture was taken and ...

this picture was taken I realized that my blue purse had been lost or stolen!! No fun!! I've never had anything stolen from me before and it's not a feeling that I want to feel anytime soon. We are pretty sure it happened sometime while we were at the fountains. After many phone calls to the police departments and lost and founds it has never turned up. On the bright side, I didn't have any cash with me and they didn't use any of the cards either. So it was just the purse, wallet, and ipod with a few other things inside that they got.

We went to the park near our house in Georgia. I wanted to get a picture of Will in this swing at our favorite park. I have a picture of the other two kids in the same swing and just wanted Will's little bum to sit there too.

I got one picture and then this started.

Over Fourth of July weekend, we went to visit the Westerby's and jet skiied at Lake Lanier with the kids. We all had so much fun! Ben even went cliff jumping.

Olivia and Abby

We also visited the McWilliams and hung out for a bbq and pool party at their house.

Aaaahhh, J.T. & Cici, too sweet!!

Hunter, Olivia and Ben

The whole gang

Pictures from Georgia

After the worst car trip we have ever taken, we arrived in Georgia. I'll spare most of the horrendous details but they involve, screaming babies, horrible weather, standstill traffic due to construction, an unexpected hotel stay because of the standstill traffic, and a baby who didn't sleep at the hotel. It was bad, really really bad. We arrived at my parents house, looking like refugees at 4:20p.m. on Saturday and we left our house at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. We turned a 12 hour trip into a 26 hour trip!
Once we got their though, it was great. I don't know if Rick and I have ever felt so loved. We had our entire week scheduled out to visit friends and family and we still didn't make it to everyone. We definitely don't have pictures of everybody but here are a few.

The Westerby's moved from Ohio to Atlanta a few months ago. It would have been great to live in the same city for once but it wasn't to be. We loved seeing them and are glad that they are liking the south so far and that we get to see them when we go home to visit.

What great friends they are!

This is everybody except Esther. She was already asleep. When I look at this picture it makes me laugh. We have been friends for a long time (like 14 or 15 years). I remember the days when it was just the four of us. Now our group pictures are much larger!

My kids (and Rick & I) love Aiwyn and it is so fun to watch them play together. She just joins in all the craziness of our family. They had a lot of fun playing in a food coloring bath.

Sunday dinner with the family.

I had forgotten how loud the decibel level is when everyone is there eating, talking and laughing. So fun! We were only missing Adam, Megan, Carson & Allie.
My best friend Charlotte from Jacksonville and her family drove up to visit us. It was part of a birthday surprise for her but I think it was an early birthday present for me too. We hadn't see each other in 3 years. I love her and her family so much. It's so funny that you can meet and become best friends in 5th grade and still be so much alike all these years later. Our husbands think it's pretty funny how similar we are.

Our families (minus Will, he was taking a nap)

Us and our girls. We actually were going to take a picture of just us but both of the girls just stood their too. Funny!

Aunt Gina came up from Florida to see us. They were having such fun on the swing telling stories.

Grandma & Papa with some of the grand kids

It was so nice of them to let our circus stay with them. As my mom said "I have no problem sleeping when y'all are here." We wear people out!

Nana & great grand kids

We had such a good time catching up with all of our sweet family and friends. We miss everybody so much!!

A year later

Yesterday marked a year that we got on a plane and left Georgia and moved to Chicago. In some ways it has gone so fast. We were so sad to be leaving Georgia and when we walked out of the airport in Chicago last year, it was cold and really windy. The weather was like a slap in the face. We stopped to get lunch at Subway on the way to our townhouse. Rick parked the car and as I opened my car door, the wind swung it open and slammed into the car next to us. I remember thinking, this is just an awful, awful place. It was harsh and unwelcoming.

Fast forward to this year, April 1st, 2010. We spent the day at the park with a lot of my closest friends in Chicago and their kids. It was a beautiful bright, blue, sunshiny day and it was a record high of 83 degrees!! Later that night, we grilled and ate dinner outside and then the kids rode bikes. I feel so different about Chicago this year. Although I still don't appreciate the weather (and I'm pretty sure I never will), everything else is really great. I feel lucky to be here.

Last year we weren't sure if we would have a third baby and this year I'm a few days from having a new baby boy. Last year, we didn't know where we were going to live permanently and this year we have a house that has become our home. Last year we didn't know anyone and this year we have wonderful friends whom we love. We feel happy and very very blessed.

Georgia on my Mind

On Sunday March 29th, our friends the McWilliams, Sorensons and Bakers had a going away open house for us. It was really sweet and we got to say goodbye to a lot of friends. We are missing our sweet family and friends terribly.

Monday and Tuesday, Rick and I were at the house all day with the packers and movers. It was pretty sad to see everything empty and leaving the house for the last time was unbelievably hard. There has been so many memories there. The last few days we were at our house I found myself wanting to hug our walls. We brought our sweet babies home from the hospital to this house. We have had sad times and many more happy times there. It was our first house and it was perfect for us.

Tuesday night we were supposed to meet at my parents house at 5p.m. for a farewell family dinner and didn't make it until 8:30!! The movers had taken longer than expected. I fully expected that most of my brothers & sister-in-laws would have gone home because of the time. When we pulled up, everyone's car was still there!

The next morning we got up and headed to the airport. It was awful saying goodbye to my parents and I cried (big surprise) and Ben & Olivia kept asking 'why I had tears?'. We made it through the airport and on to the plane with no problems. When our plane took off I cried again. Somehow, the plane taking off, meant we were really leaving and moving to Chicago.

Here are some pictures of some of our friends, family and favorite spots in Georgia.

So here goes our next big adventure...Chicago!!