Jillian and I had a FABULOUS weekend. We used the Daddy school weekend to make a quick trip to St. Louis to visit family. It was the most fun Jillian has had in St. Louis ever, and it ranked pretty high for Mommy too.
We flew into St. Louis (no, we didn't see any damage in the airport, but it was pretty bad driving out of there) on Friday afternoon and went over to Grandma Mattingly's for a little visiting. Aunt Diane, Nikki, and JJ and their clans were there. The weather was awesome and the kiddos loved playing in the yard together.
There was a bit of a competition for Grandma's limited lap space, but the girls remained friends even if they all were a bit jealous at one point or another.
Poor Donny got woken up by his Mommy. Sweet thing took a while to open those big brown eyes.
My Great Grandma used to say that if kids came home clean, they must not have had fun. If the opposite is also true, then Jillian had the time of her life. Who is that dirty little thing?
Becca Boo steals my heart everytime I see her. This trip was no exception. She also befriended Jillian and included her in the playtime. Love, Love, Love to see them together.
Little Sky was also getting in on the action a bit. In the next year, the girls are going to be quite the little clique.
Thanks for coming over Nikki and JJ! The kids are so much fun, and I can't wait to see you in June!
Then I went over to my Mom's to spend the night. Mom had a pack 'n play for JB. However, Saturday morning Jillian learned a new trick. It is the end of an era! Life Trips will never be the same.
On Saturday morning, Jillian and I went over for a little quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Rabbitt. Grandma Rabbitt made us a delicious brunch. My brother then brought his little family over for a little while because Sunday is Grandma's 84th birthday! Sweet!
Apparently, it was a rainy, muddy Easter in St. Louis too so Grandma had all of the goods stashed away. The kids were very happy to oblige Grandma with a belated Easter egg hunt.
I thought this was a great shot of Becca and Grandma. Becca reminds me of Annie when she was little.
I had to throw this one in. I don't know if I have a shot of just me and Grandma since I was a kid. I thought we were lookin' good here.
And another with my little Bean.
On Saturday night, I went to dinner & the boat with my Uncle John and Dad. I only lost $5, and I considered that a win. We had a great time. Uncle John inspires me to look for the good and enjoy every moment. Jillian got a sleepover with Grandma and Becca Boo. When I was a kid, we started planning the cousin sleepovers at Grandma's around lunch time. It was great to see my Mom pass that tradition down to Jillian.
Here are the girls ready for bed with braided hair. Apparently, there was lots of ice cream, "fixing" Grandma's hair, jumping on the couch, and staying up late. Just what a sleepover at Grandma's should be! Thanks, Mom!
On Sunday morning, Jillian and I had to make it back to the airport, but I grabbed a couple of shots of the girls interacting together. Can you see the adoration in Jillian's eyes?
I think I will call this one, "My cousin is the funniest thing ever."
