Quick vacation recap

A couple weeks ago the girls and I took a trip down to NC to visit Daddy and then headed futher south to see Grandma and Grandpa in SC. Since Cousin Patrick was also at Gram and Gramp's house, we got the added bonus of getting to visit him, too.

Merrilee and Katie Mei thoroughly enjoyed the evenings we got to go to the pool. Katie Mei is really a little water hound and just loves to swim...even when her head goes under. She hasn't quite mastered jumping yet, so she can't really jump off the side into my arms. But she does allow me to pull her into the water from a standing position. Even though she goes under, she comes up happy and wants to do it again.

We took a day to go to Magnolia Plantation in SC and enjoyed a tram ride through the swamp and old rice fields; a little visit to the petting zoo; a walk through the gardens; and a stroll through a small portion of the boardwalk over the swamp. The kids were tired, it was hot and muggy, and we all wanted to head home after awhile, but it was a wonderful day.

I do have to admit, the trip was a bit stressful for me. Between nasty road construction on I-95 in NC and me taking a couple wrong roads on the way down, the six-hour trip took 8.5 hours,and a bout of food poisoning for me when we returned to Jay's place after our SC portion of the trip, I felt like I needed a vacation after my vacation.

The trip was a good deal for me, though. Jay traded in my van for a new 2009 Odyssey EX, and I have to say I'm mighty impressed. The thing linked right up to my cell phone so I have hands free bluetooth while I'm driving, it has a GPS/navigation system, XM radio, built in DVD entertainment system, and backup camera and sensors (if you recall my little mishap back in November) which Jay thought would be prudent.

So we're back home and Jay is here for the holiday weekend. It's nice to be in our own house altogether, and just enjoy hanging out. And I get to look forward to a night out with my hubby on Sunday evening...some friends offered to babysit for us! Woo-hoo!

Enjoy the photos!