Gratitude

I've been feeling grateful the past week.  More so than usual.  I think it's because we flew with Emma down to FL so she could meet her grandparents for the first time and then drove up to south Georgia for our friend's Emily and Clay's son's first birthday as well as for Paul to commission some of his former cadets into the Air Force.

Emma did so great on the plane!  I thought for sure she would have a melt down as she woke up at 2am and her nursing schedule was so off due to driving to the airport and then trying to get her to wait until we were on the plane to nurse...the plane which didn't even start to board for over 30 minutes past the time we were supposed to take off.  She was a champ though!  Certainly the star of our gate area as she's so adorable and everyone wants to talk to her.  She fell asleep before take off and slept right through till the plane landed. 

We surprised my mom Saturday night by stopping by her house.  She didn't expect to see us until Sunday, but I'm so glad we went over.  She cried when she met Emma and it totally touched my heart.  I don't think my mom has had a lot of joy in her life the last few years, but Emma has certainly changed that!  I hope Emma has the type of bond with her Grandma Grant that I had with my Grandma Grant.  Some of the best memories that I have of my childhood are of spending time with my grandma. 

My dad and his lady friend also enjoyed spending time with Emma.  They even babysat so Paul and I could go out to dinner.  We met our friend Melissa and her new hubby at Ichiban.  Paul and I went there on our first date and the night before our wedding so it was fitting that we went there for one of our first and last date nights before he deploys.  Plus their sushi is the best!  So good...as was the glass of wine I enjoyed at dinner.  hehe  Of course Emma was fussy a little bit, but I think overall she did good. 

We spent time with Paul's family, too.  They spoiled him by cooking two of his favorite meals which I am now going to have to learn to make.  Plus we got to meet our new nephew, Casey.  He's almost 6 months old and looks like a toddler compared to Emma.  The cutest was when they were laying on the floor next to each other holding hands.  Emma's cousin Montana loved her and was such a good babysitter while we were eating dinner. 

Our trip to south GA has just reinforced what an amazing group of friends we made here.  Brittney and Corey let us stay in their house.  They had a cookout for us the night we got here and then were out of town the rest of the week.  Their house is beautiful and so much more comfortable than a hotel.  They even let us use their laptop (which is what I'm typing on right now)!  You can't ask for better friends than that!  Our friend's Beth Anne and John and Erika and Patrick and their amazing kids also came over as well as Emily, Clay, and Gavin.  Jackson was quite stylish in his red cowboy hat.  I spent today wishing we were still living in GA.  I just am a southern girl at heart and love being here.

We also went to the zoo with Emily, Clay, and their baby Gavin.  Gavin is just turning 1 and is a solid little boy.  He is Emma's future husband.  Emily and I drove up in 1 car with the kids and then after the zoo, when the kids were good and cranky, made the boys drive them home.  Apparently Emma and Gavin had quite the screaming match at the end of the trip.  haha  We ended the night by getting take out from Buffalo Wild Wings and drinking up Brittney & Corey's beer.  Gosh, I miss wings! 

Today is Gavin's 1st birthday party and then we head back over to Jacksonville to fly home tomorrow.  I took a ton of pics and will post them in a later blog.  I better go as Emma is laying next to me and playing with the power cord for the laptop, which is plugged in to the laptop.

God certainly blessed us with a beautiful day for a party at the park!