Trip to Mississippi

Last week we were able to travel to Mississippi for Evelyn to meet her great grandparents. My brother, sister in law, niece, and Mom were also able to travel down for a visit at the same time. We enjoyed a week of family and Evelyn got even more spoiled than she already was, which I didn't think was possible.

Chris was sick the Friday and Saturday before we were supposed to leave and wasn't feeling great on Sunday, but felt well enough to make the trip. We had planned to leave after church and make the 8-10 hour drive (it was 8 hours when we made it pre-baby, so I was estimating it would take 10). Since Chris was feeling rather lousy, I knew I would have to do most of the driving. Thankfully, at the last minute, we were blessed to be able to fly to Mississippi. It was such a relief and a HUGE blessing! Evelyn did great on the flight. I nursed her during take off and landing, she slept and just played in my lap during the 3 hour flight. It was my first experience in a small plane (6 seater), but it wasn't much different from a commercial flight.

I was a little nervous about how Evelyn would do while at my grandparents'. She is definitely a Mama's girl and doesn't care for many other people to hold her. Thankfully, she did really well and didn't cry too much. She did have a few meltdowns that could only be soothed by Mama, but that's to be expected at 2 1/2 months.

We spent the week mostly staying around my grandparents' house and visiting. My niece, Lily, turned one the week before, so we celebrated her birthday. It was fun to have the cousins together for the first time. Evelyn didn't pay much attention to Lily, but Lily was curious about Evelyn. Of course, my grandparents were so in love with Evelyn. Evelyn especially liked sitting with her Papaw in the mornings and swinging outside with Great Grandma Kate. Thankfully, Chris started feeling better mid-week. My SIL is a doctor and she is pretty certain he had West Nile Virus. While it was icky and miserable for him, we were thankful it wasn't anything contagious and that it wasn't Evelyn who had it. We are going to be even more cautious with her outside now!

Our most important cargo is ready for her first plane ride.

Papaw snatched Evelyn right away

 

Evelyn with Great Grandma Kate

Great Aunt Daphnea getting Evelyn to sleep on the porch swing

 

 

 

Evelyn was awake for more of the flight home and loved looking out the plane window.

We're back home and getting back into the swing of our daily routine and getting ready for company this weekend!

Charleston and Savannah Trip

Chris and I enjoyed a much-needed getaway to Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA last week. It was a bit of a spontaneous trip, but I love those the most! Charleston and Savannah have been on both of our lists of "must see" places for quite some time. The trip was a lot of fun and a perfect time together. There was so much to do in both cities. We enjoyed seeing the sites, doing some of the touristy things, eating a lot of good food, but mostly just being together. My favorite part of the trip was the time we spent just strolling through the streets, window shopping, and admiring the beautiful southern homes. 

Our only picture together from the trip.

We arrived in Charleston around 5 pm Tuesday afternoon. After checking into our room, we headed out to start walking the streets of Charleston. We came across this beautiful church cemetery and gardens.

This was my first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful and serene to watch the sailboats and listen to the waves.

 

 

 

Wednesday morning we visited Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston. The oak-lined drive was beautiful!

Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston. This is still a working plantation, which provides produce and crops for local restaurants and a farmer's market. The outside of the home was used in the movie "The Notebook." It was absolutely beautiful and beautiful grounds!

Slave quarters at Boone Hall Plantation.

A glimpse into the slave quarters at Boone Hall Plantation.

One of the beautiful churches in Charleston

Beautiful Antebellum homes in Charleston

Rainbow Row in Charleston

Drayton Hall Plantation in Charleston

Our room at the Savannah Bed and Breakfast Inn in Savannah for Thursday night.

City Hall (I think?) in Savannah. The dome on top is real gold!

The beautiful, oak-lined drive to the Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah.

A colonial establishment on the grounds of Wormsloe,

The ruins at Wormsloe. The drive and the walk to the site was so beautiful, but it was a little disappointing to only see some stone rubble.

We ate supper at Lady and Sons in Savannah on Thursday night. It was yummy!

Visit Home

This past weekend I flew home to Illinois to attend my best friend's baby shower and spend some time with my family. It was a quick trip, but a lot of fun and much needed.

My parents and sister picked me up at the airport Friday afternoon and we headed out to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. We all stuffed ourselves and picked out cheesecake to take home for later. We did a little shopping and Dad wanted to take me to buy a new lens for my camera. I've been wanting to get a new lens for quite some time, but can never make myself spend the money. So Dad gave me a little push and shove. Thanks Dad!

My new lens!

A shot with my new lens. 35 mm/f2.4

Saturday morning was Brittney's shower. She didn't know I was going to be there and it was fun to surprise her. Brittney and I have been best friends since 6th grade and have been through a lot together. It was really special for me to be there and see her cute little belly. The shower was a lot of fun and I stayed a few extra hours to visit with Brittney and her family. There is never enough time to catch up when you live 1000+ miles away and haven't seen each other in almost 2 years.

Me and Brittney

I worked on several special projects for Baby P, including my very first quilt. I learned that it is a lot of fun sewing for a little one, especially girls! I enjoyed being able to work on the gifts and imagine a mini Brittney enjoying them.

Pile of gifts ready to be packed.

Brittney opening the quilt I made.

Sunday evening we visited with my grandparents and went to supper at a Mexican restaurant. Mom, Tasha, and I had stopped at a cake shop before the shower and picked up cupcakes for teh family. We enjoyed those Saturday night after our Mexican. They were delicious! They are made by the same cake shop that did our wedding cake, Patty Cakes. The owner has been on (and won) several different cake competitions on Food Network. Tasha and I did some cooking for lunch at church. We were especially excited to make some colored deviled eggs. We also made a carrot cake cheesecake and chicken artichoke lasagna.

Patty Cakes in Highland

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Our colored deviled eggs, as inspired by Pinterest.

Sunday morning we attended services at the church where I grew up, Little Flock Primitive Baptist Church. I enjoyed visiting and catching up with everyone there, especially the little ones. Sunday night we just rested and enjoyed some time together as a family. Dad grilled for us, which is always yummy!

I had an early flight Monday morning. It's always sad to leave, but we look forward to the next visit.

Anna Maria Island - - Church Beach Trip

This past weekend, a group of our church family headed down to Anna Maria Island, FL to spend the day at the beach. It was such a beautiful and relaxing day! I'm ready to go back! We enjoyed soaking up the sun, listening to the soothing sound of the waves and seagulls, playing in the sand, laughing together, eating a delicious lunch, and thanking God for his beautiful creations.

Britt has been talking about going swimming for several weeks now. He had this idea that Chris (or Bruder Chwis) was going to take him swimming. They played at the beach together for quite a while.

I love this picture. Later in the day as we were getting ready to leave, Britt came up to Chris (unprompted) and said, "thank you for coming to the beach" in his sweetest voice. It was adorable.

Grandma wasn't all that excited about the beach. She stayed up on the porch of the beach house most of the day, asking if it was time to go home yet. We did get her to come sit down by the water for a bit in the afternoon.

Crouse Family Vacation 2011

We went to the Metroplex this weekend to celebrate Chris' birthday and our 2nd annual Crouse Family Vacation. It was a busy, busy weekend and so much fun!

We arrived in Arlington around 4:30 Friday afternoon, got settled in our hotel room, and headed out to supper with the family. We enjoyed a nice steak dinner at Trail Dust Steakhouse and did some catching up with the family.

After supper we headed to the Ranger's game. Now, I am a Cardinals fan at heart and always will be, but the Rangers are pretty high up there. I just love baseball and especially love going to games. I love the fans, the excitement of seeing and hearing the game first hand, and the smell of stadium food. We had amazing seats for the game and really had a good time.

The game was intense and exciting! The Rangers won in extra innings! Woohoo!

That's a winner! Rangers win!

We watched the firework show as we walked back to our hotel after the game.


Saturday morning we headed out to Hurricane Harbor. It was a good way to enjoy the 100+ degree temperatures we've been so thoroughly loving this summer! We all had a blast swimming and going on the water slides. I was excited that the whitest person in Texas didn't become the reddest person in Texas! I was diligent to apply lots of sunscreen throughout the day!

After spending most of the day at Hurricane Harbor, we all worked up an appetite and were ready for some good food before heading to the Ranger's game again. This time we enjoyed a seafood supper at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. I tried fried calamari, frog legs, and fried alligator bites. I loved the calamari and alligator, but wasn't such a fan of the frog legs. The taste wasn't so bad, but when I picked it up off the plate it just dangled there. It was just like when I would pick up frogs as a kid, except the body and the rest of the legs weren't there. It totally weirded me out!

It was at Pappadeaux that I experienced one of the best meals I've ever eaten. I ordered the Jumbo Shrimp Brochette. It was jumbo shrimp stuffed with Monterrey jack cheese and jalapeno, then wrapped in bacon and grilled. Oh. my. heavens. We all know how much I love jalapenos, but cheese and bacon are two of my other favorite foods. I also had a loaded baked potato, which I love. I wasn't able to eat everything and it killed me! I wanted to keep stuffing my face, but knew I would face serious consequences. We were getting ready to sit out in the 104 degree weather watching a baseball game after all. Please do yourself a favor and find the nearest Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and order the Jumbo Shrimp Brochette. It will change your life. Seriously.

My amazing meal....yummmmmmm!

After our lovely supper, we headed out to the game. We enjoyed the same seats that we had Friday night. Chris' dad and sister wanted shirts to celebrate our family vacation and I was assigned the job of shirt designer. I think some of the guys thought it was ridiculous, but I thought it was so much fun! There was no denying that we were together.

A Dad and his sons.

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

At one point in the game, most of the family left to go get drinks or do some shopping. Chris' niece, Katelynn, and I were left to have fun together!

Katelynn and her foam finger.

Showing off the back of our shirts!

Showing my enthusiasm for Josh Hamilton!

Katelynn told me to have a serious face.

C+L=love (I know, I'm cheesy!)

Me and the Birthday Boy!

The game was exciting, but sadly the Rangers lost. It could have been a better ending to our weekend, but it was still a lot of fun!