Hope's First Trip!

This weekend we visited Minnesota to see Dave's family. We had a wonderful time and Hope did so well on the plane and also sleeping in a new place for the first time. She's such a good little traveler. Here are some highlights.

Oh. . .and FYI moms. . .the new whale tub from Target is awesome! It's the perfect reclining position for infants to lay back but not slide around. I already have a tub, but I think I may go out and get this one too. It's so much better than the traditional plastic tub!

Here's Hope taking a bath, performing her new olympic-ready gymnast stance, attending her first tea party at Aunt Jane's and lastly, sporting a Minnesota approved, monkey fur hat (which was completely necessary in the 80 degree weather we had).

The Babymoon

Well that's what all the books and websites call it. Not sure it has all the same anticipation and emotion as a honeymoon, but it was fun and relaxing nonetheless. Dave and I headed to Atlanta this past weekend to grab one last little getaway before Hope arrives. We had a wonderful time exploring, relaxing, shopping. . .No real agenda, except to visit IKEA and the Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic store (more on that later).

We had a few sweet moments of sharing about our thoughts on the upcoming arrival of our first child. You know men, it's hard enough to get them to share, let alone when life is about to change dramatically, forever. But Dave opened up a bit about his excitement and fears. I was so glad he did. We laughed a lot in the car because neither of us really knew where we were going most of the time. Dave has a very keen sense of direction but downtown Atlanta is pretty new to both of us. Although we found ourselves lost several times, we laughed because just when we knew we were lost, we stumbled upon the next place we wanted to go. . . without even trying.

Most of all, the weekend made me realize just what a great team we are. Sure, we have our moments. Neither one of us is perfect (I'm sure that's a news flash to all of you). But we have so much fun traveling together because we enjoy similar adventures (I use that word lightly) and activities. Now Dave will never want to shop quite as much as I will on a trip, but that's what makes Atlanta a great destination for us. If you bring IKEA and finding a good deal into the picture, we are both completely in our element.

Now back to the Shabby Chic store. . . how can something so old looking be so expensive? I'm not really sure. I will tell you this - I could have set up house right there in that small space and been happy as a lark the rest of my life. I just love, love, love everything they have in there (except the sea shells-apparently they are really in this season and I'm not sure why). It was great to find ideas and see how they had everything laid out but I won't be making a purchase any time soon. Paying $600 for a duvet cover is just not in my future so I suppose I'll have to get creative.