13 days in Arkansas

3 a.m. wake up call
4 plane tickets & 1 lap child
3 birth certificates & 2 driver's licences
1 suitcase weighing 54 lbs. (minus 4 lbs. at check in)
3 carry-ons (plus 4 lbs. at check in)
5 pairs of easy-to-remove-and-replace shoes
5 long hours stuck on a 2 hour flight w/ sleepy kids and grumpy parents
1 umbrella stroller to be ditched in Memphis so we could catch our next flight

finally land in Little Rock, right on time

3 borrowed car seats in the back of my sister's SUV, also borrowed
2 borrowed pack n' plays
1 borrowed booster seat

first meal at Whole Hog
dinner party of 18
best ribs in the world and cousins dancing between tables

3 days at my dad's
chocolate gravy and biscuits every morning
countless hours w/ my sisters and their kids
an afternoon w/ 3 long lost friends & their families

3 days at B.daddy's mom's
B.daddy working in Texas
fried pork chops and mashed potatoes
slept in every morning while Grammie cared for two older tyrants (the youngest one, secluded in a quiet room w/ me, slept soundly for the first time in her life)

3 days at B.daddy's dad's
7 deer sighted in back yard
60 deer steaks eaten with gusto
101 deer hunting stories

3 days at my mom's
meal after glorious meal of Mom's, Nana's, and sisters' home cookin'
an evening w/ 3 more long lost friends and their families
reassurance of the importance of my role as a mother--reminded by the comfort of being in the roost my own mom rules

last night
repack suitcase and carry-ons
leave behind 4+ lbs. of stuff for mom to mail
1 borrowed Sleepy Wrap to replace ditched stroller
gird our loins

a quick prompt flight to Memphis
another delayed flight b/w Memphis and Home
1 18-month old lured to sleep in Sleepy Wrap, walking the halls of airport
finally board the plane
told to unwrap sleeping child for take off
unwrapped, thus waking sleeping child
told we wouldn't take off for forty-five minutes
1 furious, fuming Mommy
1,487 cuss words ricocheting off the walls of my brain
calm down. self control.
finally take off an hour later
1 very vibrant 18-month old girl juggled b/w Mommy and Daddy
2 amazingly calm, compliant older siblings
blessings from above
reach our destination
30 more minutes circling the airways whilst waiting for a runway
finally land

1 wonderful friend to pick us up w/ a fresh gallon of milk :)

giddy glee as the kids run to their rooms, their beds
glad to be home

thankful for everyone who loves us so, who worked so hard to be with us and take care of us. we are so loved and so cherished by all the different, yet unified families in our life. we are blessed.



(okay, so i didn't take our camera to AR. the first time EVER i didn't pack our camera. B.daddy are still not in agreement about that decision. :) but here are some photos from December.)

princess li'l bit. she started her new ballet class yesterday and she's on cloud 9!

our little cutie pie! this girl is so easy to love.

oh, we love these long, cold winters.

our digger guy. trucks, cars, diggers, tractors--he loves them all.

mischief is her middle name! such a funny little girl.