First FAMILY Vacation

This past week we went to South Padre with Chris, Amy, and Finley! It was so much fun! It was quite the drive but thank goodness for portable dvd players. We bought one just for the trip because Macie has recently taken an interest in tv and Baby Einstein. Wow, it was a life saver especially on the over 9 hour drive home. Macie did great.

We went to Austin first and stayed the night and then Wednesday we headed to South Padre. Macie and Finley had a blast. These two little cousins don't get to see one another enough. However, there was no being shy. They immediately began playing. Once we got to Padre, Macie and Finley began exploring the condo. We heard doors slamming, giggling, and we knew those two were up to no good. We went to the beach each day. I experienced pure joy when I watched Macie bend down to touch the sand. She was so interested. Zack and I didn't know if she would be scared of the water but she ran right in. Macie and Finley built sand castles, found a sand crab, and played in the water. Along with Daddy's help, Macie and Finley also fed the seagulls. We saw dolphins from our balcony. Zack and Chris also saw some when they went a little ways out into the water. Each morning Macie and Finley seemed to wake within minutes of one another. Macie would start yelling, "Momma!" Then Finley chimed in. We would get Macie up and open Finley's door next. She would giggle with excitement. Once Finely woke from a nap and before we even heard him, Macie stopped and got super excited. He made another noise and she was running and screaming to his room. They then shared a bag of Smores Goldfish....too much before dinner. They were all over Finley's pack-n-play. They hung out in there and Macie would watch his Baby Einstein musical toy and say, "Movie." Finley would refer to Macie as "Baby" since that is what he says when he looks at her picture at home. Macie also learned the word "MINE" while hanging out with Finley. She made sure he didn't touch her things. So now we are really working on sharing and being "NICE" (another one of her words). There are so many more stories about these two little cousins. I wish I could share them all. I do hope we get to do more of these family trips as they grow. (The last video is of Macie sort of singing the ABC's...listen closely but that is what she is trying to sing. She only knows the first 3 letters)! WOW, I love her and love this stage of her life even though she is having to go to time-out and sometimes likes to hit when she doesn't get her way.