Cousins

The cousins: Carson, Ginny, and Kendall

Auntie Amy with Ginny

Living in Illinois means that we don't get the opportunity to see my family very often. While my parents have been able to visit us, my sister and her family have not. Thety are quite busy with two active children, my niece Kendall and nephew Carson.  So, when we do make a trip to Florida, we make sure we visit with them. The last time we saw them was in early December.

Yesterday, my sister, Amy, her husband, Jeff, and my niece and nephew arrived. All seemed to be thrilled  to see Ginny.  My sister, in particular, couldn't wait to get her hands on her one and only niece.  Getting her to let go of her became the challenge. :)

Kendall hugging Ginny

My niece and nephew have been LOVING the visit with Ginny. Ginny seems specially drawn to Kendall.  You can already tell that Ginny looks up to her older cousin. Kendall appears to be enjoying all the attention thrown her way.  Carson also has a special fondness for Ginny.  Ginny is their only cousin so I'm quite sure this has something to do with it.

Carson, Aunt Amy, and Kendall with Ginny

Ginny experiencing sand on her feet for the first time.

After Amy and her family arrived, we all went to lunch at a Chinese buffet. Ginny discovered fried rice for the first time. She ate it all up, as well as some fruit and hot dogs.  Then, we went to a Mayport boat landing to feed bread to the sea gulls.

When we got back, the kids all went down for a nap or quiet time. Once everyone woke, we all spent time as a family. The cousins all delighted in playing with each other.

Kendall and Ginny spending quality time together

Today we had planned to go to the beach; however, the weather is preventing us.  At least the cousins will all get another day of playing and fun despite that.

Our Florida Vacation...so far! :)

This past weekend, Chris, Ginny, and I drove from Illinois to Florida in order to visit my family. Originally we thought about coming in August, but decided to move the trip up since I got pregnant. The idea of being on a 16 hour drive in the 3rd trimester was less than appealing.

Our girl Ginny with a goofy grin!

Now, we planned to leave at 6 a.m.  I like getting on the road early and making it as far as we can. Of  course, though, Ginny decided not to sleep well the night before. Ugh! She had been sleeping wonderfully, but on that night she was up from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.  So, our plans changed and we left at 7 a.m.  

Luckily, our drive was pretty uneventful, other than a few cars who tried to kill us by cutting us off. Sigh. Some drivers are so selfish they don't realize their are other people on the road. Well, that or they don't care about other drivers.

My parents were thrilled to see that we arrived safely and scooped Ginny up immediately. Eventually they gave us hugs too. LOL! ;)  

Ginny enjoyed shopping!

Our first full day in Florida was spent shopping.  We drove with my folks down to the St. Augustine Outlet Mall.  We went to Carter's for Ginny, a luggage store for my parents, Levi's for Chris, and Motherhood Maternity for me. Afterward, we drove into downtown St. Augustine and had lunch at O.C. White's. All in all a wonderful day.

Then on Tuesday, Ginny got to go swimming for the first time ever!  She was not sure about it. The water was a lot colder than her bath water. However, she enjoyed bouncing with me in the water. The hardest obstacle she faced was getting her belly wet. Isn't that the worst part for everyone?  Obviously that never seems to change. Later we put her in a float boat that she really enjoyed, especially as we pushed her from person to person.

Ginny and I checking out the water for the first time.

Ginny wasn't so sure at first.

Ginny with her daddy! :)

We hope to go to the beach tomorrow, but the weather seems uncertain.  I can't wait to see how she reacts to the sand and the ocean. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather is clear for the beach.

My New Front Garden

Last November, I wrote in my blog about clearing our front garden.  It was a lot of work. Everything in front of our office window was removed, even the rose bush that was there when I took the pictures. So, all fall, winter, and most of the spring our garden has been empty. Looking sad and forlorn.

Unfortunately, with my husband's unique work schedule, being pregnant, and mom to a toddler, I have not had much time to get out there to actually do any gardening.  I had been itching to do it and planning on what I would put out there.

In late March, I enlisted my husband's help in digging holes and placing some boxwood hedges for me. They are quite small at the moment, but should, eventually, grow to be 3-4 feet wide and 3-4 feet high.

The front area under the office window after adding the boxwood hedges.

This morning, I finally got a chance to get out and go shopping at one of our local nurseries.  I picked up 4 perennials: 3 "Stella Supreme" Day Lilies and 1 "White Swan" Coneflower. Additionally, I got a dozen "Purple Majesty" Salvia.  I did make one more brief stop at Lowe's to pick up some mulch before coming home. 

Once I was home, I laid out the plants where I wanted them. I realized I was short a day lily, something I'll rectify later this week.

Plants laid out and ready to be planted.

I mentioned to my lovely DH that I needed help digging the holes (being 3 1/2 months pregnant I'm avoiding major physical exertion).  He went out right away and took care of it for me. He even did more than I asked. Chris dug the holes for the perennials and even planted them too. Isn't he good?  Going even further, he weeded our back garden for me. I married a prince.  

When he finished, I went back out and planted the annuals.  I watered the plants then added the mulch. I do need to get at least one more bag of mulch to finish up, but I really like the effect. I think it looks wonderful and will look even better as the plants grow.

All the plants are planted and mulch added.

Now, I need to get to work on my back garden. I may take advantage of Ginny's nap tomorrow. Wish me luck!