Wow! I can't believe I'm actually through with this post! I've had computer hang ups and since I'm just plain clueless when it comes to technical problems, this post has been "a long time coming"!:) We took our annual trip to Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri last week with Jeff's family and had a great time. My parents came up for a few days as well, so that was a treat. I was a tad concerned about how Faith would fair being away from her routine and her own crib, but I can honestly say that I never once heard her get upset. She was a great little traveler, which we were extremely grateful for! 5 hours one way in a car seat is rough, but she was a trooper! And this pic is evidence of that! She never falls asleep in anyone's arms, but when Jeff picked her up out of the car and toted her to our room when we first arrived, her eyelids didn't even flutter! She was pooped! I was so shocked! If you knew her little "live wire" personality, you would understand how out of character this is for her=hence the fact that we fumbled for the camera to catch this rare moment!:)
We play peek a boo quite often.
I have these great stick-on table covers with the Sesame Street gang on them for Faith when we go out to eat. She's picking on Elmo in this picture.
I love the fact that she can eat finger foods now. It's so cute to watch her use those 2 little fingers to pick up her food. It entertains her as well, which I love! She thinks she's so big!
Taylor was using this spoon to teethe a little.
OK, one more pic of this "worn slap out" child of ours. I was just so amazed at how "out" she was!
Milk = It does a baby good!
Speaking of being worn out... Somebody else looks like they need a nap!:)
Maybe all of us need a nap!!!!
Just a couple candid shots here...
This was taken in front of Devil's Pool Restaurant on the grounds of Big Cedar.
I just love this place; it's so relaxing and rustic everywhere you go here. As soon as we pull into the drive, Jeff and I roll down the windows and take a big deep breath. As if to say without even speaking, "Ahhhhh, no work, no stresses, just Big Cedar."
The girls were supposed to be catching up after the long ride here, but somebody's to busy being nosy to listen to little Taylor.
And then Faith started doing all the talking; you can see that Taylor is clearly put out!
Faith rode a bucking bull at one of the outlet malls. It looks like I was having more fun than she was!
Some stroller action.
Tyler enjoyed his ride on whichever Bob the Builder character this was.
I'm out of order here, but anyway, more cowgirl pics for you.
"OK Mom, I've had enough; it's not fun anymore. I feel sick."
There's this place called the Hard Luck Diner that Mrs. Raylene likes to visit. All of the waiters and waitresses sing while you eat. Faith and Taylor had a great time here "dancing" and singing. It was so cute to watch.
Tyler was a bit more interested in the food.
Jeff doesn't care for the diner very much. He thinks it's pretty cheesy. He probably thinks that Georjeana here is fighting off a severe headache from being overstimulated, but in reality I was trying to get a shot of Taylor. Sorry I caught you with your eyes closed Georjeana!:(
I told you that Mrs. Raylene enjoys this place!
When we walked in, I noticed that one of the waiters looked extremely familiar. Well, Georjeana asked me if I ever watched American Idol and come to find out this is "Jason" from last season's show. I couldn't get a front shot, so you'll just have to trust me. But it was kind of neat; we saw him again singing on the boardwalk one night. I guess he's just trying to do whatever it takes to be seen and heard for his career.
The diner is located in the center of this Christmas Village shopping area. It made me excited about the winter season and Christmas coming around this year especially with Faith in our lives now.
Some random shots of the family...
See...Jeff is still reeling from the Hard Luck Diner.
Back at Big Cedar, Faith takes advantage of anyone who will volunteer their fingers to her for walking purposes.
Time to eat!
Trying to get a group shot is sometimes difficult.
Something was really funny here. Probably Tyler. He was so good at getting the girls to laugh for the pics.
Taylor's giving a little "cousin love" to Faith.
Brad's giving Taylor a heart-to-heart here about something!:)
Faith got to play on the playground one day with Pappaw and Daddy.
Much to my surprise, she enjoyed the slide with some sliding help from her blanket to help get her going.
A couple of family pics...
The muscle men tried their skills out on the KIDDIE equipment.
It's amazing how much easier this is in the 5th grade.
Oh, I just had to get a shot of Faith with shoes on, because she usually has a melt down as soon as they touch her feet. For some reason this day, she was OK with it. Whew, it was a breakthrough moment probably more for me than her.
Nanna came to play and keep Faith and Taylor for a while on this day so we could go play frisbee.
Several family pics...
Granny and Pop volunteered one afternoon to watch the girls together while we went into town to watch the new Noah's Ark production (which I really enjoyed by the way=Thank you for the tickets Pop-n-Granny!) Here are some candid shots of their playtime and a few more family pics...
Sometimes I see some similiarities with these two...maybe it's the big blue eyes?
Check out Taylor's shirt? Isn't it adorable?
More family photos! Good times at Big Cedar!
This photo pulls on my Momma strings for some reason. It's like she's got this smug look about her that says, "I know I'm adored and loved, and I like it."
Yeah, a picture with a bow in her hair. She's just recently started taking bows off and hats off and headbands off!!!!! So I'm glad that I got some pics with them still on top of her head.
This was a pic of our living area in our room in case any of you ever think of going up there for a little get away. I highly recommend it!
And this is not a good picture of the bedroom, but oh well.
Tyler and Pop!
Faith's decked out in her night-night clothes, but it looks like Tyler has other plans!
Two other slide pictures. In these you can really tell how much she loved it!
Family photo time again!
Notice the headband still in place?
" Are we done taking pictures yet?"
Jeff and I are reinacting our wedding day photo taken in this exact place, in this exact pose, on May 13th, 2006. We decided to take a picture like this every year under this arbor to commemorate our love for one another=OK, OK. But you have to admit, it's a good idea. (Thanks Mrs. Raylene!:))
Going in for another kiss here...
I never thought that Jeff would or could ever cheat on me!!!! But look at him kissing another girl in our special spot. I might not ever recover.:)
This place is excellent for family pictures! Just look at how pretty the backdrop is?!
And look at this photogenic babe!
I love this one.
Tyler and Faith played for a bit by the pond. Tyler spent most of his time telling Faith not to eat dirt and leaves, though. He was such a big help.
Told ya.
Peek a boo again!
We didn't get much pool time this year. It was too cool at times and the water was too cold for the babies, but the last day was absolutely beautiful, so we took advantage of it.
Well, join us again this time next year under the arbor for another photo album of vacation at Big Cedar Lodge! I hope you made it thru this blog; there were tons of pictures. I'll end with Tyler T walking peacefully back up thru the tunnel of flowers. Maybe one day he'll have someone to sweetly kiss ...and start the tradition all over again.
We play peek a boo quite often.
I have these great stick-on table covers with the Sesame Street gang on them for Faith when we go out to eat. She's picking on Elmo in this picture.
I love the fact that she can eat finger foods now. It's so cute to watch her use those 2 little fingers to pick up her food. It entertains her as well, which I love! She thinks she's so big!
Taylor was using this spoon to teethe a little.
OK, one more pic of this "worn slap out" child of ours. I was just so amazed at how "out" she was!
Milk = It does a baby good!
Speaking of being worn out... Somebody else looks like they need a nap!:)
Maybe all of us need a nap!!!!
Just a couple candid shots here...
This was taken in front of Devil's Pool Restaurant on the grounds of Big Cedar.
I just love this place; it's so relaxing and rustic everywhere you go here. As soon as we pull into the drive, Jeff and I roll down the windows and take a big deep breath. As if to say without even speaking, "Ahhhhh, no work, no stresses, just Big Cedar."
The girls were supposed to be catching up after the long ride here, but somebody's to busy being nosy to listen to little Taylor.
And then Faith started doing all the talking; you can see that Taylor is clearly put out!
Faith rode a bucking bull at one of the outlet malls. It looks like I was having more fun than she was!
Some stroller action.
Tyler enjoyed his ride on whichever Bob the Builder character this was.
I'm out of order here, but anyway, more cowgirl pics for you.
"OK Mom, I've had enough; it's not fun anymore. I feel sick."
There's this place called the Hard Luck Diner that Mrs. Raylene likes to visit. All of the waiters and waitresses sing while you eat. Faith and Taylor had a great time here "dancing" and singing. It was so cute to watch.
Tyler was a bit more interested in the food.
Jeff doesn't care for the diner very much. He thinks it's pretty cheesy. He probably thinks that Georjeana here is fighting off a severe headache from being overstimulated, but in reality I was trying to get a shot of Taylor. Sorry I caught you with your eyes closed Georjeana!:(
I told you that Mrs. Raylene enjoys this place!
When we walked in, I noticed that one of the waiters looked extremely familiar. Well, Georjeana asked me if I ever watched American Idol and come to find out this is "Jason" from last season's show. I couldn't get a front shot, so you'll just have to trust me. But it was kind of neat; we saw him again singing on the boardwalk one night. I guess he's just trying to do whatever it takes to be seen and heard for his career.
The diner is located in the center of this Christmas Village shopping area. It made me excited about the winter season and Christmas coming around this year especially with Faith in our lives now.
Some random shots of the family...
See...Jeff is still reeling from the Hard Luck Diner.
Back at Big Cedar, Faith takes advantage of anyone who will volunteer their fingers to her for walking purposes.
Time to eat!
Trying to get a group shot is sometimes difficult.
Something was really funny here. Probably Tyler. He was so good at getting the girls to laugh for the pics.
Taylor's giving a little "cousin love" to Faith.
Brad's giving Taylor a heart-to-heart here about something!:)
Faith got to play on the playground one day with Pappaw and Daddy.
Much to my surprise, she enjoyed the slide with some sliding help from her blanket to help get her going.
A couple of family pics...
The muscle men tried their skills out on the KIDDIE equipment.
It's amazing how much easier this is in the 5th grade.
Oh, I just had to get a shot of Faith with shoes on, because she usually has a melt down as soon as they touch her feet. For some reason this day, she was OK with it. Whew, it was a breakthrough moment probably more for me than her.
Nanna came to play and keep Faith and Taylor for a while on this day so we could go play frisbee.
Several family pics...
Granny and Pop volunteered one afternoon to watch the girls together while we went into town to watch the new Noah's Ark production (which I really enjoyed by the way=Thank you for the tickets Pop-n-Granny!) Here are some candid shots of their playtime and a few more family pics...
Sometimes I see some similiarities with these two...maybe it's the big blue eyes?
Check out Taylor's shirt? Isn't it adorable?
More family photos! Good times at Big Cedar!
This photo pulls on my Momma strings for some reason. It's like she's got this smug look about her that says, "I know I'm adored and loved, and I like it."
Yeah, a picture with a bow in her hair. She's just recently started taking bows off and hats off and headbands off!!!!! So I'm glad that I got some pics with them still on top of her head.
This was a pic of our living area in our room in case any of you ever think of going up there for a little get away. I highly recommend it!
And this is not a good picture of the bedroom, but oh well.
Tyler and Pop!
Faith's decked out in her night-night clothes, but it looks like Tyler has other plans!
Two other slide pictures. In these you can really tell how much she loved it!
Family photo time again!
Notice the headband still in place?
" Are we done taking pictures yet?"
Jeff and I are reinacting our wedding day photo taken in this exact place, in this exact pose, on May 13th, 2006. We decided to take a picture like this every year under this arbor to commemorate our love for one another=OK, OK. But you have to admit, it's a good idea. (Thanks Mrs. Raylene!:))
Going in for another kiss here...
I never thought that Jeff would or could ever cheat on me!!!! But look at him kissing another girl in our special spot. I might not ever recover.:)
This place is excellent for family pictures! Just look at how pretty the backdrop is?!
And look at this photogenic babe!
I love this one.
Tyler and Faith played for a bit by the pond. Tyler spent most of his time telling Faith not to eat dirt and leaves, though. He was such a big help.
Told ya.
Peek a boo again!
We didn't get much pool time this year. It was too cool at times and the water was too cold for the babies, but the last day was absolutely beautiful, so we took advantage of it.
Well, join us again this time next year under the arbor for another photo album of vacation at Big Cedar Lodge! I hope you made it thru this blog; there were tons of pictures. I'll end with Tyler T walking peacefully back up thru the tunnel of flowers. Maybe one day he'll have someone to sweetly kiss ...and start the tradition all over again.
