Road Trip to Tennessee

I drove to Tennessee two weeks ago to visit my family.  It was my first long road trip by myself (well, Katie was in the backseat, of course).  I was nervous starting out that morning (6:30 am), but everything went fine.  The weather was perfect, sunny and clear.  We stopped a few times to eat, use the restroom, and get gas.  I never felt tired while driving which is a miracle for me!  I had prayed for safety and we had a smooth drive.  I listened to a book on cd for part of the time.  We also listened to a cd of playtime songs for a while.  Katie was really good in the car.  I had bought a mirror to hang above her on the headrest just before our trip.  It was awesome!  I loved being able to glance in the rearview mirror and see if she was asleep or how she was doing.  I wish I'd bought it sooner.  The trip took twelve hours which included several stops. 

Mom had dinner ready when we arrived.  My parents and sister were very excited to have us there.    

Katie and my dad in their hats.

We went for walks almost every day.  My parents have been exercising more regularly for the last few months since my dad had a stroke in November. 

Katie and I were happy to join them.  It is so beautiful there; it brought back a lot of memories for me.

My sister, Anna, loved having Katie around (and I think she liked having me there too). :)

Katie was intrigued by the loud motorcycle across the street.

Not sure what she's doing here, but I thought it was cute.

Katie loved carrying my dad's cane around everywhere.  It was pretty funny to watch her with it.   

More to come...

Play dates

I babysat Stacie's baby, Ada, several weeks ago, and Katie loved having her here, as long as I wasn't holding her, at least. :)  She kept handing Ada toys and then taking them away.  Thankfully Ada is a happy baby and content to let Katie do what she wanted.  It will be fun when Ada is more mobile and they can play together. 

One night when the Kosters were here, the boys watched a movie, and Kaden wanted Katie to sit by him.  He is such a good cousin to Katie and loves to play with her or comfort her when she's sad.  I thought it was so cute to see them snuggled up on the couch together.

Sorry for the lack of posting lately!  I've been gone visiting my family in Tennessee, so I'll write about my trip there soon.

Changes

Three weeks ago I was released from my calling as 1st counselor in the Young Women program in our ward.  The president and I had a feeling it was coming soon, but it was still a shock.  I thought we'd stay in there till the summer at least (I was there for a year and a half).  I was so sad and cried while saying goodbye to the girls.  I love those YW so much!  They are like my little sisters.  Of course I'll still see them once in a while at church or when they babysit Katie, but it's not quite the same.  My new calling is to be the Primary pianist, which I did for a year and a half when Jacob was in dental school.  I guess it's my time to have an easier, less time-consuming calling again (which I'm not complaining about!).  I loved it before and I know I'll grow to love it again. 

The following week I received my Young Womenhood Recognition Award for completing the Personal Progress program.  This is what the medallion looks like.  I was so happy I finished PP again, and it was great timing to be done when I was released!  When we got home from church, I dug through some of my old stuff and found my necklaces and medallion from when I was in Young Women's.  It was fun to show them to Jacob.

Anyone else still have their old Young Women necklaces?