2 weeks and 5 days after having David, we loaded up the rented Mazda 5 (it's a long story and not blog-worthy) and left before 8am for Skyland Bible Conference in Dayton, Tennessee. It was a great week of family time, good Bible teaching, and way too much ice cream. Sadie was her normal social self and it was near impossible to keep her at our table at mealtimes, she was off talking to people before we knew it (and often talking them into getting her some dessert). I was very thankful for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law who helped me a lot, especially with my big kids, so I could get some much needed rest. Despite the rest I did get Mastitis again but, thankfully, had come prepared with a 3rd round of antibiotics. Here is a picture of the Harrell grandkids, all 7 of them. They have such a good time together and it is great to watch them make these memories.
Steven was worn out from the trip so he and David snuck in a quick nap after we got there. Do they look alike or what?
We decided not to go home after the Conference but go visit some great friends that recently moved to Statesboro, GA. We had a great night with them and a yummy breakfast the next morning before heading to Hilton Head. Sadie and Lily were very happy to see each other.
Most of Hilton Head was spent in the pool, especially the kids. We vacationed with most of my Mom's side of the family, everyone was there except one aunt and 2 cousins. We've been doing this for like 30 years now and had almost as many people in the house for dinner most nights. I celebrated my 32nd birthday while down there, which Sadie decided to bust her chin open for. Mom and I were putting the finishing touches on my birthday dinner when Jesse (my cousin's wonderful husband) came walking in from the pool with a bleeding Sadie. She apparently said "hey guys, watch this", then proceeded to jump in backwards, catching her chin on the side of the pool. Thankfully, Jesse is an ER Pediatrician who deals with this all the time and he was able to "glue" it back together, avoiding stitches. Which was great for the wallet but especially for Sadie. We avoided the water for 24 hours then covered it up with waterproof bandages after that. My Mom kept trying to tell her she was brave but she refuted it, saying "No I wasn't Nana, I cried."
Sadie and Eli had 3 other second cousins to play with, and the girls did quite well together (Lucy is 5 and Sophia is almost 3). Eli and Benjamin, however, showed their 2 year old-ness and had a weeklong competition with who could say "mine" the most. Benjamin even took it to a new level when his Mom was changing his diaper and Eli came in the room he yelled "My poop!" As if Eli wanted it, but, you never know with these guys. Eli can be quite the drama queen but he keeps us laughing. He got up early every morning and had breakfast with Papa, even developing a taste for Daddy's OatBran cereal. It was a great week and the picture below really says it better than I can.
It's getting harder to get a good picture of everyone, and this one isn't the best but it shows how much Sadie and David look alike. David's changed so much even since this picture so I will blog again soon with a more recent one. And some tales of our July days, which have been just as busy as June!
