Where have we been?

It seems like the last couple of weeks have been a blurr, but a fun one! First, Pitty came into town to watch the kids so that TJ and I could go see Georgia vs. Vandy in Nashville. We had planned this trip months ago, just intending to go and see a fun college football game and have some kid-free time, but it turned out that God had other plans for our trip. Mom and Dad were up there too that weekend, as Dad had begun his cancer treatment. So, we had a wonderful weekend spending time with them and also getting to see a fun game. TJ and I went out on the town one night and went to this great bar with dueling pianos. Of course, in true Nashville style, it was much more than just two pianos and it was a lot of fun! When we got home, the kids (and Pitty) were worn out from a weekend of fun. Trip and Pitty made some delicious Halloween rice krispie treats. Trip was so proud of his baking skills. After two days of recuperating, Pitty, the kids and I headed down to the house in Naples for some rest and relaxation. It was wonderful down there! The weather was perfect. We went to the beach a few times and swam in the pool every day. Trip and Mady both loved swimming. Mady has no fear, she basically just walks right into the water. That is, once we stopped putting her in this turtle suit (see picture above). It seemed like the perfect suit to put her in, so we wouldn't have to worry as much about her just jumping in, but, she couldn't move too well in it, so she was much happier out of it. The funniest part was when she slipped on the wet patio, near the steps of the pool and got wedged in between the rails of the pool stairs. Patty and I could not stop laughing. Mady, on the other hand, was not so amused. TJ's cousin Amy, and her family joined us starting on Wednesday. Her daughter, Ava and Trip get along really well. And, then TJ flew down on Friday to spend the weekend with us. I think one of Trip's favorite moments was pulling a lizard out of the mailbox and having it latch on to his hand. He thought it was so funny! He is really good at catching those things. It was hard to come back, especially to this much cooler and cloudy weather, but it's nice to be back home. Thanks to everyone for such a fun few weeks!