Spring break is in the air! We just got back in town from what Sean has dubbed our "skipping stone" vacation (Abilene, Dallas, and Bowie). It was kind of one of those adventures where you plan to do a million things and then reality sets in and you realize that in "real life" with a child you can't just get up and go...you work on their schedule. All in all it was a wonderful trip and we have decided to try and do it every year. First off, you cannot imagine how much extra luggage you have to travel with when you have a child. Sean and I shared one suitcase and the rest was for Ilya. Can you say "high maintenance"?!

OK...so here is the breakdown of our adventure. Friday, Sean had a track meet in Dawson so I was in charge of packing AND loading up the truck for our vacation. Yes, I hear you laughing through the screen. Packing used to be such a simple task...and then Ilya became more mobile. While I was putting things in the suitcase she was unpacking, with both hands. Needless to say I had to wait until she was asleep to finish up the packing process. Then it came time to load up the truck...hmmm...easier said than done. I am such a weakling to begin with but when you add a baby into the mix things get a lot more complicated. At one point I had Ilya on my hip, the phone up to my ear talking to Sean and a bag in one hand trying my hardest not to lose it. Poor Sean, he had just called to see how things were going and instead ended up with an earful! After several FAILED attempts at trying to load the truck I finally called my dad and asked if he could come to my rescue. And of course, dad came to my rescue! Next came feeding and bathing Ilya. No problem there since this is what is routine for her. BUT, the game plan was that instead of putting her to bed in her crib we would go through the night time routine but put her in the car seat instead and pray that she would fall asleep. That way our travels would not mess up her nap time routine and her night time routine would stay in tact. Things were going great and we were cruising down the road to pick up Sean in Dawson. My mistake was that I should have never stopped the car but drove around until Sean was ready because as soon as I came to a stop Ilya woke up and then screamed because she was still in the car seat! She HATES the car seat! Ilya proceeded to scream for about an hour as we drove down the road towards Abilene. Sean and I sat in silence, daring not to make a sound or stop that could wake her up once she fell asleep. We finally arrived in Abilene at about 10:00p.m. and successfully transferred Ilya into her pack-and-play.

Saturday we woke up in Abilene! Ilya was very playful and happy, especially since she had her very first zoo trip! Great Grandma Peggy had also made her way from Austin to visit and spend time with Ilya as well.

Ilya started the day off relaxing in the rocking chair. Then off to the zoo we go!After we ate lunch and Ilya had her afternoon nap we ventured out to the park beside Mark and Mary Ruth's house. Ilya crawled through the tunnel all by herself, and went down the slide several times with dad! And played the drums with dad. Then we relaxed and played with a couple of new toys that Mary Ruth had bought for Ilya.After Ilya had her supper and bath we once again loaded her up in the car and headed down the road. This time our destination was outside of Dallas to visit Scott, Bert, Hunter and Khol (my uncle, aunt and cousins). Ilya fell right to sleep, which was a blessing. Halfway down the road she coughed and made a very interesting noise. I looked back at her and she was asleep...a little while later we began to smell something. I stuck my hand back into her car seat and sure enough SHE HAD THROWN UP! Sean and I looked at each other wondering what to do. She was fast asleep and we were still two hours away. Sean had to stop and get gas so I wiped Ilya down with wet wipes but didn't change her since it was also in the car seat which defeated the purpose and it would completely wake her up. We made it to Scott and Berts at about 10:30p.m., changed Ilya and put her back down. I was worried that she would wake up sick but she woke up her normal happy self. Sunday we had planned to go to church at Casa View, where Sean had been a youth minister but the time change and travel took its toll on us and we didn't make it.

The main thing on our agenda for the day was to visit Sean's grandmother Martha who had fallen and broken two bones in her neck. We wanted to make sure Martha got to meet her great-granddaughter. Ilya wasn't shy at all and she played and played on Martha's bed. We stayed for about an hour and a half. It was a very nice visit.We stayed two nights with my aunt and uncle because like I said, in the beginning we had many grand plans of what we wanted to do in Dallas but then "reality" sets in...and a little thing called "time-change". I was really wanting to see my best friend Lucie who just had a baby last month but that didn't work out either. We didn't get many pictures of our time in Dallas because we were mainly in a car the whole time. On Monday, there were some workers out at my uncles house who were extending their drive-way. In the process they cut the cables for the T.V. and had to leave so that the cable people could come and fix it. Low and behold they left their machinery behind. I told Sean that the picture below will get us all thrown in jail! Kohl dared Sean to get in it - I, of course, was having a fit because I just knew they were going to come back and we were going to get in trouble! I am such a party pooper! Sean begged me to take the picture...so I did - I'm amazed it turned out because I took it in one second flat! I pointed, clicked and then ran inside the house! As you can tell Ilya was having a blast!We decided to leave for Bowie during Ilya's afternoon nap on Monday since it was only two hours (at the most) away and we thought we would beat the traffic. I am so glad we did because I ended up getting a little sick Monday night and spent a majority of Tuesday in bed. We arrived at Don, JoAnn, Blake, Wesley and Clay's house around 4:00p.m. What an awesome place! It is truly a little piece of heaven! They are in the process of building their house, though living in it now. I was so excited about seeing their house because it has always been a dream of mine and Sean's to build our own house. Their house is an oasis and I can't wait to see the finished product. They made us feel at home and JoAnn is the best cook in the world! Tuesday night we loaded up the car again and hit the road. This time we were headed home! Ilya did great and was thrilled the next morning when she woke up and realized where she was. I love taking vacations but in the end it is always great to be HOME! You know what makes coming home so much more enjoyable? Having a working washing machine. Yes, that's right! We have a new machine, and no it is NOT a Kenmore! Never, ever again. We decided on a Whirlpool. It's awesome, mainly because it works! Ilya likes it too. She stood watching it for a long time, she (and I) had forgotten what it looked like when one actually worked!