Last time I posted was to tell you about my Grandpa's passing and that I would be away from my blog. Thank you all, dear friends, for your sweet comments. Last Saturday was his funeral, and it was a memorable and lovely day. (If you would like to know more, my mom wrote a touching recap.)
What I didn't tell you was that my blog break would last a little longer than that. We had planned to leave on a family vacation to Newport Beach the day before the funeral. We felt blessed for the timing of things and that we were able to stay for the funeral, help with arrangements, and host family at our house. In the end we only postponed our trip for one day and made up for the lost time by spending two long days on the road. But more about that later.
I missed a couple of milestones during my blog break. Most importantly, Abby turned 9! Poor girl—her actual birthday was a bit overshadowed by the other events that day (funeral). We gave her a proper celebration a few days before, however.
Doesn't she look so grown up? I feel like I already have a teenager on my hands. I was a little lazy this time and got a DQ ice cream cake, but the birthday girl was happy. Especially since they decorated it with horses.
And this little gal passed 16 months:
And still not walking. Stubborn little stinker.
But you must notice those adorable little moccasins. A little LA shopping find. And that sweet little dress and tights, a gift from our San Diego friends who have a little pipsqueak named Emma.
Eva and Emma are only about a month apart in age. Not only that, they have the same middle name (Grace), and the same initials (E.G.C.). They are destined to be friends. (Thanks for the cute gifts, C&K!)
We were glad to have a catch-up day today before the girls head back to school in the morning. You know, the usual laundry, unpacking, cleaning out the car. (Does anyone else's car look like an absolute pig sty after a trip?) I also worked on this little project:
We bought a big, inexpensive bag of sea shells in Newport Beach, and we split them up into these little bags for the girls to give to their classmates at school. I printed and stamped some simple bag toppers to go with them. These old-as-the-hills retired stamps and Stampin' Up! warehouse sale products do come in handy once in a while and serve a greater purpose than filling up my cupboards!
This post has gotten long, and still no deets about our trip. I promise to make you suffer through at least one more vacation post soon. :)