My best friend Ashley (aka Kyser) and her husband Jeff brought sweet baby Adalyn Kyser McGee into this world on April 21st. She's a gift that they'd been waiting a very long time to receive and since her birthday she's been everything they've ever dreamed of and more. I've been watching her grow these past six weeks via Facebook and text.....BUT IT JUST WASN'T CUTTING IT! Heather and I NEEDED and WANTED to meet this little lover in person. So we had made plans awhile back to made a quick weekend trip to their home in Bentonville, AR to get our hands on her. As the weekend was approaching I was nervous about leaving my Hal as usual but I was excited to get away, see her town, meet baby girl and have a fun girl's weekend with my two best friends. Hallie and I spent Friday together fitting in as much mommy/daughter time as possible. I got a late start due to a certain husband who shall remain nameless and a golf tournament that wasn't actually over at 2:30 like planned. I said goodbye around 3:00 and tears suddenly welled up as I was walking out the door. The thought of my little playmate waking up and wondering where I had disappeared to had me feeling sad and missing her already. I met Heather at dad's house in Enid and we hit the road again with a four hour drive ahead of us.
Riley kept the monster (me) fed with pictures from their evening going on. The twosome took part in the Relay for Life activities that evening where they ran into many friends and even some family. Hallie got to see great aunt Alta and cousins Kara, Justin, Eve and Jude. I made sure to set out her outfit as an attempt to avoid the inevitable. There is no telling what he will dress her in. This was the lovely outfit hand picked by mommy that she started the night in......
And here is what she ultimately ended up wearing.....
Must have the purse with books and crackers at all times!
I hear that it was because she got water on her. Mmmmm hmmmmmm. Suuuuuuuurrrrrrrrreeeee. I got plenty of pleasure out of seeing her have her little chubby cheek painted while she let Melinda and Aaron's daughter hold her. I have NO idea how she kept still but she looks a tad bit skeptical about the whole situation which made me giggle....
"Will this wash off??"
The trip went by quickly since we had plenty to catch up on. Heather is the best listener and advice giver I know. She is a problem solver which I NEED AND LOVE! After getting turned around a bit we added about thirty minutes to our drive but finally showed up at their doorstep around 9:30. The moment I laid eyes on Kyser and Adalyn I got all teary-eyed and such. ;) Just couldn't help it. Such a sweet moment. It was our first time to visit them since they moved to Bentonville so we first got a tour of their new home. Baby girl was having a tummy ache but she put on her bravest face for us and let us hold her and cuddle her for a bit. It was such a peaceful feeling holding a little miracle like Adalyn....
Auntie Heather
We came bearing gifts for baby girl so she opened them first thing....
You can't tell yet but I just know that this sweet girl is going to be a red head like her momma. And we all know Heather's future child(ren) will have red hair. What I'm getting at is this....I will be beyond tickled if all three of our children end up being gingers!!!!
We spent the couple hours we had Friday relaxing and talking. Kyser told us all about the day Adalyn was born and caught us up on her new job. Sigh. I love friend time. ;) That night we kept Miss A in the guest room with us so that her mommy and daddy could get a full night's rest. Adalyn welcomed Heather to the world of parenthood that night. She was a natural momma who slept on an air mattress on the floor beside her reaching out to calm her from time to time when she would stir....while I was sleeping up in the bed. We joked that she was the mom and I was the dad. The morning came all too soon at 6:00 but it gave us plenty of quiet time to get to know our "niece" while her parents caught up on much-needed and very much appreciated sleep.....
Heather has the mom thing down pat now
I got ready and ran out to pick up breakfast. Panera was on my radar since I have an addiction to it with the closest one being 140 miles away. Bagels have never smelled so gooooooooood......
"We meet again"
Heather and I got busy eating after we gave eachother a high five/pat on the back once we got her back to sleep for a morning nap. I felt completely out of practice with a newborn and Heather was a novice so we felt like we'd conquered something. She was so content and slept in her Nap Nanny most of the morning.....
Who needs sleep?! We had caffeine and bagels!!!!
Once she woke up we picked out her outfit for the day and spent some time in her gorgeous room getting her ready....
She was so happy in there just looking around at everything.....
But she didn't get the memo about her crazy lunatic of an aunt who loves to take an enormous amount of photos. So she wasn't too thrilled with me when I placed her in her crib with her giant lamb. But boy did she look cute next to him.....
"Lil help here mom! Who is this crazy lady?!"
Meanwhile back in Okieland my daughter and hubs were enjoying a nice breakfast......
...and by enjoying I certainly mean rubbing it all over their bodies. ;)
Ok, maybe only one of them was doing that. They spent the morning watching cartoons and playing inside while Riley did laundry and picked up the house. Hallelujah. Amen. Praise the Lord. ;)
Little A went to sleep and napped most of the day for her daddy while us girls left to explore Bentonville, eat and do some shopping (okay, maybe LOTS of shopping. Scratch that, maybe LOTS AND LOTS of shopping.)
Either needing a bow readjustment or sporting her new baby pirate patch
Mom's first big day out of the house for a whole afternoon!
We ate lunch at the Genghis Grill which is a place I've been dying to try. It lived up to the hype and proved to be one of my new favorite eateries. Next we moved on down the road to shop at The Promenade outdoor mall. Our feet were feeling all the steps by the time we finally stopped to take a break....
Back at the ranch, er I mean lake, my twins were spending the afternoon with Nanny, Papa, Katie, Luke and Carmen......
Twinkies in their matching shirts
Nanny and Papa were testing their camper out this weekend for the first time so Riley and Hallie went out for dinner and some fun to round out the lake crew. I hear it was pretty windy out there but it didn't stop them from havin' a good time. Hal was lake-ready and looking for an adventure....
Probably reminiscing about her baby days
Stealing a ride in Carmen's wheels while she napped
Taking a stroll with Aunt "Kayee"
Nanny, Hal and Riley cooling off
Fun in the sand
My babies
Two peas in a pod
Sneaking some food...her specialty
Checking out the new lake toy
Doing some diggin'
"Aunt Katie, sidewalk chalk doubles as body paint!!"
Get that girl some clothes! ;)
After way too much retail therapy we realized the entire day had flown by and it was time to head back and get ready for dinner that night with Adalyn and Jeff joining us. On our way back home Kyser took us to her new workplace, Sam's Club headquarters, and gave us the grand tour. We were in awe as we walked around the state of the art facility and listened to her explain her new job. I'm so proud of her!!! So of course I made her pose for me while we were there.....
Once we got back I did a quick inventory on how much damage I'd done while shopping. Heather sat on the bed and laughed at me as I layed out each outfit of Hal's to see what goodies she'd collected that day. She always ends up with much more than she needs!!!
Ashley and Jeff treated us to dinner at a unique place called The Flying Fish in downtown Bentonville. It was the perfect place for any seafood lover...and that I am! And anytime hush puppies are on the menu I'm a fan! Adalyn stayed in her carseat part of the time and on her mom's shoulder the other part of dinner. It was a great relaxed place to have our last meal together before we left the next morning.....
Heather and her kids meal in a boat, lol
They served salads in these huge stainless steel bowls
We stopped for some frozen yogurt on our way home and went straight to bed like the old women we are. The night flew by and morning came too soon again. I think I had a shopping hangover....TONS OF WALKING and BAG CARRYING. ;) The morning was spent eating breakfast that Jeff had picked up, listening to him tell funny stories, and cuddling with Adalyn one last time.
I walked out the door saying "I don't wanna leave yet!!" I felt like we'd just gotten started with the weekend and then it was suddenly time to head home. We left around 10:30 and made it to Enid at 2:30. Dad and I chatted while I ate a quick lunch before I left. As usual I oogled over his gorgeous backyard. I seriously think mom has had a hand in the way his garden and flowers have flourished this year. She must be sending down some extra sunshine on his backyard. ;)
My babies were great about sending the pictures and calling to talk to me on my way home. Hallie was a talking fool on the phone and spouted off words I never knew she could even say! I asked for a shot of both of them together and this is what I got.....
She loves him!!!
They worked some more on laundry today and it appears that she ended up in swimsuit bottoms, a t-shirt and a bib. I'm guessing she had a bit of help with this but he claims that he was innocent....
Layers are in style, right?
Scoping everything out
She was first thrilled to see ME but I soon turned to chopped liver once she spotted the colorful summer bag, bubbles and sand toys....
"Aw, she shouldn't have!!"
CAH-UTE-NESS!!!!
She was anxious to get to the pool to try out her new suit.....
"Are you really going to take my picture EVERYTIME I go to the pool??"
Yes, baby girl. Yes I am. Deal with it. ;)
She was all set with her new mini beach bag filled with her choices: crackers, grapes, a shovel and bottle of water.....
"Ok, enough pics...let's load up!"
The sun was shining and the weather was once again perfect so we spent about two hours Sunday evening at the pool......
When six o'clock rolled around we were both getting hungry so we grabbed a table and shared a DQ hamburger and fries. She was a HAPPY GIRL....
And I was a HAPPY MOMMA....
I've enjoyed her sweetness lately as she's finally made it through the nasty teething phase (for the time being at least) and is my favorite little playmate and best friend. I missed her more than words can say being away for just two days. She'll even tell you if you ask her who her best friend is...."mama."
Thank God for friends. (and babies) ;)
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