So, Charleston was gorgeous, as always. And we had a great time. Literally all we did was eat, float around in the ocean, and eat some more. But it was perfect.

Of course we missed this little girl....

How could you not, right?! She has had a rough week - we found out Thursday that she has a Staph infection, of all things. We thought they were chicken pox but they were only getting worse. So she is on her 2nd day of antibiotics and the boils on her chest are looking better. I've learned a lot about this kind of stuff this week, unfortunately. I've learned we need to be a little more diligent with her hand washing, and just really watching when she has open cuts or scrapes because germs can get in that way. The good news is other than the pain associated with these sores, she has had no other symptoms. It still amazes me the things we all go through as parents though, and how each step and experience hopefully teaches us a little more and prepares us for the next stage!!

This evening we looked and saw Joseph riding his John Deer around the culdesac, so I asked Abbie if she wanted to go outside and see him. She dropped everything literally and ran out with me. This is how the conversation went:

A (walking down the driveway): Joooophaaahhh!!

J (seeing us and stopping in front of the driveway): Hi Abbie.

A: Hi Jophah.

J: Is that a butterfly on your dress, Baby Aggie? And flowers?

A: Yea (looking down at her dress)....(then looking up at him) Do you like it?

My two work trips have come and gone. The one to Pittsburgh was pretty uneventful, and I mean that in every sense. Here I thought I might actually enjoy the peace and quiet, the nice meals, having a glass of wine...Nope. I missed Abbie terribly. And I missed the commotion. Every time I saw a child with their Mom and Dad, which by the way are all over airports, my heart just ached. But I made it. Then came my second trip, which was supposed to be last week. Abbie came down with a virus though and so I cancelled it and stayed home with her for two days. I was so thankful I was here and not already down in South Carolina. Next up is Wes and I's anniversary trip this weekend! We are SO excited. I"ll post more about that when we come back.

THIS weekend, however, we got to hang out with Misty and Macie, Amanda, Chloe and Caden, and Rachel, Ava and Jack. It was so great to be able to hang out with them, as it always is. I can't help but think back to what our get togethers used to be like. They've certainly changed a little, but I just love that we can incorporate the kids into our visits now and they can play while we catch up!

And then today, we got to go to the Land Rover driving experience - what a fun time that was! We basically were on a 4-wheel trail for about an hour and we climbed up big ole hills, went on a teeter-totter for cars...it was a BLAST and I'm so glad we went. It's a perk you get when you buy a Land Rover so it was all free and even Abbie got to come. She enjoyed herself, but she did have to throw in a few "Be careful, Daddy" warnings here and there. We can't wait to go again!