Our Week in Arkansas

Olivia and I left last Monday driving to Arkansas. My cousin, Mark, was fishing in the Forrest Wood Cup (the Super Bowl of fishing tournaments) in Hot Springs, so it was a great excuse to visit family. This is the first time I've driven alone with Olivia that far since she was about 6 weeks old. I was a little worried about how I would keep her entertained, but she did great! I couldn't have hoped for a better trip!

We arrived Monday night just in time for Olivia to eat, have a bath, and go to bed. Up early the next morning, she spent the majority of the day hanging out with her Gram. We only left the house once, and that was to visit my cousin and her new baby, Byntleah. (Byntleah was born while I was home in June. I was able to see her at the hospital then, and I've been anxious to see her again ever since!) When we got back to Gram's, Olivia played in her kiddie pool and on the swingset.

Wednesday and Thursday consisted of more of the same, with the added bonus of a little pampering for me. :) On Wednesday, Amy and I got manicures and pedicures while Gram took care of Olivia. Afterwards, we all met up with Amy's family, as well as the Wilson family, for a mexican dinner. It was so nice to see all of them and catch up. On Thursday, we picked up Abby and Mason and got everything loaded for our trip to Hot Springs.


We spent the remainder of our trip in Hot Springs. Olivia, Gram, Uncle Glen, Abby, Mason, and I all stayed in a cabin on Lake Hamilton. It was so relaxing and the perfect little getaway for all of us. And, to top it all off, Mark finished 3rd in the tournament!! To say we were proud would be an understatement!

Just a few of Mark's supporters:


Here are a few pictures from our trip.

One of her favorite things to do is sit on the swing with Gram:


We made a lot of progress with Uncle Glen this time. She didn't scream every time he looked at her. In fact, she even let him hold her and take her outside. I know she doesn't look thrilled about it, but this was a huge step! Ha!

We drove back to Chicago Tuesday and have been recovering ever since! :)