Vacation, Part 1: Fort Smith

Our two-week vacation started a couple of weeks ago. John's grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday, so his family all got together to throw a party. It was Drew's first time to meet this great grandmother, and we got to see lots of family that we hadn't seen in years.


The night before the party, we had a family-only barbecue. It was great to see all the family, including lots of babies born since we got together last. It's always amazing how fast the kids grow. Here is Drew meeting his Great Grandmother Foster for the first time. Even after the 5-hour car ride, he was a happy kiddo.

All the families stayed at the same hotel, so after the barbecue, we had a little pool party. It was Drew's first time swimming. John carried him into the pool (which luckily was really warm, like bath water). He did ok getting wet.

Next we tried the floaty. As you can see, Drew was not pleased.

John then took him out of the floaty and ... poof! Happy baby again!

The next day was the official party. We had a chance to get some great family pictures, so I'll share a few:

Another four generation picture. We now have a complete set of 4, showing Drew with all 6 of his great grandparents. John and I are so lucky to still have our grandparents around.


Drew and Nonnie

I think Drew was the hit of the party. Here is Shannon holding him while Tyler and Jack play with him. When the Moellers moved from Texas to Virginia, Jack was still a baby. I'm amazed to see how he's grown up! Tyler just loved Drew and carried him around all the time.

Here's Maw Maw blowing out the candle on her cake. I think Jack offered to help her make a wish.

After the party, we tried another dip in the pool. This time I got the honor of taking Drew in. We had a great time, but once the big kids came and the splash from their cannonballs got on Drew, he decided that he was done with swimming.

Next stop: Philadelphia! Stay tuned...