Vacation, Days 3 and 4

The Rowe family spent yesterday visiting with the other Rowe family, namely our girls' Uncle Dave, Aunt Sarah, and cousin Emily. We all had a great time catching up, and Julia and Madeleine took to their aunt and uncle very quickly. Madeleine, in fact, seemed to feel an instantaneous attachment to Uncle Dave, actually asking for him over me as we were swimming in the pool. "Want Uncle Mike? Uncle Mike?" she continually insisted. "Uncle Mike" appears to be similar to "ice cream truck," in which the words "uncle" and "Mike" seem to be inseparable terms in her mind and are combined to simply signify the concept of any given uncle. The girls got a chance to play on the playground next to the pool as well, plus watch "The Little Mermaid" and a few episodes of "Dora" back at Dave and Sarah's house; in other words, it was a day packed full of fun, despite the fact that Madeleine came down with the fever Julia had suffered earlier in the week and became something of a cranky basket case by day's end. As we drove back to Auntie Shannon's house WAY past the girls' bedtime, Julia commented on how she would like to move to Atlanta because she loves it here. "And I love Texas," she added. "Mom, don't you just think that Georgia and Texas are the best places that were ever made in the whole world?" I wonder if the fact that we have visited both on family vacations has something to do with her deep abiding love for these locations.

This morning, the Rowe family enjoyed some homemade pancakes to celebrate Ethan's and my wedding anniversary, and the kids watched another "Dora" while enjoying their breakfast. Julia took the time to ask an important question: "Mommy? Why does Dora have such a big head?"

I must admit to having wondered the same thing on more than one occasion.

After breakfast, the Rowes had an exciting opportunity for a photo shoot with a professional photographer we met at the pool where we're staying. The photographer assured us that we got some sweet shots of Julia, though she can't guarantee the same for Madeleine. This shot that Ethan got on his iPhone basically sums up the photographer's experience shooting both children:



The best part of the photo shoot, for Julia, was that she got to go on a scavenger hunt all around the apartment complex grounds, along with the 5-year-old son of the photographer. The kids were fast friends, and were so delighted with the various leaves, petals, wood chips, and rocks they found that they began pleading for bags in which to carry their collection. I managed to find something that would do the trick, though I must say, nothing says beautiful, scenic family photo shoot like plastic doggy-poop bags:



This afternoon we may try a family trip to the zoo, depending on how Madeleine is feeling, which should be fun for parents and kids alike. In the meantime, Ethan, Julia and I are in the midst of a riveting pretend game in which Julia, named Ella in this game, is a student at school who is the best writer in the whole entire world. She therefore gets to leave school early, and come home to me, her mother, who is required to act surprised every day (each day in this game spans about 5-10 minutes) when she arrives home.

I do have to say, though, 9 years down the line and this is exactly where I want to be! I am so thankful for all the wonderful adventures being a member of the Rowe family allows me to have!