I'm Back!

My family was visiting a week ago, and then left to drive back down to Memphis to spend a few days with my auntie Erna and uncle Gary. Since I love vacation, I decided to also drive down. Andy couldn't come, though, so it was just myself and the two babies.

Erna and Gary's house is absolutely beautiful. The backyard isn't very large, but they've packed that little place with plants.

My family (at least my Mom's side) loves plants, and we're all pretty good at getting them to grow. Gary, though, is the best at the landscaping aspect. His little backyard garden is like an oasis. It's so lovely to just lounge on the chairs and enjoy the peace. Of course, Gary's delicious Gin-and-Tonic makes one feel even more relaxed . . . (No, in the picture, they're not drinking. We don't get started quite that early!)

Gary and Erna put the fish pond in themselves, and it's just loaded with beautiful koi and underwater plants.

Peter has this overwhelming fascination with fish, but he was good and only fell in once.

They even grow orchids. I wish I could grow orchids. *Sigh* (Must remember not to complain).

Near Erna and Gary's house was a fun little water park, so we took the kids there one hot afternoon. I think Bompey had more fun than the kids, though! Peter was a little afraid of the water, but after awhile he got a little braver.

Gary is so inventive, and he built the prettiest cage for his little birds. It's really just a regular wire cage, but he covered the four corners with bamboo to make it seem more natural. When the weather gets colder (I mean, really, how cold can it get in Memphis?) he turns on a little heat lamp in the roof, and the birds nestle up there snug and warm. Clever, huh?

The drive back home wasn't easy, but it went well. It usually takes 10 hours, but I knew it would take me a lot longer, since I can't expect the kids to sit in their carseats for that length of time. I left at 4:30 in the morning, and we stopped for an hour and a half at a McDonald's Playland that was about halfway.

The kids were angels, and Angie's DVD player she loaned me really helped a lot. Peter got to watch two movies that day, which was a real treat for him (he's usually only allowed one movie a day.) The hardest part of the drive was that I was so tired. The afternoon before, I drank two cups of sweet tea, and the caffeine kept me awake until 2:00 in the morning! Driving for 13 hours on only 2 hours of sleep isn't fun, believe me! (That's why I look so crabby.)

Thankfully, we made it home with only two minor disasters! The first minor disaster is that Peter jammed a crayon into the ignition switch while I was getting gas (which I was finally able to pry out thanks to my handy-dandy sock needles), and the second one is that a large truck threw rocks and one broke the windshield (stupid me, I didn't get the license plate number, so now I have to pay for it.)

SO GLAD TO BE HOME!!!!!!