Dear Diary,
I miss my sweet baby niece so much. I can't even think about it for too long because it's too hard. I'm not kidding.
Yup, you guessed it...I'm back in P-Town and gearing up for another school week. This morning, however, was one of my favorite parts of my trip because I didn't leave until 1:00 p.m. and I got to spend the whole morning with the entire little family. We were all rested and the day was beautiful and we got to enjoy being together.
My favorite thing of all was one-on-one morning time with baby E in my room. She is so loveable. She smiles and is very interested in things around her. She loves being close to people and interacting with them. I took lots of videos which I'll go through and post one later!

I had the privilege of dressing the baby for our family outing. I was torn between the pretty purple dress and the onesie with the "Mom" tattoo. So, we went with both. Shana added booties with red yarn to match the tat.





After we spent a lazy morning with the baby and getting ready, we all went to a little bakery for breakfast and we got to sit outside and eat. This was one of the few times Ella had ever been out in public. She is finally strong enough to go for short periods of time. It was so, so wonderful!






As some of you may remember, I had some unfinished business to attend to before I could leave: Operation Sea Creatures.

Well, the family grew to 12 so I'd have enough to string along the entire crib. Joe and Shana love it! (No, really...they do. They said they did...that means they do. Right?)


After I landed back in SLC, Joe told me that he and Shana named each one after members of both sides of the family. I felt so honored. The red one with the yellow swirls (far right in picture below) was named for me.

Thanks, Grandma Carolyn, for the Ella name plaque that now sits in the windowsill!

We realized we didn't have any pictures of Joe and me. Since we ARE brother and sister, we thought that might be nice! So, we had an impromptu photo shoot in their beautiful yard while the baby was napping. We laughed a lot! I love my family.




This is Joe yelling in my ear. It's possible I did it to him right before.





Shana moonlights as an Olympic gymnast. Check out the near splits in the air, complete with a pointed toe! Wahoo!


These two are such wonderful parents and make such a beautiful pair. They treat each other with love, concern, and respect. They are always looking for ways to serve one another. I love them very much!

I'll be counting the days until I can see them all again! Even you, Miss Roxy, you sweet girl!

Love,
Katie