Odds and Ends from Nana and Granddad's

Again, there are so many pictures from our time at home, I cannot possibly include them all! My dad especially loves to take pictures (which is great, because then I don't have to be the one who has to take all of them but the downfall is that there are very few pictures of my dad). Here are a few odds and ends from my parents.

Thank you to all of our family for a fabulous trip!

Odds and Ends From Grammie's

We had a fantastic trip home and are now trying to recoup from jet-lag and get Savannah back on her sleeping schedule. Everyone took so many pictures while we were home, I can't possible include them all. Here are a few odds and ends from Chris' mom's house.

Being home for a few weeks, reminded us how lucky and blessed we are to have such a wonderful, loving and supportive family. Savannah is truly blessed to be such a special part of the Sparks and Doyle families.

And We're Off...

Savannah and I are back in Dubai! We were so happy to see Chris! Three weeks has been a long time for us to all be apart. Yesterday, we spent the morning packing (all of my stuff did not fit in the suitcase so it was a very time consuming project). Then we headed to the airport. Mom and Dad took us and came to the ticket counter with me. When the super-kind ticket agent realized Savannah and I were traveling alone she offered my mom and dad a gate pass. This was awesome and enabled them to go through security with us and sit at the gate with us until we boarded the plane. This is an amazing courtesy that the airlines don't publicize but do offer. Great to know for future trips (and for the next time my Nana is traveling!).

Savannah was great. We flew from St. Louis to Atlanta and she slept most of the hour long flight. Other passengers even complimented her (this certainly did not happen on our previous flights)! When we got to Atlanta, the layover seemed very rushed, I hurried to feed her and get her diaper changed to then only be delayed. From Atlanta we flew straight to Dubai. Savannah of course cried a little throughout the 14-hour flight but she did remarkably well...although no compliments from the other passengers. It was great to finally land and to see Chris but also a good feeling to know that I am truly capable of traveling with Savannah.

One More Night...

Today we spent the day running errands with my dad, trying to remember all of the things I wanted to bring back to Dubai with us. We also had dinner at my mom and dad's with Megan and Jon. (I will admit that in six weeks, I have only cooked dinner once and I don't miss it. I think there are going to be lots of adjustments when Savannah and I return to Dubai.) As the rest of the week has been, tonight the good-byes continued to be difficult. Hopefully, my sister and Jon will be able to make a trip out to see us in the new year...now if they just get their passports!

The Fun Continues

Another great thing about Savannah and I extending our trip is that we got to spend time with my dear friend, Abby.

Abby and I met at Ole Miss during Freshman orientation. We ended rooming together half-way through freshman year and living together sophomore year as well. She and her husband now live in St. Louis. Although, we don't see each other very often we have managed to stay friends and catch up whenever possible. Based on both of our schedules, we usually only are able to get together for a quick meeting but since we were in town a little longer we were able to spend an after together at her house, swim and have lunch at Greenbriar and of course spent an afternoon shopping. I am so glad that I got to spend some time with Abby and am ecstatic that Savannah got to meet her!

Unfortunately, the good-byes continued tonight. Savannah and I had met Denny, Kasey and Matt for dinner. Our time together has been great and we look forward to seeing them all soon. Denny's wife, Debi couldn't join us for dinner as they have another new grandbaby in the family. Debi's daughter gave birth to a baby girl last night so she went to Indianapolis to be with them.

How Can 6 Weeks Be Up All Ready

Savannah and I have been away for almost 6 weeks and sadly the time has flown by. We are squeezing in as much as we can over the next few days. Lots of errands to run, family to see and time to return the car. Chris' Great-Aunt Myrt was kind enough to loan us one of her cars for our entire trip! Having her car has made it so easy to go back and forth between family. I don't know how we could have done it without her generosity.

Unfortunately, it is time for the "good-byes" to begin. Today we had one last swim at Chris' grandma and grandpa's and one last sleepover with his mom, brother and sister. We have had a wonderful trip and are already looking forward to Vickie's trip to Dubai in November!

Father's Day Part 2

After a fun-filled afternoon swimming, Savannah and I headed back to my mom and dad's for Father's Day dinner. Before dinner, my mom and I took Savannah for a walk. There is a neighborhood playground not to far away. The baby swing was a perfect break from our walk before we headed home.

After dinner, Chris' cousin Michael and his wife, Paige stopped by for a quick "hello" and to meet Savannah. They live in Kansas City and were only in town for the day so it was great to see them!

Although, Savannah and I miss spending today with Chris it was lovely to spend the day with Denny and my dad.

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day! Unfortunately, Chris is in Dubai and we are in St. Louis. Since we can't spend the day together we sent cookies to Chris at work today.

Luckily, we did get to spend the day with Chris' dad at Raintree Lake. The lake is somewhere Chris grew up going as kid, mostly on the boat and water skiing but now Denny and Debi are building their new home at Raintree and we spent the day at the beach. Evidently, Savannah isn't partial to seaside beaches or lake front beaches...she had a great time.

After the beach, we stopped for lunch and then headed to my mom and dad's for dinner!