50 States!

One day Ryan and I counted the number of states we have visited over our lives.  About the time we moved here, we were up to 47 for me and 46 for him.  Then we visited Alaska and Hawaii together and were tied at 48 states.  Just Alabama and Mississippi to go.  They have been the last two on our list for about 3 years.  A couple of weeks ago Ryan had a conference scheduled in New Orleans, so we decided to take one morning while we were down there and check off our last two states.  It's just over 2 hours from New Orleans, across the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and into Alabama.  The Mississippi Coast is really beautiful, even in February when it was way too cold to enjoy the beach.  We had brunch at the Spot of Tea restaurant in Mobile, Alabama, listed in their "100 Things to Eat in Alabama Before You Die" brochure that we picked up at the visitor's information rest stop at the border.

As we drove it was fun to talk about what we remember from our visits to each of the other 48 states.  It is so fun to have that perspective on our nation and to have a visual image of so many different places we have been.  There are beautiful and amazing things to love in every place we have been.  What a great country!

Next travel goal: Visiting all 7 continents over the next 7 years.

Two More Birthdays

February is a double birthday month in our house.
Paisley turned 3!  I can't believe I won't have a two year old in the house again.  She got a pillow pet and a Mr. Potato Head and a heart dress.  Her vocabulary has increased by leaps and bounds and she talks a mile a minute.  She loves to draw and color and has just learned how to draw smiley faces.
Three things we love about Paisley:
--She spontaneously says, "I love you, Mom (or Dad).  You're the best in the whole world."
--She wants to try everything the big girls are doing (playing the violin or piano, gymnastics, homework, collecting chicken eggs . . . .)
--She still likes me to cuddle with her at night.

Lexi also had her 14th birthday and got to go to her first church Saturday Night Dance.  Very Exciting!

Fourteen things we love about Lexi:

--She is so smart and works hard to do well in school, even with her challenging math and science

--Listening to her practice and perform her cello

--Listening to her sing in choir, especially her solos or small ensembles

--Cheering for her basketball team and seeing her free-throws improve every week

--Her fast mile times, thanks to those long legs

--She has a wide variety of friends, and is kind to everyone at school

--She keeps her room cleaned up and does her own laundry

--She lets Paisley sleep with her sometimes, especially when Mom and Dad are out of town

--She does whatever she's asked without complaining

--She talks to me about the ups and downs in her life

--She doesn't get upset easily 

--She has always been able to get up and get herself ready for school on time, since 1st grade

--She is committed to doing what is right, even when it seems hard

--She is beautiful!

Happy Birthday to two of my babies!