the drive was sunday and it's about 6 hours. since we didn't have our travel plans set in stone until after thanksgiving, i had delayed making kennel arrangements for the pups, so everything was booked in austin. that meant we had to devote the far back of the cr-v to dogs. i sat in the back seat next to emme with bags and the boppy at my feet and justin sat in the driver's seat (obviously). other than that, every square inch of the car was utilized. we had intended to get a roof rack and luggage bin before the trip, but it didn't happen, so we traveled in true sardine style. i think it looked a little like a dr. seuss car and emme, etta, and ollie were the only ones who were comfortable, but it was all worth it.
when we got in to town, justin and dad brought the dogs to the kennel and mom and emme and i got to visit with lolo for a little while. that evening, aunt kakie and aunt paula came over while justin napped, and that was when the first mini-crisis began. i think she was just tired and overwhelmed from all the change, but emme cried for a couple of hours (off and on) before finally settling down to get a little bit of sleep. the irony of babies not being able to fall asleep when they have gotten too little sleep during the day is now very evident to me....anyway, it wasn't too bad, and when we woke up monday morning, emme and justin and i had breakfast in river ranch before e and i went to kk's office to visit her "children" there and let them all meet emme. it was so nice to get to take the tour of the law firm and see how proud kk was of her granddaughter, and how sweet the office crew was to us. monday afternoon brought a visit from gg - great gram - and the evening was pretty mellow with a visit from miss mary (our next door neighbor), a cake for justin's birthday, and my dad cooking pork chops and sweet potatoes for all of us.
gg holding emme...
miss mary meets emme kay.
dad watching emme nap (this was actually tuesday night)...
hanging out on dad's lap.
tuesday was justin's real birthday (30!), so we went out to breakfast at dwyer's downtown. it was phenomenal, as always. for lunch, we met mom and dad at home and picked up judice inn burgers - my absolute favorite. tuesday afternoon we met up with susanna, natalie, and yola kat for some coffee. i hadn't seen su in forever, and it was great to catch up with everyone. it was also fun to see yola in action - she is 6 months old, so i am just imagining what our lives are going to look like in just a few short months...
tuesday night my parents were gracious enough to babysit the little miss while jb and i went to dinner and a movie. we went to mazen's the restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner 3 years ago and one of my favorites in town. we got to talk and sit leisurely and be waited on - it was awesome. afterwards, we went to see the fighter - our second movie out since emme was born. it was kind of sad, but pretty good. the acting performances were stellar. when we got back home, e was almost down for the night, but for some reason, she woke up and decided she was not going to be going back to sleep any time soon. i brought her to the front of the house and we spent the next several hours walking up and down the driveway (you gotta love the december weather in louisiana) and rocking in the chair. she finally gave it up and fell asleep a little after 4:30 and i fell asleep in a seated position soon afterwards, only to wake up right before 5:30 when the house started stirring because i had a hair cut appointment at 7. i was exhausted, but honestly, i know sooo many people whose babies are frequently sleepless, so i can't be too upset that my child has had 1 rough night in her whole life so far.
anyway...wednesday kicked off all the action. after my hair at 7 am, mom and i took emme and gg to new iberia for a photo shoot. mom's office children had given her a gift certificate for a sitting for emme, so we got pics of the 4 generations and a few of miss emme kay. then, the four of us had lunch at this awesome cafeteria in new iberia. the only way i can describe it is southern - you just cannot get food like that anywhere else in the world. wednesday afternoon, mom and i ran around the house doing some cooking and cleaning to get ready for thursday's party, and we also managed to take a little nap, thank god! wednesday evening, we headed over to uncle pit and aunt elizabeth's for the hesterly holiday celebration. joe flew in that night, so pitman and miles ran to pick him up and then we all had a delicious dinner. emme got to wear the adorable outfit heather gave her, and we all had a great time visiting.
like mother like daughter...
uncle joey meets emme...
emme meets uncle joey...
thursday was the day of the big shindig - my parents wanted to throw a party so that everyone who has been soooo generous and kind in welcoming our little monkey into the world could come and meet her. they have spent the last several weeks preparing everything, and it went off amazingly well. all total, over 100 people showed up and mom's gumbos were the hit they always are. the idea of the party was to thank everyone for everything they've done, but lots of people brought even MORE gifts for the little miss, so i am humbled yet again. emme spent the majority of the party passed out on my lap, but it worked out that the position she was in allowed for unfettered viewing, so that was nice. all my parents' hard work paid off and i loved seeing everyone.
great parrain (my godfather) soothing a little pre-party fussiness.
the position emme was in for 80% of the party.
post-party hang-out with dad.
the cleaning crew after the last dish was washed (aunt kakie and aunt paula).
mom and dad after the party.
friday was christmas eve and we had an awesome day. we hung out in pajamas until early afternoon, when we all got cleaned up and dressed for christmas mass. we joined my uncle and grandmother and one of our favorite priests, father blessing, said mass. it was a great ceremony and emme's first time at church! she slept through it all, but i think she got something out of it nonetheless....after mass, we all went out to dinner at don's seafood hut and then the hesterlys and brownes went for a ride to look at christmas lights.
emme's christmas outfit - please note the shoes my parents gave her that randomly match perfectly!
kk and emme take a little snooze on the couch while waiting for santa...
and then it was christmas day. we spent the day mostly in pajamas again. the nuclear family did stocking stuffers and then gg and parrain came over to exchange gifts. the dogs were happy to be back with the family and included in the holiday festivities. we cooked a huge lunch of steaks, stuffed potatoes, salad, broccoli, and garlic bread. it was delicious, as usual. saturday evening, kk, emme, and i visited the bourgeois and the lalondes and then we all snuggled up on the couch before hitting the hay.
emme napping with her lafayette stocking (you can't tell, but my mom had it embroidered with emme kay and it's very cute!).
the christmas lunch crew, including aunt mary and rick, my parents' neighbor. kk got headbands for the ladies and singing ties for the gents, so that's what we are all wearing.
arlo under the christmas tree - sooo tired from all the playtime with ollie and etta.
emme and kk hang out on christmas night.
and sunday we drove home. as always, we were sad to go, but happy to be back in our house and our routine. we've got tons of stuff to unpack and organize, but it will all happen when it happens. the dogs are super happy to be home and catching up on their rest....
emme gears up for the ride home.
so i guess that is it! sorry for the barrage of pictures and the longest post ever, but it was a crazy week, full of activity and we loved every minute of it.
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