Of course I had pictures on my mind and had been really dreading the lovely "family picture". We had tried this at our last beach trip and it was a major failure. The best lighting is around 7pm which is right during the triplets bedtime, so I was able to get all three down early one night so they could get a power nap in before our photo shoot. The trick worked pretty well except for Liam, he was still not his happy, joyful self but we went along with it. Uncle Ben was our photographer and just kept shooting while family stood behind trying to get all 5 of the kids attention and tried to get them to smile. I quickly scrolled through the nights photos and thought to myself, it is better to have a bad picture than no picture at all. Later that night I uploaded our session and I couldn't believe all the great pictures I got!! I am so excited because I was able to order several canvases to finish our collage in our living room.
So after a fun, busy, exhausting week at the beach, we arrived home for 48 hours, then took off to Dallas for a "girls trip" to celebrate Ava's 6th birthday! Jill, Alli, Ava, Emery and I flew out on Monday morning and spent the next days doing every girl thing you could imagine.
Our first stop was to get the girls first "real" haircut and up-do. Of course Emery went first, because Ava was scared and did not want to get it done. Both girls had to sit on Mommas lap, but by the end they each had big smiles on their faces and loved the experience! We then headed to the American Girl store and it was bigger and better than I even imagined! As a little girl myself, I never had one of the dolls but was always envious of my friends who did. So being able to do this with my own daughters was simply memorable! Each of the girls faces lit up as we walked through and looked at every single doll and accessory! So after strolling through the whole store Emery went and picked out a matching outfit for herself and Bitty baby and Ava decided on Isabelle, the 2014 doll of the year, she wanted a doll that looked like her and had a book.
After our big purchases, we headed to the restroom because the girls wanted to match their dolls before heading to dinner at the American Girl Bistro! They both came out grinning ear to ear, holding their matching dolls. They were precious! We were brought to our table and the waitress had a booster seat for each of the dolls and also gave them a cup and saucer and party hats to match the big girls. Dinner was good and so enjoyable! We then had cake brought out and we sang Happy Birthday to our BIG 6 year old! It was a perfect day and enjoyed by all!
The next day was followed with Mani's and Pedi's and then lunch with two VERY TIRED girls!! All the vacations, traveling and little to no naps had affected them, along with Mommy, Grandma and Aunt Alli so we headed back to the apartment and all napped and relaxed before heading home!
The memories are permanently marked in my mind and I will cherish that weekend forever. This year was such a big year, not only for me but Ava. She really stepped up to the "Big Sister" role and has been my saving grace! I was glad to spend quality time with her and Emery and glad I was able to give them each more attention that they really did need and deserve. It was a very nice "break" but I was glad to get back home and wake up at 4 am to Annalees' smile and then again at 6 am with jumping, happy boys! Back to reality! Big thank you to Grandma Heidi for watching the babies so I could take the trip in the first place and a big thank you to Grandma Jill for making the whole trip so special!! We are always so grateful for each of our moms!
