Our trip to Shabuta, Mississippi this year involved another 8 hour car ride to Mississppi. However, this year the car ride was near bliss as we were able to borrow a portable DVD player from our dear church friend, Laura Wardlaw! She also let me take a whole pack of new movies (mainly Veggie Tales) that Sadie had never seen. We were all set to go in the car and Sadie decided to watch Elmo's Potty Time first. You could tell she must have been thinking in her little two-year old head, "I could get used to this!" She was mesmerized and we went between playing with coloring books and games we brought to watching an occasional movie. The car ride, compared to our last trip with Sadie at 5 1/2 months, was heavenly! Hooray for technology and the ability to take long trips without wanting to turn back half way!
We only stopped occasionally for some delicious snacks. Our first stop out was to Starbucks for some tasty cake pops. Cheers! After a quick refreshment we hopped back into the car to continue on our journey.
Another great place we enjoyed on the trip was Cracker Barrel. At one point I mapped out if there was one in the area and, no joke, there were about 40 on the map! 40! Why does anyone need that many Cracker Barrels? We laughed so hard and pulled into the nearest one for some dinner. Sadie needed to stretch her legs and playing with all the dollies and toys was the perfect way for her to unwind while we waited for our food. Daddy was also so sweet. On the way back, he said Sadie could go pick out any dolly she wanted, so she picked out "Rachel." the dolly that was wearing the most pink of all. She held her all the way home. We asked her what her name was and she told us, "Dolly." Clearly!
On our way to Shabuta, we planned to make it in one day, but it was about 9 or so hours in the car. It was growing late and the darkness and movies had lulled Sadie to sleep. I think about 11:00 pm James realized arriving at 2:00AM wouldn't be the best idea, so we thankfully pulled over to stay at a hotel. Sadie was already asleep and slept in bed with me. She woke up to a new room and happy to see cartoons on the TV! We quickly packed our things and headed out. Sadie even pulled her own "Dora the Explorer" suitcase all by herself! I picked it up at Ross before leaving. She loves it, although she's never seen an episode of Dora in her little life. haha She just thinks it's great to have a little girl and monkey on her pink sparkly suitcase! Back in the car, we were ready to make the final 3 hours drive to our destination.
We set our things up in the small house. It is the smaller house past the pool. Beautiful and old in every wonderful way. Sadie needed a haircut and could therefore get her hair in a little pony tail at one point. She thought that was fabulous and I took a picture to show her. She grinned from ear to ear. We also played with the phone taking self-portraits with Mickey Mouse on one of Sadie's favorite apps. What a fun time!
Sadie's favorite part of the trip probably started the second day we were there. Chad and Jennifer, good friends of James, arrived with their twins, Molly Kate and Andrew. Sadie LOVED them. I mean, wanted to pack them up and take them home, loved them! Molly Kate took pride in helping Anne Chandler set the table each night and Sadie just did whatever Molly Kate told her to as she helped as well. They were about 5 if memory serves me well. They snuggled up for movie time, watching Cars together, played in the pool a little bit, and enjoyed all of Sadie's toys she brought from Houston, especially her tea set, which proved to be great fun out by the pool!
Some of my favorite shots of the whole trip were Molly Kate and Sadie together. I enjoyed talking with Jennifer one night as we both anticipated the future and how amazing it will be for them to be friends as they grow. We both thought of how cool it will be for them to be teenagers one day realizing that they have been coming to Shabuta every year to play since they were little!
Some of our favorite moments on the trip were just hanging together outdoors. It really wasn't that hot, and even rained a couple of times, which made for a relaxing reprieve from the heat of Houston. We ate snacks, watched Sadie play. In one picture she found an old-fashioned broom and looks like she's about to fly far away!
I also enjoyed the shots of all our dear friends. Seeing Jennifer with Molly Kate made me smile and watching Shaggy yell at his dogs (Fly, Honey, and Blue) made me laugh. Blue especially cracked us up as he loves fetching sticks of all kind which ends up getting him into a world of trouble with Shaggy. I think at one point Shaggy actually caught him chewing on a giant piece of his firewood!
James always enjoys our time here because he gets to hear how everyone in Alabama is doing and appreciates the late night reminiscing about soccer days of old. Chad, Shaggy, and Eric all played together, as did many other friends who were not able to come. It's always fun watching James enjoy his friends and remember how much fun they had together, while playing a game they all loved.
The pool, which set nestled in between both houses was also a fun distraction for all. Molly Kate and Andrew adored being in the pool, whereas Sadie had a couple of turns, but didn't seem too crazy about it. On the last day there for swimming, Sadie finally decided she wanted in too and enjoyed a couple of fun hours with all of us and the giant floaties. Her favorite was the giant floating wheel that she could sit inside of while Daddy stood close by.
Even though the house looks the same as our last trip. OK - it has probably looked the same since 1876. We still enjoyed taking some shots of where we stayed. The white house with split stairs was where we spent our nights and the yellow house surrounded by trees is the main house where we stayed last year and where we enjoyed all of our meals this trip. The old barn which housed the four wheeler was beautiful as well. It stood right in front of James' favorite amenity, the outdoor shower. I'm pretty sure he is still trying to figure out a way he could install one in our backyard in Friendswood. There have to be deed restrictions, though, to showering buck naked outside your suburban home, right?
The surrounding areas are always so beautiful it's hard not to take countless photos while there. I couldn't help but get a few family shots together. One print I have from our first trip to Shabuta is still one of my favorites of me and Sadie together.
I also enjoyed seeing Sadie smile with little Andrew, as he hugged her so gently, almost nervous he'd break her if he squeezed too hard!
I also loved getting to see the kids play outside. Sadie has really become old enough to play with the kids without needing constant supervision and I know she is absolutely loving that freedom and trust that seems new found. She sat happily eating pretzels with the twins, sharing her hummus and "sun juice" (Sadie's name for Capri Suns) atop the four wheeler.
Before heading out, I convinced everyone to have a quick group shot for posterity. Blue even smiled for the picture!
Back row: Shaggy, James, Eric, and Chad
Front row: Anne Chandler, Me, Sadie, Jennifer with kids, Molly Kate and Andrew
What a fun trip with old friends! We look forward to going again next year!
