My traveling companions

Although it might have made the trip a bit easier if we had gone before Anndra was born, it actually turned out to be quite delightful to have our little girl with us. She did well on all our flights and got so much attention everywhere we went with her happy smiles and other cute facial expressions. A lot of people (gate agents, flight attendants, fellow travelers, etc.) assumed she was our first baby and wanted to ask us about her and give us advice. It reminded me of all the flying we did with Parker as a baby (back and forth from Dominica) - he always got lots of attention from everyone around us.



We were a little nervous about my passport - it was about to expire and we didn't know until two days before we left that you are technically supposed to have 3 months left on your passport to travel to Europe. I was so afraid someone would turn us around and make us go back home - I was earnestly praying the entire time that no one would look too closely at my passport. Thankfully, everyone who checked our passports was so busy adoring Anndra that they barely glanced at our documentation. What a blessing!



Here she is mid-giggle. What a love! She was in a good mood nearly the entire 12-day trip (all you parents out there know how lucky that is) and I felt like I got to bond with her on a whole new level because I didn't have the boys, my calling, or anything else to worry about. It was a like a dream-come-true for this tired mommy.



The other person who made the trip so amazing was my sweetheart, Todd. This vacation was also a way for us to celebrate 10 years since we got engaged (Feb 2000). I'm so happy that this great guy asked me to be his wife and I've enjoyed sharing my life with him (for a decade now!) more than I can say.



While in Slovenia, he got to ski at the top of the world - this is a picture he took from the lift:



One unique/cool feature about the place he went skiing was the huge igloos they had built for skiers to rest in when they needed a break:



When all five of us were out-and-about together, we also saw people cross-country skiing across the beautiful snowy fields. That is probably the only thing I still wish I could have tried (downhill skiing is too hard on my knees) while I was there:



Now, for those of you who care about girlie things like a baby's wardrobe... I'll include a couple more pics of the blessing dress (which I LOVE - thanks again, Mom and Dad!).

It came with a cute jacket...



...and head-band...



...for keeping her warm on the way to church:



Having this break from my regular life gave me the opportunity to do some self-evaluation and re-prioritizing... and this little lady is now at the top of my list! I am determined to soak up every joyful moment I can with her. Love you, Sis!