My First Big Vacation - 4th of July

Guess what?! I went on my very first major vacation! Mom and Dad took me to Lake Tahoe to see a lot of my family!

We had to take 2 planes to get there. It was my first time on a plane. Obviously the other passengers didn't get the memo that they'd be flying with a princess... some of them were downright rude about being seated next to me. There was lots of eye rolling and people giving my mom and dad "helpful hints" about how to keep me quiet. I was, as I always am, a perfect angel on all flights. Hopefully that teaches people to be more polite to babies on planes.

When we got to Lake Tahoe we were very surprised by how chilly it was! Luckily, it meant Mom and I could wear our cable knit sweaters. We take any excuse to show our preppy side. (Some may argue that we don't have any other sides...)

I got to spend some time with my Grandpa Nathlich. The only other time I'd met him was right after my surgery when he came to visit. I was by far more social this time. I got to meet Tutu, Uncle Mark and Aunt Amy too. We had lots of fun going to the beach, playing, reading books and taking walks.

With the 3 hour time change - I had to find creative ways to sleep at 4:00 in the afternoon.

Luckily for Mom and Dad - when I got up for the day at 3 AM - there were a few places open at that hour that we could go for entertainment! How great is this place? So many lights - so many colors - so many fun noises. Fisher Price should market these things.

Here we are at the beach. Notice the snow on the mountains behind me. That's indicative of the water temperature... COLD. Mom and Dad went in - but princesses do NOT swim in 55 degree water. Princesses sit under umbrellas. Mom and Dad decided to do a photo shoot when I was ready for a nap... I couldn't be bothered to do my best posing.

I slept on the beach. That's a great way to spend vacation.

It got warmer as the week went on. We went for walks in beautiful fields of wild flowers.

There were some really incredible views of the mountains and the lake. Dad and I made them look even better by standing in front of them.

At the end of the week, we moved to another part of Lake Tahoe and went to my mom's family reunion. Grandma and Grandpa Howe were there - so were Uncle Charley and Uncle Alex. There were LOTS of other people there too... 50 new fans of Abby. Here's Uncle Alex and me sticking our tongues out. We did that when I was a little baby too. As usual - Grandpa had his camera - so mom didn't take many pictures. You can see Grandpa's on his website - http://www.craighowe.com/

While I was away, my new friend Tucker was born! I had talked to him in Auntie Lyn's tummy and told him to arrive before I left. That's how I knew he was going to be a boy - because he didn't listen to me. I went to meet him as soon as I got home. I wasted no time putting the moves on him. (Don't worry Baby John - I weigh 15 pounds now - there's plenty of me to go around... no need to be exclusive right now).

Hmm. Mom was busy smiling for the camera when I decided to see if Baby Tucker's hair works like Callie's. Callie lets me pull her face hair and she doesn't get mad. Tucker didn't like it much. Oops. Probably not a smart move on our first date.

We had our second date on the 4th of July. Together we had the red, white and blue attire covered.

"Auntie Lyn, will he like it if I pull his hair again? Can I?"

Okay - well, if I can't pull on Tucker's hair - maybe I'll pull on his puppy's... come here Kona...

I saw my cardiologist today - a little early because we thought part of my scar might be a little infected - but it wasn't. She checked me out while we were there and says my heart sounds wonderful. She didn't hear my valve leaking at all - and she was SO impressed with how big I am. She says I look like a different baby. As she was going on and on about how good I look - I rolled over on her table for her. Talk about impressive. She's a huge fan of Abby.

I hope you're having a great summer too!