MeMe and PaPa's

We started our vacation off last Sunday at MeMe and PaPa's house in Hartsville, SC. They weren't expecting us until Tuesday, but we surprised them by showing up early on Sunday afternoon. We thought we would make it in time to join them for lunch after church, but as fate would have it they had decided to go out to eat that day! We called them from their back porch with the news and I believe they made it home in record time! For several days we just enjoyed the pool and catching up. They hadn't seen Ella in several months so she had plenty to tell them and many tricks to share. Ella loves to be with family. She loves them almost as much as they love her. She was incredibly excited to see her MeMe, PaPa and Uncle Josh. Because they live so far away and we don't get to see them whenever we want or nearly as often as we'd like, MeMe has a very present and real fear that Ella won't remember them. I'm hoping that after this trip that will be a concern she will no longer possess. When we first arrived Ella didn't waste any time getting in the pool. I was holding her hands while we stuck our feet in at the stairs and before I knew it she was continuing to walk in with her clothes on! We all quickly got changed to cure her anticipation. We were in the pool when the three of them got home from lunch. When Ella looked up and saw them walking through the back gate she jumped out of the pool as if it were on fire. She ran with her arms up screaming, "Hey, MeMe!" She scooped Ella up, soaking wet, and they shared an embrace that was long over due. It was an absolutely precious moment and my eyes filled with tears. I truly believe in that moment that without a doubt everyone is now reasonably sure that Ella won't be forgetting any one any time soon. Matt and I took advantage of the many readily available baby sitters and had a nice date to the movies on Monday night. We saw The Dark Knight and thoroughly enjoyed it. The last movie we saw in the theater together was, I believe, The Dukes of Hazzard, which if my memory serves me correctly came out in '05. Sad, I know, but very true. The greatest part was that the theater in Hartsville only charges $2 for a movie ticket...you can't even buy a gallon of gas or milk for that any more, we were super excited! It was nice to spend some alone time with my husband in the town he grew up in. Another member of the family and a note worthy of mentioning would be a shout out to their dog, Boy. PaPa named the dog himself because as a puppy he would always say, "Come here, boy!" So, why name him anything else! Well, if you know her, you know that Ella has a true love and passion for dogs that no one can explain. She spent much of her time at their house at the back door looking at the "boof, boof," which is what she calls a dog. She was constantly grabbing someone's hand so they could take her outside to play with "Bows" (Boy). We all headed to Myrtle Beach on Tuesday afternoon. I'll post pictures of that later...I only have 300 to choose from!!

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