Our Derby visit

Since Andy had plans for a fishing trip with his cousins, the girls and I made the annual Derby weekend trip to Louisville on our own. We had a great visit and were able to see lots of people while we were there. This has become an annual trip and it's a nice tradition. On Friday morning we drove down and although the car was really full, the drive was very peaceful. Hannah slept almost all the way and Abigail slept about half of the time.

Friday afternoon we met the new neighbor across the street. He and his wife have a 2 year old daughter, Mariah, and a new baby boy due in June. They invited Abby to play on their play equipment whenever she wanted while we were in town. Abby later told us that Mariah was going to be her friend. We also had a fun visit with Annu and Dane. We were glad they came then since it was rainy and there wasn't much to do outside. They stayed for supper and soon after they left, Hannah and I went to Bart Best's Oaks Day Party. It was a little noisy for such a little girl, but she settled in and went to sleep while Jane (Staab) Weishaar was holding her. So, I had fun holding and playing with Ella Weishaar (daughter of Andrew and Jane). At the party we also saw: Becky and family, Brent Owen, Kungu Nguna, Carl Larson, Lorne Belden, and some others who I've gotten to know just from seeing them each year at the party. Don't worry, Becky took a group picture, I just don't have it yet.

Saturday started out rainy and dreary but the weather improved dramatically while Abby was napping. So, we were able to take a walk, play on the new neighbor's play equipment, take Maggie Mae out in the backyard and watch Pops hit golf balls that Maggie Mae and Abby went after. Around five we all headed over to Andrew and Jane's house to watch the Derby. It was toddler and baby land! Abby played and Hannah was held by a few different people who were happy to meet her. Later on, Mom and Dad took the girls home and I stayed to visit with everyone, plus Becky and Scott and Bart and his girlfriend Susan. They had all been to the Derby.

The party didn't last long though. Now that several of us are parents of preschoolers and infants, everyone headed home early. In fact, I was the last to leave, other than Jane's brothers, and I left at 9:30.

The Derby was a great race, with the winning horse looking fresh and clean even at the very end. Big Brown, the winner, broke from the farthest post position and came around the outside to win. It's very unusual to win from the auxilary starting gate and some are predicting that his performance in the Derby will make him a likely Triple Crown winner. It has been 30 years since the last time a horse won the Triple Crown! The end of the race was very sad, though. A filly, Eight Bells, finished second, only to break both front ankles in the first turn after the finish line. She was immediately euthanized since there is no way to rehabilitate a horse who has broken both front legs. Unfortunately, that really cast a shadow over Big Brown's impressive win.

Sunday was a gorgeous day and we spent the afternoon at the Kentucky Colonel's Reunion BBQ with Marge Horton. It was a really fun day and the weather was perfect. The food was good, the mint juleps were ice cold and the double stroller came in very handy. By the way, Gracie...a perfect stranger complimented my nursing cover and commented that it was a "very clever idea." Abby had a great time playing on the slide and Marge seemed to really enjoy herself, though she was very tired by the end.

We headed home around 5, got here about 6:30 and unloaded the car. Andy was already home and very happy to see us! His fishing trip was fun but he was pretty tired and glad to be home.