Florida: part 2

Saturday morning, Tim and I treated ourselves to the hotel's amazing breakfast buffet and then headed to my parent's house. Elliot was bright eyed and greeted us with big smiles! She slept an 8 hour stretch that night! So she was ready for pool time in the backyard. Tim relaxed on a raft while Elliot and I hung out in the shaded side. Later, Kim came over to hang out poolside. After a couple mosquito bites, we decided to head inside. Tim and I were hanging up wet towels when we heard Kim say "Um, I think she's peeing on me!" Way to make a good first impression baby girl ;)That night my mom, Tim, Elliot, and I went over to Jessica's gorgeous new house. It is right on the river and the bottom level houses the boat! After catching up with some friends from high school, we went to church for Marlee's baptism. Marlee is the granddaughter of Elmer, my childhood pastor who married us, and the niece of my good friend Leah. It was nice to see some families from the church that I've known forever. Then we picked up some Dakine Diegos, the best burritos ever, and settled down for a quiet night. Little did we know how quiet! After I put Elliot down for the night, we had one of our famous storms (Brevard is one of the lightning capitals). Then we promptly lost power. While my parents dutifully got out the candles, flashlights, and battery powered fans, Tim and I ventured to the grocery store for Sunday's lunch menu and beer. Tim, my mom, and I weathered out the brief storm with a couple of beers and good conversation.
Sunday morning was Elliot's big day! It was the day of her baptism and meeting lots of family and friends. Elmer, as mentioned above, performed Elliot's baptism at the beginning of the service. Elliot was great! She only whimpered a little when the water was sprinkled on her head. Tim and I are so excited and proud to be chosen as the parents for the precious baby girl! Sometimes when I really think about it, it still takes my breath away. After the service, my mom put together a casual reception with breakfast foods. Tim and I were so touched by how many people came by to meet Elliot! Our family is truly loved by so many amazing people!After the whirlwind of the baptism, we retired to my parent's house with my grandfather and his wife, my uncle and his fiance, and my parents. Tim and I provided lunch for the group and enjoyed catching up with family. After lunch and saying goodbye to family, the four of us and Elliot celebrated Father's Day! Elliot got my dad a frame with his favorite picture of her, and she got Tim 3 different kinds of genuine beef jerky and 2 bars of bacon dark chocolate (if you haven't had it, it's amazing). The guys also humored us by opening several cards and remarking on how "cute" each one was. Tim and I ended our vacation with one last walk with Elliot to the beach and then went to bed early.
It was a wonderful vacation! And it actually felt like a vacation this time! Usually when we visit family it isn't relaxing and we feel like we're pulled in all directions. This time Tim and I got to enjoy our family and friends without sticking to a schedule :) I look forward to our visit next summer!