Grandma Comes to Visit!

May 27th--June 3rd

For Mother's Day my dad surprised my mom with a flight out here to see her favorite (okay, only) grandchild. And, of course, Bethany got to come too. She may think she's old enough to stay home alone for a week, but the rest of us thought differently.

They arrived late the night of the 27th, and then spent the next two days trying to help us have good birthdays despite Seth's attempts at the opposite. I was not happy with the child--here his grandmother flies all the way across the country to see him and he decides to be simply rotten.

Luckily he got over whatever his problem was and went back to being his sweet self. Which meant he was being good enough for us to shove him in his car seat and drive 40 minutes to Kilgore Falls (which is apparently the only place we take people when they come to visit). This time it was warm enough for a little wading, so we packed the swimsuits.

Seth had a grand time. He splashed in the water, threw rocks, and slapped at floating leaves. He would have been in heaven if I'd let him eat the rocks as well, but I figured that was a pretty good way to get a parasite of some kind.

I think Beth had a good time. She even handled it well when I insisted on splashing her with freezing cold waterfall water while Mom was taking our picture. As you can see, she was a little more concerned about looking good than I was (we were HIKING for Pete's sake!).

We rushed home and had 15 minutes to change and get dressed before my piano recital began. Despite the odds, we actually made it there a little early. All my students performed beautifully, even with 3 babies making all sorts of noise in the background.

For FHE on Monday we tried to go to Broom's Bloom Dairy for delicious homemade ice cream, but they weren't open. So, instead, we opted for the local ice cream shop--Rita's (which Jon & I had never tried before). I have to say, it was pretty good. Marah's mango was the best flavor, but Beth was more than happy with her boring old ice cream cone.

I enjoyed having shopping buddies who actually cared about things like mirrors, clocks, and shelves. My living room is looking better and better. Plus it was nice to be able to leave Seth with Marah (and Beth, but she was no help) while Mom & I went shopping.

After much protestation we were able to drag Bethany to Young Women on Tuesday night where she had to suffer through an hour of Debbie's excellent lesson on marriage/chastity/choices/foster babies. I think she survived unscathed. :)

Wednesday was our last day with Mom & Beth. It was a busy morning--we had to make a Father's Day gift, let Seth swim in his new, early birthday gift pool, and say our goodbyes--all before 10:45 am. Luckily Seth cooperated (mostly) and left them with good impressions.

I put Seth down for a nap and drove them to the airport. I hate it when they leave. Babies should never live far from their grandparents. They need someone to spoil them (and their parents need babysitters who will practically beg for the chance to watch them). Hopefully we'll get to see them again in September. Thanks, Dad, for letting them come visit--we hope we'll get to see you soon. And thanks, Mom, for taking care of my baby and keeping my house clean. I feel so spoiled when you're here.

We love you and miss you!