Visiting with family

As I mentioned previously, we had the great fortune of having my brother and mom come to visit during her Spring Break. It was so great to see them and have them here with us!

We had a great week and definitely stayed busy!

They drove in on Saturday afternoon and we were hoppin' from that point on.


First things first...yes, Grandma brought gifts for the kids. She always brings them books (which they love with all their hearts). And it's usually something unique that's signed by the author. Cool! Grandma has connections! :)

Of course the M&M dispenser was pretty neat too! And the dancing dog. But, most of all, hugs & kisses all around were enjoyed by all! :)
Sunday, we watched our church's general conference on TV that morning, then went to our friends' house with some other families for a potluck-style lunch. We ended up staying and watching the second session of conference there. The weather was gorgeous! We could even watch sitting outside on the patio. It was great! The kids had a blast playing together in the playhouse & on the jungle gym and the adults enjoyed great conversation, company, and, of course, conference. Simon ended up falling asleep and stayed that way for pretty much the whole time we were watching.

You already know how we celebrated Monday and Tuesday (Nate's birthday festivities). :)

A big highlight for us was getting to see my Aunt Laura (Mom's sister) on Wednesday. She lives about an hour & a half away. We took Julia to school (and arranged for her to be at a friend's house until Nate got home from work) and drove down. It was great to see her. She's doing well and is happy.

Her home has a little bird atrium you can sit & visit in front of...the kids loved that!

They also celebrated the April birthdays while we were there. So, Laura and Liliana enjoyed some cake!

It was fun seeing her. I'd like to be able to go see her more often.

The next day, we went to see my mom's Aunt Myrtle. I made similar arrangements for Julia as the day before, then we made the 45 minute drive to see her. On the way to her house, we stopped by "Myrtle's Burgers" and got lunch for all of us. (She used to run it, but passed it on to one of her daughters, who runs it with her husband). Let me tell you...YUM-MY! Check out those "ribbon fries!" Deliciousness!

We would not have been able to go, had it not been for such helpful friends! Thank you to our friends for picking Julia up from school, watching her, feeding her & taking care of her until we got home! I appreciate it so much!


For our last night together, we just wanted to do something low-key and mellow. Nate cooked steak & chicken on the BGE and we had fajitas. It was good eatin' as usual! We had our friends (the Andrews) over to share all the food with us. Xela even made her very yummy chocolate chip cookies! It was a delightful evening.

The next day, we had breakfast together and all got ready to go. We pulled out of the driveway at the same time (us to go to Julia's soccer game & them to head home). The girls were cute. Julia said, "I missed them the minute they left." Liliana said, "I miss them. I love them." So sweet!

I'm so glad we got to see them for a week! We all miss them already. I feel so fortunate to have such an awesome family (both the one I was born into and the one I married into). Family is what truly matters in this life! Thank you Mom and Andrew for making the long haul to see us, and for all your generosity (read "spoiling all of us")! I love you all the numbers! I'm already looking forward to when we'll see you again!