photo dump/recap on fun times with family

We had the absolute best time with my dad and Jeremy's parents last week. It was hard to see them go… They came to see us and where we live and in particular to meet Luke for the first time and be here for his blessing. We feel so blessed to have such great parents who are so supportive and wanting to be a part of our lives and the lives of our kidS (still getting used to the plural :) Wish we lived closer to either of them, but we're so so grateful for the ease of communication and travel we are blessed with in this day and age. 

^^My dad got here Tuesday evening. This was taken not two minutes after my dad walked through the door. Madeline knew exactly who he was and was showing him everything in her room^^

^^Wednesday we made an IKEA believer out of my dad^^ 

^^And we also hit up Build-A-Bear. It was always a hit with us as kids growing up (Jeremy had never heard of it though!) so my dad thought it would be fun to take Madeline. And boy was he right. She loved it. Two funny things about our trip there: The name the bear has on its foot is "Bearemy" which we got a kick out of because it sounds like "Jeremy". Then at the end when Dad and Madeline were picking out a name for her, I gave Madeline three suggestions, the middle one being "Danielle" (trying to be funny because my Dad's name is Daniel) and without hesitation that's what she picked! And it's totally stuck. So far her little toy friends haven't had names that have stayed (i.e. her doll is "Dollie", baby is "Baby", etc), but Danielle stuck from the beginning and is still going strong. It took her a day to say "Danielle" really well, so at first she'd say things like,"Hey Daniel. Do you want me to burp you Daniel? Do you need a diaper change Daniel?" We had several good laughs about it :) 

^^We were taking a picture of Jeremy's parents for them when Madeline walked over with the straightest face to be in their picture ha^^

^^Thursday Jeremy's parents got into town and we visited the D.C. Temple. Wish we would have had time to go inside, but it was still fun to see it and see the Visitor Center, too.

^^Friday my dad was attending a conference in Virginia. I had hoped to make a little something out of the day with Jeremy's parents, but thanks to a rainy afternoon we kept things pretty chill at home. We did manage a little walk and played at the park near our home for about ten minutes before it started to rain! We rushed home but we were still pretty soaked.

^^Luke talking to Grandpa Wells^^

^^Saturday was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I wish that weather would come back, because we're back to cold and snowy… blah. But I'm glad it was nice for when they were here. My dad was still at the conference, but the rest of us had a great time checking out Fort McHenry and Federal Hill park.

Saturday was the day of the blessing. I'm so glad they were all here. (group shot at the bottom of the post) It was sad that my mom couldn't be here, too. She sure wanted to, but I still have a lot of siblings at home who needed her. (She came in January, which I'm realizing now I never blogged about… pictures coming soon!)

It was so much fun to have them here. We were packed in like sardines in our two bedroom apartment, but it was so worth it. A big thanks to all of them for making do with our humble offerings as far as room, food, and uh personal space go. Someday I hope we'll have a nice guest room with a private bathroom to offer you :) 

Promise I took a picture of Jeremy's parents with the kids, too. But I don't know what I did with the memory card!!! oops. I'll find it.

Lots of teary eyes at the airport Monday morning. Jeremy's parents flight left first so Madeline and I took them to the airport (Jeremy had a test Monday morning at 8am…). I don't think she fully realized we were leaving them there because she didn't seem terribly sad, which surprised me a lot. About half way home, though, she suggested we go back to the airport to pick up grandma and grandpa Wells. I told her they were going home to Florida. Then I suggested we call them on the computer (Skype) them on Sunday. And the flood gates were opened. It hit her hard that they weren't coming back in a couple hours. That things were going back to normal… She just bawled the rest of the way home.

Luckily she got it together for the last couple hours with my dad, but on our second trip to the airport that day she knew what was going on and the tears fell freely. *sigh* I hate goodbyes. 

^^I sure love my Dad…^^

I can't tell you how great it was to have all of them here. It was so special to show them our city and our home. And especially to let them meet Luke. Thanks to all three of them for making the sacrifice to be here with us! Looking forward to the next time :)