Sprindale and Friends

Here are some pictures of Grady and the boys at the farm. It's amazing that all three of these boys started as little preemies (I think Grady was the earliest)! Look at them now! Busy little guys running, playing, and giggling! Sarah (their mom) is expecting a little girl in December (boy is she going to be busy!). I'm glad that Finely will have a friend to play with when we get together!

Springdale Farms

Today we met up with some of our NICU friends, Ronak and Varen and their mom Sarah at Springdale farms. We had such a great time! The weather could not have been better, it was cooler and there was a gentle breeze.

We arrived and the boys played on the playground for awhile and then we walked around the farm. We saw cows, horses, goats, chickens, peacocks, and bunnies.

It's so much to see Grady interact with the boys. They are only a few days apart and they all play so well and giggle at each other. They are just so much fun!

My Grampa Would Have Loved This Boy...

I miss my Grampa so much. He died eight years ago this month and my biggest regret is that he never got to meet David and see my beautiful children. I just know how much he would have loved Grady and how Finley would have had him wrapped around her finger.

Today at Sprindale, I stopped in the moment and smiled and missed my Grampa when I saw this little guy on the ladybug tractor!

At the Lake...

While at the lake with Joe and Lucy, I snapped some pretty cute pictures of Miss Finn. I must say that considering I was holding her with one hand and the camera with the other, I did pretty well. For most of the pictures, I was not even looking through the view finder.

The Girls First Sleep Over

Joe invited Finley and I to go to her Aunt's cottage and spend the night with her cousin and her kids a few other friends. This was Lucy and Finley's first sleep over!

We had a lot of fun. We spent time relaxing and sitting by the water. It was nice for me to be away with only Finley and it gave David and Grady time together as well.

I'm sure that this is the first of many sleep overs for our little girls!

Welcome Home Uncle Bud!

August started out with a BANG with the arrival of Uncle Bud (Mathias) from Sweden. Oh how I have missed my brother! It always feel like he has never left and we can pick up right where we left off. I miss him when he is not here . My mom commented how we sound just like we did when we were in high school - bantering back and forth, joking around, just that brother-sister stuff that I only have when Bud is around.

Grady, Finley, Ya Ya and I went to the airport to pick Mathias. We had a sign, American Flags and Grady was wearing his Swedish Viking hat (a gift from the last visit). Fan fare that only a true American deserves! The only plans we had for the visit was Mathias' Class of 89 reunion and Thanksgiving Dinner.

We had such a great time. It went by too quickly. We did some shopping and just spent as much time as we could catching up. We are counting the days until he comes back!

Thanksgiving in August

Thanksgiving is one of the things that Mathias misses the most when he is in Sweden, so every time that he visits, we have to have Thanksgiving. This year the Howies and Pendells joined us for a wonderful dinner made by Ya Ya.

Bubba the Viking Slayer!

The last night that Mathias was here, Ya Ya was busy wrapping gifts to send back to Sweden and someone gave Grady an empty wrapping paper tube.

What ensued was 15 minutes of shrills from Grady as the beat Uncle Bud with the tube. I laughed so hard that my cheeks hurt! It's amazing how much fun a little boy can have with a cardboard tube!

Pictures by the Lake

While at the MCS Class of 89 reunion with Mathias, we took a few minutes and went down the water to take a few pictures. I love the picture of David walking towards the water with our two babies.