A long weekend of fun

Grandma Marty and Grandpa Dale hopped on a plane, and flew down to visit us about 2 weeks ago.  We had a fun-filled, long weekend with them in town.  It was great to be able to show them around La Verne, and give them a taste of what our lives are like nowadays.  We all had such a special time together!

They arrived first thing in the morning, and immediately treated us to donuts and coffee.  There were no complaints.

Maddie received a new scarf that was made by her talented cousin, Adalie.  Seahawks colors, of course!  Go Hawks! 

This scooter has not become "old news" around our house.  It is still the "coolest thing" our kids have ever seen.

We decided to make a trip to Brackett Air Field, to watch the planes land and take-off.  Dale was given the pleasure of hitching a ride with Brant on his scooter.

Father and son.

Too cute!

Away they go!

It was a beautiful day.

Cuddles with Grandma are the best.

Another perk to having Grandparents in town (or anyone besides Mommy and Daddy), is having stories read to you!

Later that afternoon, Maddie had her very first tennis lesson.  It was neat being able to share that with others, even though it isn't a court that is spectator-friendly.  We made the most of it, with a blanket spread out just in front of the opening in the fence where we could sneak a view.

It will be fun to look back at this picture, and see how far this interest will have taken her.

Adaptable spectating.

Maddie, with Coach Vanessa.

Grandpa Dale gave both kids wooden boats, which he had made himself.  They were a big hit, and followed us wherever we went all weekend long.  And, of course they made it into the pool!

On Sunday, after church, we ventured over to a local pumpkin patch, called Heritage Park.  It was just the right size for our needs this year, and it made for a fun, mini-outing.  Not to mention, a great photo-op location!

This was officially the fanciest we have ever dressed for a pumpkin patch!

Photo-bombed by my 2 year old.  :) 

The mini-maze.  Nobody got lost!

This board didn't make a whole let of sense for our crew but we did the best we could.

Giddy-up!

Such a sweet picture.

Our pumpkin selection - they were perfect for little kids!

Waiting for the hayride to begin (more like a tractor pulling a wagon over dusty dirt.  But the kids loved it. :) ).

This kid was pretty happy with his choice. 

We went out for dinner that evening, to celebrate Brant's birthday, a few days early.  We headed to Claremont, walked around town for awhile, exploring the shops, and then settled at a restaurant to eat.

Lie on your back, eat chips and look at the sky.  Why not?

Grandmother - Granddaughter conversation going on here.

On Monday afternoon, Grandma and Grandpa were able to join us for Maddie's ballet class.  That was a hit!

Before heading off to the airport to fly back home, we ate dinner at a California favorite.  How could we not?

Thank you, Grandma Marty and Grandpa Dale, for coming down to spend time with each of us.  What a memorable and special visit we had with you both.  We look forward to the next one!!

We had a special visitor!

About 2 weeks ago, we were abundantly blessed with a special visit from my mom, or more lovingly referred to around here as Grandma Kris!  She was able to spend 6 nights with us, which gave us ample time to really give her a good idea about "how things run" in our day-to-day.  It was a wonderful time, and we were so excited to finally have our first out-of-town visitor come to our new stomping grounds!

We played trains...er, correction.  Grandma Kris built and played trains with Geoffrey.  Every day.
He was thrilled!!

We made cookies...again, correction.  Grandma Kris made cookies with Maddie and Geoffrey.

A few weeks ago, a flyer came home from school advertising a youth tennis league.  Maddie has been talking about playing tennis ever since July, when she saw her Grandma Kris going off to play tennis, wearing a tennis skirt.  (Pretty sure the skirt was the hook that got Maddie!)  Anyway, we talked with my mom, and she brought down her tennis gear, including two child-sized tennis rackets.  We wanted to get a better "feel" as to whether or not Maddie was truly interested in the sport, or not, before signing her up.  They played catch and hit the ball with the racket each day my mom was in town.  

Our tennis ladies.

And then this is what Geoffrey was doing... :)

Popsicles by the poolside.

We also spent a good deal of time going swimming.  This is a big deal, because as much as my mom loves to swim, she is NEVER one to get into water very quickly.  Both Maddie and Geoffrey assured she got right in and started splashing around. 

Eager grand-kids, ready to swim with Grandma!

Swimming gets even more exciting when Daddy gets to join in the fun.

This is precisely why they prefer swimming with daddy over mommy. :)  I don't deny it; looks fun!

Crazy pool hair and pool love.

And, here are a few shots of our time on the tennis courts over Grandma's visit.

Maddie's first tennis instructor. ;)

And Maddie's supportive little brother...  He was chasing balls right and left, and very quickly turned the game into golf.  Sort of.

Red cheeked, sly-grin.

Brant decided to take my mom on for a little 1:1.

One of the last days my mom was with us, the ladies took a little trip to the spa for some pedicures.  This is the first time I've done this with Maddie.  Her take?  It was "a lot of fun, but also boring."  She'll learn. 

Fun to be out, just the girls.

She started off fascinated.

Thanks for this special treat, Grandma!

I enjoyed myself, as well.

....aaand now we're bored.  In her defense, she was the last one to get her nails started, so she did have to wait for quite awhile.

Here we go!

She's growing up.

We continued with our fun-filled week, and Grandma watched Maddie and Geoffrey for the evening/night, while Brant and I were blessed to go out on a long date.  We've been enjoying the opportunities to explore the town of Claremont, right next to where we are living.  It's such a hip place, and we love going there without kids! :)  I didn't bring my camera, but it has to be documented because it was just another way we were blessed by my mom's visit.  Thank you, Mom!!  

Grandma also treated us to frozen yogurt, which is a favorite of ours!

And just a few more highlights from our time together...

Future tennis star, with her very first coach.  Thanks for your inspiration, Grandma Kris! 

Thanks for playing so many different things with me, too, Grandma Kris!

A happy bunch.

I loved having my mom around, just living life with us.  What a treat!

We hit up the local In-N-Out, and took a picture...because we had to!

Brant gave mom a spin around the parking lot on the Vespa.  She loved it!

Thumbs up, for a great ride and a fantastic, memorable visit.  See you soon, Grandma Kris!!