Oh my goodness...it was a dream come true! When I was a kid we used to rifle through couches to find lose change so we could make the walk to the fruit stand where we would buy surprise bags and penny candy. Our fruit stand trips and playing in the irrigation ditches while catching water bugs are some of my favorite memories. Walking to the fruit stand with money in hand was the greatest feeling. It took the whole walk there for me to decide what I wanted to buy.
I have the same feelings of excitement when I get a call from one of my family members about coming to visit me. I felt truly grateful and almost bad that Phillip and Katrina were willing to make such a long drive to spend time with me. This little town is definitely not a tourist destination but the summers have all that any small town would have to offer, I'll miss it when we go.
We were all so excited to have Phillip's family here. His kids can truly brighten anyone's day. I love Hazel and her love of all things princess and girly. She has gift to weave incredible stories from her imagination that you almost believe are true. She can talk forever which makes me smile. She reminds me a lot of my sister Lisa who has saved me so many times with her gift to talk me through the most difficult moments.
Justin is the mini version of Phillip and I love it. I still smile when someone asks me a question and I have the urge to answer "wah" instead of yeah. It's much cuter coming out of his mouth so I'll leave that to him. As I was editing these photos I was laughing so hard about our balloon fight. Justin went around using his little balloon as a squirt gun the whole time. At one point he got Audrey in the face and the shear delight on his face made me laugh.
Ryder is such an animal lover. I love the way he pretends to be them. He loved Poppy right away and that warmed my heart. She's not an easy one to love because she can be crazy sometimes but he didn't care. I bought these huge animal books from Costco for Audrey's schooling. When I bought them I thought of Ryder and hoped that one day I could show them to him. One of the days he was here he spent reading through them and I was so happy I could share something with him that he loved. Ryder has a taste for the best foods. Someday I'm sure he'll become a chef just like his parents (I truly aspire to be like them) and he'll make the best husband a girl could ask for.
Lydia gets along with Audrey so well. I love that she and Audrey love a lot of the same things. They did art together, read together, and picked wild flowers together. Lydia is so polite. I can't count how many times she thanked me for the things that we did together. I walked in on her reading to herself one day, she used voices as if she was reading to someone just the way Audrey does. I tried to listen a little more but she caught me.
Travis is the worlds most smiley baby at his age. He's the sweetest. I can't believe Katrina took the trip up here so soon after having him. She's amazing! I was so happy to meet him and add another favorite to my list of nephews.
While they were here we enjoyed hiking. Phillip's kids are so good at it. Not a peep of complaint. Paul and I have decided we should do more hiking.
We also went to the Zoo, rode the Ferris wheel, shot fake guns at Scheels and played at the lake where we paddled around on the kayak and some floats. Lydia and Ryder wanted to go out a touch the buoy over and over again. Hazel, Justin, and Audrey played in the sand. And Phillip took our kayak out on it's maiden voyage.
The last day they were here I sent Phillip and Katrina on a date and I got to play with the kids. We painted, had a water balloon fight, made smores, and went to the store to buy them something to take with them. I will remember their visit forever. Thanks for making the sacrifice and coming to see me. We miss you! Hopefully we'll get to come to you soon!
Justin
Ryder
Lydia
Audrey
Hazel
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