First up, we had Grandma Sue & Grandpa Dan! This was their first time to see us in our home here, and they really liked it. They brought Emma home with them, who had been staying with them and the Stoddard Grandparents for the past couple of weeks. We were so glad to have her home! We all missed her and the kids were so happy to be back together with her. There was definitely a hole in our family when she was gone. We talked, the kids played with Grandma and Grandpa, caught up with Emma about her adventures, had some dinner, some BBQ chicken pizza and salad we made, and then we watched our family movie night. Daddy picked the classic Never Ending Story.
Saturday morning, we woke up late, hung out with Grandma and Grandpa at home, then we headed to Red Lodge. We went to Mas Tacos for lunch, which was very tasty. Then we visited the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary. They had some great animals who were injured in captivity and they are helping them heal. Some will go back, others will be unable to survive in the wild and will stay. We learned a lot about coyotes and enjoyed the beautiful flowers and neat sculptures, watching the animals, and hanging out at the learning center. Sydnie found a stuffed owl and did not want to leave it behind. Then, we went down the main street and ventured from store to store. We stopped at the ones that caught our eyes. They have some fun stuff. We went on a drive back home after and saw so much hail that it looked like snow, big piles of the stuff! That night, we just chilled again.
Sunday, we woke up and went to church. Dave and Dan got to pass the sacrament together, which was neat. I got to speak about marriage, families and the temple. I always kind of like speaking because I learn a lot and the Spirit nudges me on things I need to improve upon. After, we drove home, ate some lunch and went on a drive around town. Then we went over to the river to skip rocks and wade a bit. We had my "Come, Follow Me" lesson, where we talked about Paul and using encouraging language and tried a rice experiment. It was great to hear Dan & Sue's insights, they teach us a lot! We also pulled out some note cards and everyone got to write a note to someone, anyone. Well, a few days after they left, I found one from Dan. It was a nice surprise and said some kind words. "Mel - We are so amazed at your goodness, patience, and most of all your energy. You are doing a fantastic job with your family - keep it up! You are a shining example of faith in every footstep in our modern pioneer world! Soon your daily round will be different. Enjoy! -Dan Ryerse". We had Dave's smoked peppered beef for dinner with various sides, mmmm... They got to play Chatter Matters with us, a Ryerse board game classic. It was fun to learn some new things about them.
Monday was Cov's birthday and they got to be here for that! We had "Cov's face" waffles per his request, and Grandma and Cov weren't planning but ended up twinning and both wearing very similar "Nice to eat you" blue shark shirts. So fun! We went bug hunting outdoors, I think Grandma liked all the insects as much as the kids. We looked at scrapbooks of all of Cov's birthdays up to this point together. Then we ate lunch and headed to Billings. Covey wanted to go to the state fair for his birthday so that we did. We saw the animals and exhibits, the kids liked the chickens and the Lego one. Lots of fun and Sydnie turned the tides and talked to them and looked at them and would go to them this time. We went on some rides next. Cov like the bumper cars and spinning dragon best, Lucy the tornado and the older two the gravitron one. We saw some shows: Extreme Dogs, Mango & Dango, and Roberto the Magnificent. Cov loved seeing Mango & Dango for the second time this year and Cal got to help Roberto the Magnificent out. After we had had enough fair fun, we went to Texas Road House for Cov's birthday dinner. It was a good choice and Cov was so thrilled they came and sang to him and brought him some ice cream. It was great being with Grandma and Grandpa for his birthday. When we got home, we did presents. They gave Cov a singing and moving truck, and some little bugs (cockroach and black widow) that move around the floor. Covey thought those were great! It was the best part of his birthday. We then had some birthday cupcakes and sang to him. Then it was off to bed, we were all tired.
We sent them off earlier the next morning. It was so great to have them! I love the spirit that Grandparents bring to our lives! "Surely, two of the most satisfying experiences in life must be those of being a grandchild or a grandparent." - Donald A. Norber
Just a few days later, we had Grandma Di & Gandpa Scott come! They got here late at night, but we still stayed up to see them and the kids had to all stay awake, too. Sunday, we all got to go to church together. Grandma Di subbed the senior Primary class and they played the Singing Bee with us in Singing Time. Then we had some lunch, went on a walk together, took naps, played games, looked at photo albums, and talked. Dinner was salmon and then we had Emma's lesson for "Come, Follow Me". We talked about milk and meat and drank milk and ate beef jerky and then talked about how our bodies are temples and made little temple crafts. Then the kids played with their little presents Grandma and Grandpa brought them, we particularly worked on the pizza puzzle they gave Cal a lot. We danced and had a tickle fight. It is so fun watching our littles with their grandparents.
Monday, Cov helped Grandpa work on the cars, Grandma took the two older to go play tennis where Emma got the tennis ball stuck in the V when she was serving, then Cov went to pick out a toy for his birthday. He picked out a stunt car tracks set, which he and the others have been loving. It was a hit! We ate lunch, packed up and headed to the river. It was such a fun time playing in the sand, floating on the river, splashing, finding frogs, minnows, and a crawdad and being together. We cleaned up, had fajitas for dinner, then had FHE by Emma where we talked about safety and first aid. She did great as always. Then we had some treats, read some books, put the youngers down, and Emma, Grandma Di and I stayed up looking at Pinterest fails cakes. Oh an we were all laughing SO hard we were crying!
Tuesday, it was a day at home. We read books together, went to the park here, and just got projects done. My dad is an animal and cleaned both the cars, got the oil changed, helped fix some things, organized the garage and the pantry, helped put together a few things. He definitely loves by serving. My mom helped me make some things and helped out with the kids a ton. She loves so many ways, too! We watched our friends little guy since the dad was having surgery. He was fun to have around. We started setting up our trampoline and then the Elders came over for dinner. We made homemade Chick-fil-A sandwiches, waffle fries, salad, and we had shaved ice too. We always love having them come, too! The more, the merrier.
Wednesday, my mom helped me give all the kids back to school haircuts, which they were in desperate need of. Then we ate lunch and headed to Billings. We were going to go to the Oasis water park but it was so crowded it looked more like the Oasis sardine can, so we left there and decided to go to the Reef water park. They switched to their fall hours already so they weren't open, only on weekends. The kids were a little bummed, so we decided to go to Pioneer Park, where they have a great splash pool and fountain. Well that was already drained and closed down, too! Even though it's still 90 degrees out. We really struck out! We went shopping to a few places for some back to school last minute items, grabbed some quick dinner at Costco and then headed back to Columbus to go swimming in our pool. Then we played with them as much as we could before it got too late.
Thursday, we ate muffins and headed to the park to play and practice some tennis one more time. The kids are getting pretty good! We got back and helped them pack up a bit and said our goodbyes. Always sad to see them go!
"Surely, two of the most satisfying experiences in life must be those of being a grandchild or a grandparent." - Donald A. Norber.
Isn't that true? We loved our time with both sets of Grandparents!
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