Michigan--An unexpected trip

We were scheduled to head to Indy at the beginning of August so I could walk in the graduation ceremony.  Unfortunately, my dad's wife, Sandee passed away a few weeks prior to our scheduled trip.  Sandee had been sick so her passing wasn't a surprise but that didn't make it any easier.  My dad had been able to spend the last weeks of her life taking care of her and it truly was such a blessing for him to get to spend that time with her.   She will be missed!

Sandee, my dad, Chris, Mark, Grace and I at Pizza Sam's in February 2010

We were able to change our flights and flew to Michigan for the funeral and then Grace and I stayed there and drove to Indy with my mom and dad.  Mark did a weekend trip to MI for the funeral, flew home, and then met us in Indy.

Grace had flown twice before but this is the first time she was old enough to understand what was happening.  She loved all of it.  The TSA folks were super nice and gave both her and her puppy "official" badges.  

 One of the highlights was riding the train that connects the different terminals at the Denver airport.

 

Another highlight was eating dinner and watching the airplanes.

 "Photography by Grace"

  "Photography by Grace"

 

 We got our "jammies" on before we got on the plane thinking she would sleep...

 She did not!  At all!  Made for an interesting time when we got to Detroit around midnight and were trying to get a car seat in the rental car...ugh!

 Grace was excited, however, to get to see Aly!  Bobby, Megan, and Aly flew up and were with my dad the week before the funeral and left that Sunday.  My Aunt Laura and Uncle Gary also happened to be in town so they got to meet Grace for the first time.  And Mark's mom also drove up for the funeral.  Since there was so much family in town, my mom threw together a graduation dinner that Friday night at her house for everyone.  It was a really nice (and yummy!) night!

 Graduation cake!

 Ring around the rosie!

 

Aly and Uncle Mark snuggle time!

On Saturday Mark, Bobby, and I headed to my dad's and then to the funeral home with him.  My mom, Mike, Megan, and the girls met us there for the visitation and then they took the girls home and brought them back for the luncheon after the funeral.  The funeral was very nice.  An unbelievable number of people and a lot of fond memories shared.

 Snack time before heading to the luncheon

The girls were amazing at the luncheon!  They were so warm and loving with Papa Bob.  Anytime he turned around there was one of them ready to give him a hug.  It was so heartwarming to see how compassionate they are.

Over the rest of the week, I spent time with my dad.  Sometimes Grace hung out with us...

And sometimes she stayed with Mama and Papa Mike...

 playing with water balloons,

picking blueberries,

going to the farm,

and baking molasses cookies...yum!

Ourada Invasion

In mid-July some of our bestest friends came to visit us--the Ouradas!!!  We had seen Ryan and Katie in January but hadn't seen Claire since she was just a few months old.  Grace and Claire were instant friends (they're one year apart) and had so much fun together!

Bath time fun

Pajama party!

A trip to the splash park, "Come on Claire, I'll show you how to do it!"

Grace and her new picnic table!

Ryan and Katie had a wedding in Denver the one night so Mark and I got to see what it would be like to have two toddlers.  It was so much fun...exhausting, but so much fun!  Here the girls are on a trip  to the mall to ride the rides and play in the play area.

The next day we headed to The Farm and since Claire rode a horse, Grace decided she could too! Her pony's name was Brownie.

 

 

After the Farm we hit up O'Dell Brewery for a sample (Fort Collins is known as the "Napa of Beer")

That night we had a babysitter come over and we had a night on the town.  So much fun showing them all our new spots!

 

It was so fun to watch Claire while the Ouradas were visiting!  One of my FAVORITE things was watching her eat yogurt.  She would eat well with her spoon and then decide that it was going to slow and try to drink the yogurt.  Hilarious!

We also did a trip up to Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park during the Ourada's visit.

 

 

 

 

"Photography by Grace"

 

Please come again, Ouradas!  Love you guys!