nay nay and papa's visit

We were anxiously waiting for Nay Nay and Papa to arrive, but since the airport was a total madhouse, I didn't let the kids jump out for hugs when we picked them up.  But we did get a few pictures when we made it to our house :)

The afternoon was filled with games, an outdoor basketball game and park time (since we knew arctic weather was coming), and lots of hugs. 

Nay Nay is so fun and is always up for playing lava monster, tag, or whatever else the kids want to play. 

We ended the night with a new puzzle that Nay Nay brought for Brooke and Colby.  She knows their love of Harry Potter runs deep, so it really was the perfect gift for them. 

The next day was more of the same activities.  The kids have really caught on to chess and are probably more familiar with the rules than I am :) We really didn't have grand plans for Nay Nay and Papa's visit, but just wanted to focus on low-key quality time together in our home. 

The ring toss game from the class party came in handy...

The temperatures dipped into the teens and we found this giant frozen lizard on our porch!  Colby wanted to leave it there for a few days, but he eventually moved it before family arrived on Christmas Eve. 

We let Papa open his birthday present early (a special seat cushion) since we wanted him to be able to use it during his whole visit.  During our trip to San Diego, he was really struggling with sore spots on his bottom, so I started researching about seat cushions to avoid those types of sores.  I found a great seat, but he was skeptical that it would work well.  I dropped the suggestion, but as his birthday approached, I really wanted to order it in hopes that it delivered on its promises.  Jeffrey didn't have an idea for a birthday gift, so I told him that he could chip in on the cushion.  I jokingly said that he could pay for one side of the cushion, so when he sent me the money, he added a note that said "left cheek." I had a good laugh and Dad really loved the seat.  I was glad that I followed my instincts.  

The next morning, these two had some girl time, then we played the most hilarious game of Curses. Colby had to talk like a pirate, but also drew a curse that he had to speak like Scooby Doo.  I was seriously impressed with his ability to simultaneously do both.  We couldn't understand a thing he was saying, but we were all laughing so hard our sides ached. 

Then we made all the cookies for the Christmas Eve cookie decorating. 

Brooke and Colby are so independent, but I loved having my mom there to bake with.  This time together felt so precious!!

The finished cookies...

The kids also finished their "magic paper" ornaments for Claudia to take back to the North Pole. Colby also made a special post-it note request on behalf of his daddy.  Earlier that evening, Kevin had pulled out the Chess set he brought home from his mission, but it was missing both an Alpaca and a Rook. In his note, he asked Santa to bring a replacement for those pieces.  I had no idea if Santa could figure that out on such short notice, but Colby was adamant about trying.  He really is such a thoughtful little boy. 

We read the Christmas story from Luke that night, then tucked the littles into bed. 

I have separate posts for Christmas Eve and Christmas, but fast forward to the 26th and we were busy playing with all the gifts the kids received...

I loved watching Papa help Colby build his stomp rocket.  My dad doesn't always do these types of projects with the kids, but he did an incredible job with Colby and was so patient as they worked together. 

They launched it in the house, then tried it outside as well. 

After being in the house for many days, we decided to enjoy the sunshine and take the kids to PlayGrand Adventures in Grand Prairie.  Papa stayed home to elevate his feet, but the kids loved having Nay Nay there to play with. 

This climbing area used to be a little tricky for Colby, but obviously we haven't been here in a while because he easily went straight to the top, then kept asking me to join him.  The last time I climbed it (while trying to help him) was tricky, but I'm happy to report that climbing without  a bag or a toddler in tow was totally doable.  And Brooke insisted on a video and about 10 pictures of me coming down the slide. 

My mom is so fun!  We call this slide "The Jiggler" because your whole body shakes as you roll down it, but my mom didn't even bat an eye when the kids asked her to go. 

Brookie loves her Nay Nay and I love this picture of them. 

We ended the park outing with a trip to Sweet Frog for some frozen yogurt with loads of toppings. 

When I say that we played a lot of games, I mean we played a LOT of games :)  But it was a fun way to spend time together. 

Colby wanted to take his new ball guns over to the park, so that's exactly what we did.  We also brought Papa's new cushion over to the park so that he could watch comfortably while we battled it out.

We had minimal fighting, so we'll call that a success.  I am still on the fence about whether or not the ball guns were a good idea based on the number of times I had to take them away in a few short days, but maybe we just really need to get a good set of rules and boundaries surrounding their usage?

Brooke started some chalk art while the rest of us played basketball, but we eventually joined her and helped complete the mosaic project. 

Turned out pretty great, right?  Painter's tape is a pretty amazing tool for chalk art. 

We completed "Step One" of the rock tumbler and the kids were amazed at how very plain and ordinary rocks could turn into beautiful gemstones.  I immediately thought of all the ways this could apply to our spiritual growth.  Sometimes we have to go through difficult trials and circumstance (the grit that tumbles with the rocks), but we come out polished and refined, just like these gemstones. 

The next day, on Kevin's suggestion, we headed to Clayton Chandler park to play tennis together.  The kids have been super competitive recently, but thankfully they were really good sports. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I told them that we would go for Bahama Bucks if everyone had a good attitude :)

I had to get a close-up of Brooke's bracelet obsession. She received a bracelet kit from the Peacocks for Christmas and has been making them constantly since then!  

Brooke asked Nay Nay to give her a fish tail braid, and when I showed her a picture of the back, she was thrilled.  I really need to have her teach ME how to do it so I can repeat as often as she'd like :)

The kids also brought their rollerblades in hopes that the skate park would be empty.  I told them it was highly unlikely, especially during a holiday break, but only one kid was there!  They lucked out after all!

We celebrated Papa's birthday (December 30th) with a yummy lunch at Torchy's Tacos.  The best part was that Kimberly wanted to treat us all to lunch since she couldn't be with Dad on his birthday.  

We always love Torchy's, but the company was the best part.

We played croquet that afternoon and my mom had the most amazing long-distance shot!  I didn't get the action shot, but I did catch her victory prance, haha.

Mom won the game with that amazing shot, but Colby still wanted a victory pose as well...

Me and the champion :)

When we were nearly done with the game, Brooke ran across the street to get something from the garage.  I didn't see her trip, but she came running back over to me and was panic-crying.  Her elbow was bleeding, as was her knee.  I took her back to the house to help her get cleaned up, and when she was calm, she explained that she was running home (in sandals) when she kind of stumbled.  She caught herself with the palm of her hand, but then stumbled as she tried to recover and fell straight to her hip and elbow.  She had road rash on her whole side/hip, but her elbow was definitely the worst injury. 

Brooke needed a break, so we had an afternoon movie together.  We watched both Percy Jackson movies during their visit, and also watched the first four Harry Potter movies.  It had been years since my parents had seen those movies, so it was fun to watch one each night as sort of a movie marathon. 

We finished off Papa's birthday with a birthday cheesecake.  We love you, Papa, and are so glad that we were together on your 65th birthday!

I love Sunday pics, but we were all feeling a bit sad that my parent's visit was ending on Monday. 

We had a very relaxing Sunday afternoon, and even tried out our new puzzle board from Grandma and Papa.  We aren't sure if we're gonna keep it because it's pretty big and we'd have to store it when not in use, but it was definitely a fun idea.

Since Monday was a holiday for Kevin, we headed to the theatre to see Puss In Boots: The Last Wish.  It was a pretty cute movie, and a fun outing as a family. A few hours later, we had to take my parents to the airport to catch their flight back home.  After several delays (Southwest had cancelled thousands on flights during the holidays due to poor weather and scheduling software issues), they made it home safe and sound.  We loved our visit SO much and wish we were gonna see them again sometime soon!

We love you, Nay Nay and Papa!!