A visit from Great Grandparents!!

We had some very exciting visitors this week. Great Grandma and Papatch came to visit from Missouri! It was so good to see them and for them to finally get a chance to meet Ethan and Ella. They stayed with Mom and Dad, but we were sure to go visit each day. On Friday, we all went to the famous Loveless Cafe for breakfast. It was a real treat. Ethan and Ella get to sit in "big kid" high chairs for the first time and did very well. They got to sample the biscuits and LOVED the pancakes. It was great to be able to visit with Grandma and Papatch and show off my little munchkins.

On Saturday we made a day trip to see Nana and Papa (Eric's parents). Nana's birthday was on the 31st so we had a family bar b q. It was great to be able to see Eric's extended family. We hadn't been able to see them since Christmas 2005 so it was long over due. We look forward to seeing them again this Christmas at the big family dinner if not before!

We have been busy trying new foods and continuing to practice using our fingers to eat. They are getting better every day at it. I still have quite a bit to clean up after meals (with the help of Majors of course!) This morning when I was changing Ella after breakfast, I found a pancake piece in the footie of her PJs! I tell you that takes some real talent to do that!

Ethan has been burning up the carpet with his hands and knees. He has reached the level of "expert crawler" pretty quick! He loves to crawl to Majors room and the mini fridge best. Or anything BESIDES his toys. Buddy has definitely kept me on my toes. Actually, I can blame my posting late because. I simply cannot do anything but play in the carpet with them when he is up. If I turn my back for a second, he is in Major's room. So my computer time is now limited to only when they nap.

Ella is perfectly content doing sitting or laying on the blanket. Sure she might roll over a time or two, but not often. She will play for hours with her gumball machine, linkadoos, phone rattle or just her oh so adorable toes. I have tried to move toys a little further away to try to coax her to crawl, but she wants no part of it. She will either reach and reach until she can get it or just forget about it and grin. It is amazing how she can reach some things. She will be sitting up and then just lean over so her belly is flat on the ground so she can reach it. She may be a ballerina or gymnast someday with that flexibility! We aren't worried about her lack of crawling. She will do it when she is ready. My only concern is that in the church nursery, Ethan will be "graduated" to the next class of crawlers. Ella won't care a bit to be away from him for a little while. Ethan will have a tough time though.

Eric had a great trip to Chicago. He went to a training class that teaches accountants how to establish the net worth of a company. It is something he would like to be able to do in his job more going forward, so it was a good seminar for him. I think he enjoyed the Cubs game and catching up with his friend Ty more though! We were very happy to have him home on Tuesday night. We took the picture above this weekend when we realized that we have almost no pictures of us with the kids.

Things are about the same for me. Just keeping humming along. I have gotten quite nostalgic about the last part of my pregnancy lately. Yesterday was the year anniversary of when I was put on bedrest at home. It seems so long ago but like yesterday at the same time. One of my best friends, Kristin, had a beautiful little girl last week. I went to go see her in the same hospital I lived in for almost 3 months then went to every day for 5 weeks when the babies were in the NICU. It was like no time was lost. It is funny how that was probably one of the hardest times of my life, but that I look back at it now with a sense of fondness. I think that is only by the grace of God. Only He could help us through it, and only He could make me not want to hurl every time I think of living in an ugly hospital room with NO privacy and awful food : )