God Bless Grandparents.

After a very...well, busy little Thanksgiving at home with the girls, I have been pondering all the things I have to be grateful for this year. Honestly, there are too many to count, let along put down here. But one I do want to share about is the gift of grandparents in these two little girls' lives. My mom and her awesome husband Carl (Grandma & Grandpa Linn) came to visit 2 weeks ago. They stayed for 10 whole days, and were an absolute blessing to me and the girls during their incredibly hard-working "vacation" in Nashville. Here's some pics of our precious time together. In case the pictures don't quite convey, the girls love their Grandma & Grandpa Carl. As does their Mama. : )

Here's Grandpa Carl with a sleeping Havester...

 But she doesn't stay down for long! Here she is showing off her new moves. (Which now include 'the dolphin,' pulling up to standing, and crawling at incredibly high speeds towards dangerous objects - !)

 While mom was here, she made a ton of cute hats for us. Here she is trying them on her girls...

 We also got outside & soaked up some sunshine together. It was awfully cold, So we piled on the blankets & cozy clothes. We didn't last super-long, but it was fun.

 It was great to get back inside where the fun continued... Here's Grandma & yet another adorable hat:

 Another neat thing was that our new in-home nurse, Ana, got to meet mom & Carl & vice versa. It was a treat for both parties, I think. : ) Here's Ana with the "Incredible, Edible, Ava Gray" (miss you Lee!):

 During their stay, we developed a bit of a routine. Every day Ana & Carl would take the girls on a walk around the neighborhood while mom & I tried to get about a million things done at once around the house. Here's a "before" shot:

 Walk in progress:

 And the "after" shots. (Success!!):

 Havyn ate well (and often!) when the grandparents were here (she was always wanting to gnaw on something - probably something to do with her two new teeth that were coming in!) Ava Gray is now sporting a tooth of her own too. Hurray for Children's Tylenol!:

 And some more hats/walking-gear shots:

 Another fun part of our day was the girls' bathtime. Here's their first ever joint-bath:

And...done! (Clean & smelling slightly of grapefruit - the essential oil we scent their baths with: yum!)

 Oh, here's one of the super-cool highlights as well: Brian & Susan & Rose came up from Chattanooga to spend the day with us. It was so fun to see the cousins together and for Mom & Carl to have time with the Chatta-dubs. Here's some pics from our sweet time together:

 PS. It turns out my mom is an excellent Grandma!

 And cuz we always have to try at least once, here's all three cousins sporting glasses:

 A pretty common sight during the week. Carl sitting quietly with Ava Gray & talking to her... She loved it! I was so grateful.

 With all the extra hands around, I got a little more cuddle time with Ava Gray myself. Ooh but I love this girl!!

 And yet another pre-walk photo:

 Not only is mom a fabulous knitter, crochet-er, and tatter, she's a wonderful teacher as well!

 It didn't take long for the girls to warm up to their grandparents. Here's Havyn smiling at her Grandma:

 Even on the days we didn't get out much, we sure enjoyed the view from our big bay window...

 Well, those of us who were awake, that is...

 Whenever one sister gets to try on a hat, the other has to go and try it on too. : )

 One of my favorites. Carl walking Havyn in the rain. Sweetness!

 We packed so many memories into this short (for us) visit with Mom & Carl. It really was such a gift on so many levels. We were sorry to see them go, but so glad for them to get to go home to their pets (who were missing them terribly), their own beds, and a little peace & quiet!

 We love you Mom & Carl. Once you get REAAAL rested up, come back & see us!