Botanic Gardens at Thanksgiving

 When my parents were visiting for Thanksgiving, we took an afternoon to go play at the Botanic Gardens. It was beautiful weather and we all enjoyed getting out. My kids are getting too big. I'm going to have to start putting books on their heads to keep them from growing...
Here are the kids in the giant pumpkin...

 We were playing in the leaves when I mentioned to my parents how I had seen something on Pinterest about recreating old family photos (and how awkward that would be, given some of the poses we used). Bekah overheard this and wanted to pose just like my siblings and I had posed as children - so this picture is a re-creation of that. Can you imagine grown adults re-creating this pose?!

 I cannot overstate the love that Marianne has for her Grandma Cutesy. She cries for Cutesy when she is away and keeps her within arms length when she is visiting. And if she's it a good mood when missing Cutesy, she will sing an "Ode to Cutesy" that goes like this: "I LOVE my Cutesy...I LOVE my Cutesy!"

 I kept trying to get family pictures of all of us. I don't know why...I was wearing grungy clothes with my hair in a ponytail, and my kids were in random clothing - Jacob's shirt especially I would like to mysteriously disappear. And Marianne had crazy hair. And every time we took a picture the sun seemed to single out my face. I think I was channeling the last time I was there with my good friend and photographer Sarah and she was taking our very cute and well-planned family photos...

You may notice that Bekah has a cast. This was our first child with a broken bone, and it was so incredibly lacking in drama that it is barely worth mentioning. Rus and I went on a date, and sometime during that time Bekah stood on the arm of the couch...and then fell off and broke her wrist. When telling me what happened she said (and I quote), "Mom, remember how you told me not to stand on the arm of the couch? Well I guess I had to learn the hard way." Radial buckle fracture. Three weeks in a cast. Exciting amounts of attention. Dirtiest hand I ever saw (after that three week period). Anyway...back to the gardens...
 As much as Marianne loves her Cutesy, Grandpa Cutesy is not far behind. She seems to turn into a blushing, darling, sweet little thing whenever Grandpa dotes on her. And in turn, Grandpa melts a little each time Marianne takes to him. Their relationship is so sweet, I, as an onlooker, also melt...

And that was our day at the gardens...I feel so blessed every time I get to spend time with my parents. They are such amazing parents and even more amazing grandparents to my sometimes-crazy kids.