More Fun with Grandma and Pa

Since the kids hadn't seen them since Christmas, my parents wondered how quickly they'd warm up. Skype in the meantime must have helped! 

As often happens when a relative comes to visit, Grandma became a bit of a celebrity on her first day--after just a little initial shyness. All three wanted to show off for her.

Grandma and the girls

 Lydia on the left, Abby on the right

Abby actually often prefers Grandma to Mama now: she refuses to let me get her bites at the table (pushing her spoon toward Grandma instead); she reaches out to Grandma for cuddles after nursing (when Mama must serve her utilitarian purpose); and she wants Grandma to cover her up before nap, help brush her teeth, read her a book, etc. Lydia plays this game, too, but not as persistently as Abby.

 Playing on Grandma's bed is lots of fun!

Kisses for Grandma

 Lydia "smiling" for the camera

 Sweet little Abby

 Oh Lydia, what are you thinking about?

 Lydia and Grandma 

 Abby and Grandma . . . playing teeth tug-of-war with a little dolly?

 Everyone loves to play with the fake food and feed the grandparents

Both girls were more hesitant with my dad, but after a few days they'd back up into his lap with a book, too. Interestingly, though Lydia tends to be louder, more exuberant, and more fearless than Abby, she also tends to be more suspicious of new people (especially men). Abby was the first to extend friendship to Great-grandpa when we went to Los Angeles, and she has certainly taken advantage of Pa and Grandma's willingness to hold her quite a bit in the last couple weeks!

 Another reason to love Grandma: she lets them drink out of her cup!

An Evening with Grandparents

My mom and dad came to visit, and I pulled out the camera one night when everyone roughhoused in the living room. 

Lydia especially likes to get in on any wrestling or daredevil antic Josiah does. Abby makes forays into the fray but doesn't dive in like her sister. They're both toughies, but compared to Lydia, Abby seems a little more delicate at times.

This particular evening the kids all had so much fun with Daddy, Pa, and Grandma . . .

 Lydia balancing on Daddy's feet

 Josiah wrestling with Pa

Lydia again

 Abby posing with Grandma

Abby made lots of hilarious faces for the camera. She and Lydia are both aware of picture-taking "etiquette"--or at least that cheesy grins, contorted expressions, and squinty-eyes are called for when the camera comes out.

 Of course, the iPad is always an attraction

 Josiah had to try the balancing act, too

 All three with Pa and his iPad

 Lydia posing on the exercise ball

 What a face, Abby!

 Abby in rare form

What funny girls I have!

Flagstaff and Kezia!

Two weekends ago we drove up to Flagstaff to see this little sweetheart . . .

Isn't she just the cutest?

. . . and her parents and grandparents, too, of course! But they don't change as much week to week and month to month as Kezia does, and we hadn't seen her since March.

Josiah, Lydia, and Abby loved to "pet" Kezia's head, give her kisses, and generally oppress her with their overbearing love. They were thrilled to spend time with Aunt Anna, the perennial favorite Uncle Justin (and his guitar), and Grandma and Pa. Josiah and Lydia hounded poor Shashy, and Abby cried in terror anytime she came through the room.

 Abby and Uncle Justin

 Lydia gives Kezia kisses with Aunt Anna supervising closely

Uncle Justin and Aunt Anna gave Josiah his birthday present--a miniature guitar! He was quite excited about it and very possessive of it. (Unfortunately I don't have a picture of him playing it.) Uncle Justin gave him some lessons in holding it properly, strumming (it came with a pick, but I think we'll have to wait on letting him have it), etc.

 I like the similar faces here

 Lydia holding Kezzie's hand

 Abby being "gentle"

 Anna and Kezia

 Anna and Lydia, who wouldn't smile for the camera and had an agenda of her own

 Abby liked to steal Pa's pens from his pocket

 The girls enjoyed sips from Grandma's cup!

 Father and daughter

 Abby

 Lydia sneaked Grandma's iPhone

Baby makes three :)

Abby and Pa

Abby hammed it up tonight with Pa . . .

Posing for the camera

Stealing noses

Trying on glasses

Josiah Funnies

Once again I've collected Josiah's sayings from the past several weeks and saved them up for a post of their own. Here goes!

1. We're reading through the psalms at breakfast time. A few weeks ago we read Psalm 40 and then, soon after, Psalm 46, both of which describe the wicked as exclaiming, "Aha! Aha!" Josiah was highly entertained by this and wanted me to read the "aha!" part again and again. Each day after he'd ask me to return to that section. "What those guys say 'Aha! aha!'?" he'd ask. "You read that, Mama!"

2. Some time ago in Sprouts a man commented on how beautiful the twins were. At the end of our short conversation, he said to me, "You're so blessed." Josiah replied, "I'm a boy!"

3. Josiah gave us a reprieve of some weeks from his threats to run away. But he started back into them about a month ago. The new versions are just more religious:

"I'm gonna run away!" he told me many times one day. I asked him where he planned to go. Once he said, "I'm gonna run to Jesus!" and the other time he said, "I'm gonna go to heaven." (His tone was still sullen, but at least he's choosing good places to run to!)

4. Lately Josiah has been asking good questions about Jesus. Perhaps they're partly a ploy to keep me in his room longer at bedtime, but he's genuinely interested, too--and trying to figure things out. "Where is Jesus?" he asked one night. "I can't see him. He in heaven way far away with his friends?"

5. I love Josiah's wonder as he discovers truth. Several times one week he declared, "Mama, Jesus is God!" He also regularly affirms, "Jesus hears us!"

6. One Sunday we were preparing to go for an evening walk. I was turning out lights in the kitchen when I overheard Josiah (in the living room) say to Abby and Lydia--in a sweet but authoritative voice--"Come on, my servant! Come here, my other servant!" Just to be sure, I asked him what he called his sisters. "My servants," he confirmed.

7. On one May evening we rode bikes to some friends' home for supper. On our way back, we heard a strange animal noise. Jeremy speculated that it might be peacocks. Josiah piped up: "Maybe it's an octopus, Dad?"

8. Dragons still feature frequently in Josiah's imagination. In the car the other day, he was musing about dragons and said, "Someday I gonna ride a dragon, Mama. Maybe Daddy take me to ride a dragon sometime?" I explained that dragons aren't real so he can't ride one. Undeterred, he just asserted, "Someday I ride one with Daddy." Then I told him he could ride a real animal like a camel or an elephant. "Elephants too big, Mama!" he said.

9. The other day Josiah said he planned to "drive away somewhere." I told him he had about 12 years till he can drive. He smiled and responded, "'Siah gonna drive, and Mama sit in the carseat!"

 Sleeping beauties!