Visit from Papa & Nana and FINAL Birthday Celebration!

My parents were able to come out and visit for a week over Easter. It's always great to go back to Minnesota to visit but there is just something special about having them come to Spearfish...maybe it's because we get them all to ourselves, or because it eliminates the pressure of needing to run around and see as many people as we can - which is usually the case when we go home, or it might be the excitement of having them see what our daily routine consists of, or my love for being a hostess and providing comfy clean bedding, lots of home cooked meals and a relaxing retreat for guests to feel rested and rejuvenated, or maybe a combination of all! Either way, we love having them visit and we were lucky enough to get them for 6 days!

Cayel especially loves his alone time with Papa and Nana...I think mainly because when Mommy and Daddy aren't around, all rules go out the window. He was able to spend a couple of days with them while we worked and I think he did a good job of wearing them out. He rode his new big boy bike that he got to pick out with Papa for his birthday and made Nana run after him, he talked Papa into taking him to the park, took Papa to visit his daycare friends at Terri's, baked monster cookies with Nana (until he got bored that is), played school and practiced his flashcards with Nana, helped Papa put together his train set and avoided naps!



I was lucky enough to have Friday off and was able to spend the day with my parents. My mom and I spent the morning touring the quaint little boutiques in Spearfish and ended up finding some really great deals at a fun clothing store. Shopping really isn't for either of us but we had fun trying on clothes and felt like we'd hit the jackpot when we walked out of the last store with a couple of outfits! And best of all, we did it with a 4 year old...he was such a trooper and kept entertained hiding in the clothes racks. Thankfully the sales lady at the store thought he was adorable and fed him granola bars and played hide-and-seek with him.

Josh and my dad disappeared a couple of times throughout the weekend to go for their drive in the hills and even made it out fishing once. I love watching those two men interact. I love them both dearly and am so thankful for the relationship they have...Josh is the son my dad never got and I don't think he could ask for anyone better!

Saturday morning my mom and I took Cayel to an Easter Egg Hunt in the City Park. There were hundreds and hundreds of kids, literally! Someone blows a whistle and all the kids go running, poor Cayel almost got trampled on by the bigger kids! Thankfully it was over in a matter of minutes and just like his Dora experience, he had no desire to stand in line to have his picture taken with Mr. Easter Bunny. Whew, because the line wrapped around the park!




Saturday afternoon was the last and final birthday celebration for birthday boy. Did I stress the word final? Finally. And of course the Super Hero theme continued...Superman himself even made a few quick appearances throughout the party, mainly to jump out and scare each and every guest that came. Cayel was showered with lots and lots of wonderful gifts and if 5 birthday parties doesn't show that he is loved, I'm not sure what does?!?!?





Sunday we went to the Easter service at our church, which was nothing short of beautiful and I made my very first holiday dinner. I have really grown a passion for cooking and baking this past year and it was fun to try some new things and allow my parents time to rest and relax.




It was such a wonderful week! We made lots of memories, laughed, played games, rested and enjoyed the time we got to spend together!