I love that song, and it is so true.  Whenever Kevin's or my parents come to visit, it is so wonderful, not just for us, but especially for Lily and Derek.  We live so far away, that they rarely see their grandparents, and so it is a special treat when they get to be with them.  This made it all the more exciting for my parents to come visit us this past week :).  Our adventure began with . . .

Picking Grandma and Grandpa up from the airport

Lily and I picked my mom and dad up from the airport on Thursday afternoon,and it was even more special because it was my mom's birthday.  Lily was SO excited, and she asked me every 30 seconds when their plane would get there.  After our fun reunion, we headed back to our apartment and had a birthday dinner and celebration.

  My Mom's Birthday Party

When Lily woke up this morning, the first thing she told me was, "Mother, it's your mom's birthday today!"  Lily had helped me make the cake earlier in the day, and even put up a few decorations.

We spent the evening talking, playing with the kids, and eating birthday cake.  Yum!  (And I even put a little coconut on it for my mom, since it was her cake and everything – he he!) 

Kevin's Promotion Ceremony 

It was so nice to have my parents there to help entertain Lily and contain Derek, plus, they really loved being there to experience it all.

Swimming!

 After dinner on Friday we all went out to the pool.  The weather was perfect, and the water was even nicer.  Lily tried really hard to be brave and swim without her life jacket, and Derek kept trying to swim around with nobody holding him – pretty funny.

The Beach at Jekyll Island

On Saturday morning, while Kevin got to go play golf with some friends, the rest of us went down south to go the beach at Jekyll Island.  (We even got my friend Victoria to come along, since her husband was playing golf with Kevin.) 

Once again, the weather and water was perfect, and since we got there so early, we had no crowds to deal with.  Lily had a blast playing in the waves with my parents, who were so happy to be playing at the beach instead of being in the cold in Idaho.  Derek, on the other hand, stayed far away from the water, and played in the sand or tried to run away :).

After we finished up, we had a picnic, complete with ants, and then spent some time wandering around the shops and mansions on the island.  Derek decided to take his nap then, and he was pretty cute in his stroller, while I tried to keep him from falling over.

Playing With Grandpa Roy 

The kids were all over Grandpa Roy all week to do tricks with them.  He would tickle them and chase them, show them the turtles, take them to the park, and he even took Derek for a walk everyday – which was much appreciated by me and Derek :).  And hey, Grandpa's are really good at playing cars too.

Playing With Grandma Lynn

Lily especially benefited from playing with my mom, because she would not only read her book after book, but had the patience to sit for hours playing Playdoh or beads, etc.  They even planted daisy seeds to replace Lily's dead sunflower.  (I am always amazed at the patience grandmothers have, because Lily's grandma Valerie can do the same thing.  Maybe it comes with time.)

Church on Sunday 

In all the times my parents have visited, they haven't been to church with us, and so it was great to get to introduce them to people – plus, my mom not only entertained Lily during Sacrament meeting, but she also got to come to Young Womens with me.

Charleston Adventures 

I have been to Charleston, South Carolina quite a few times now, but had yet to see/do any of the touristy things, other than the aquarium, and since my parents wanted to see it too, we headed there to spend the day.  We decided on taking a carriage ride tour, and it was great, not only because we learned a lot and saw a ton without me having to find it all on my own, but we were in the shade and didn't have to walk.  (It was VERY hot, even though it was only 10am.) 

Lily and Derek were sucked dry of all energy by the heat, and so my mom kept them happy by giving them gummy frogs during the tour :). Derek fell asleep on me after trying to play with the diamond ring on the women in front of us for a while, and Lily entertained us all by constantly saying, "Excuse me Guide, I have a question."  Her questions turned out to be, "Why is it so hot?" and "What are all these buildings for?"  I love that silly girl!  After we finished downtown, we went to Costco so I could stock up :).

Helping My Mom Get Her Blog Running Again 

We had some technical issues, and now that they are fixed, I am really hoping she will start posting regularly on her blog now :).

Lily's Date with Grandma and Grandpa 

Since my parents knew they would be in town a few weeks after Lily's birthday, they sent her a coupon for a birthday date with them, and so on Tuesday, they headed to Build a Bear to have some fun.  Lily made her bear, and I guess it was so cute, that my mom was crushed that she couldn't take pictures. (She had her camera, but her CF card was in my computer – oops!) 

After they created "Sarah Marie" – whom Lily was very excited to add to her doll collection – they played at the mall for a while and got some ice cream.  (They even picked up a surprise for Derek, a mini Lightning McQueen to add to his "race car" collection.)

It was such a wonderful week, and as always, it was so sad to see them go.  Thanks for coming Mom and Dad!!