{Fun With "Papa & Maga"}

Warning: Only continue reading if you were hoping for a novel. It's a long one!

Adalee knows she doesn't say Grandma right so if you ask her to say it she won't. I think she is a little embarrassed. When she does say Grandma it comes out backwards, "Maga." I think it's super cute so that is what we decided to have her call my mom. Maga and Papa it is :)

I have literally been day dreaming about the day my parents would finally get to come visit me since the day we moved out here. There were so many things I wanted to do with them and places I wanted them to see. Sadly, there were so many things I wanted to do that I felt like their trip was over before it even began! Ten days is a good amount of time for someone to come visit, but I was still wanting more by the end :)

{Adventure One} Enter "Tickle Monster Laughter Kit"



My sister told me about this adorable book and I knew I must have it. It was kind of pricey, but totally worth it. I had been saving it so my Dad could give it to Adalee and read it to her for the first time.



Some of my most memorable moments with my Dad were those of him tickling me to death. I loved to be tickled and no one could make me laugh like him. We played his made up games of "The Tickle Tree, Space Spider, Pitty-A-Pat, The Grouch-ectomy," and many others I'm sure. The saying on the front of the Tickle Monster Kit holds true for me. {There is no better childhood memory than time spent laughing together.}

Addy loved the book, as I knew she would. I couldn't get over those big furry mitts. I think every parents needs a pair :)

{Adventure two} Nauvoo

My parents and I have never been to Nauvoo so it would have been pretty silly of us not to take advantage of being only a few hours away from this historic place. We woke up bright and early, loaded up the van, and we were on our way. The first day was spent taking turns babysitting the kiddos while the other went to the temple. We really wanted to do a session, but for time purposes we decided to do sealings instead. The temple was beyond beautiful and all of the history behind it made it that much more incredible. The work the members must have put into building this magnificent temple was uncomprehendable. I was very happy we were able to take the opportunity to go inside. My only regret was not taking a picture of us all in front of it! I told myself we would do it the next day and then I forgot. I was so sad!



After the temple we went back to The Nauvoo Villas, where we would be staying for the night and let the kids take a much needed nap. That night we went to a play put on by all the couple missionaries called "Rondezvous." It was kinda cheesy, but fun to go to. Addy really liked the singing.

Day 2 was spent touring around the little town. We started out by doing a horse drawn wagon ride around the town as they explained the history behind the different buildings. Adalee love the horses and was very sad when we had to tell them good-bye.

The history behind this town is incredible and it was so interesting to walk through several of the houses and learn about the pioneers. There was such a strong spirit that we all felt. We left feeling very blessed for the efforts of the pioneers and for the many comforts we enjoy. I learned so many new facts and stories I never knew about. I wish we could have stayed longer because there was much more we weren't able to see, but Miss Adalee had decided she'd had enough around 2 p.m. so we headed home. Not to dis on Addy because she really did do relatively well. Eli was a trooper the entire time. He did so good!

{Adventure Three} The Zoo




We had been waiting for a somewhat warm day to be able to go to the zoo and finally thought we were going to have one so we hurried and went. Unfortunately mid way through, it began pouring rain and hailing. At this point we decided to eat our lunch indoors and waited it out. By the time we were finished it had stopped so we were able to go back out. Papa loves the zoo and had a good time feeding the goats with Adalee.



The end of summer last year she started developing fears for these types of animals, but it appears they were short lived. She had so much fun squealing and giggling as she tried to feed them.



This was Eli's first trip to the zoo, and although he never left his carseat, he was still grinning ear to ear the entire time. He is seriously such a good boy! While we were walking around he discovered how to take his binky out and put it back in. I was thinking he was pretty smart, but maybe this is normal to do at this age. Addy never really used a binky so I don't have a clue. Oh well, I was still impressed :)

{Adventure Four} Tear Parties With Maga



Papa and Maga brought something home from England for everyone. Eli even got a cute giraffe toy that he adores. Addy's gift was her very first tea set. Maga spent many afternoons having tea parties with Miss Adalee. My mom was so good to play with her and help out in any way she could. Addy was so sad when she went home that she actually didn't even touch the tea set for days. I guess she just couldn't bring herself to have a tea party without Maga. On a separate note, Maga and Papa were able to see a bit of what we like to call sass-a-frass come out of Addy. By the end of the trip Maga had come up with her own nickname for Addy and I think it suits her pretty well. Miss DQ (drama queen). I am still laughing about this one. I think it is going to stick.

{Adventure Five} The Machine Shed



We had heard this Restaurants breakfast was amazing so we decided to try it out. We were also told that we had to order one of their famous cinnamon rolls. Our high expectations were definitely met. Breakfast was "highly adequate" as my dad would say and the cinnamon roll was a GIANT mass of, ooey, gooey, yumminess. It was super fun.

{Adventure 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,&11} Crafting (a daily adventure)

I'm pretty sure I crafted my mom into the ground and she was probably relieved to go home by the time I was done with her. As I always say, A project a Day keeps the Doctor away. And I mean it really keeps the doctor (aka my husband) away. haha! My dad was probably even more relieved to go home so he didn't have to entertain the kids and listen to us talk about crafts all day.



I had so much fun though! I have been waiting for nearly two years to craft with my mom and craft we did ;) I only took a picture of these two projects, but there were many, many more. Here is a run down of them. We made a baby blanket, fabric flower hair accessories, a ruffly fun spring/summer dress for Addy, a quilt (more to come on this in a future post), necklaces, vinyl lettering, and painted Addy's doll bed. We even dove in to the adventure of candy making. Phew! It makes me tired just looking at the list of things we did, but I really had such a good time doing them with her.



We are all still missing Papa and Maga and were all a bit depressed after they left. Addy cried the entire way home from the airport and I might have shed a tear or two as well. It is hard to go back to normal life after having lots of extra helping hands. What a fun and adventurous 11 days we had! Now it's just back to boring old me. Sorry kids. We are already counting down the days until our trip back home this summer :)