My parents, Nana and Poppy, just left today after an almost two week visit. We were all a little sad to drop them at the airport. When I got back in the car after hugging them goodbye, both kids had tears rolling down their cheeks. Wyatt said, "Mommy. I'm just so sad dat Nana and Poppy weft."  I told him I was too, but we'll see them again in a few months. He has asked about them several more times today and where they went. It's very sweet. As always, we had a great time with them.

The weather was a little chilly the first part of their trip, but we didn't let it spoil our plans too much. We bundled up and headed out for walks in the neighborhood. My dad stayed home and babysat read his book on a couple of the afternoons while Hadley was napping. My mom and I dropped Wyatt at school and headed out to do a little shopping. I'm always jealous when I see girls out shopping with their moms since it's something I rarely get to do. We had a ball just leisurely cruising through the stores, checking things out with zero schedule or interruptions.

The weather warmed up over the weekend and we were outside every minute we could, playing in the yard and grilling out. We all headed out to the Rainmaker Rodeo, an annual fair/rodeo. The kids had fun riding all the carnival-type rides, but didn't have much interest in the actual rodeo part so we just skipped it. Last year, Wyatt was a little timid about the rides, even the small ones, so we were surprised this year when he couldn't get enough of them. He did all the ones that he was tall enough to do. Hadley's favorite was the carousel and she wanted to do it over and over, but selected a different horse each time. "Mommy! Do da ponies AGAIN!" We did it until we ran out of tickets. We got a sitter that night and headed out to dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant in Edmonton. It didn't disappoint. It was pants on fire spicy, as usual, and my parents loved it.

We hopped in the car for a short road trip north to check out Jurassic Forest, a new dinosaur park that just opened last year. It's a wonderful park with little boardwalks that weave through the forest, giving you a glimpse of all the different types of dinosaurs. They're all animatronic and on motion sensors so they start roaring and moving around when you walk past. The kids thought it was great and we all enjoyed it too. They have a little sand play area where you can pretend you're on an archaeology dig and climb around on the bones. The kids wore themselves out there until their shoes were full of sand and it was time to go home for lunch.

 

 

 We headed to a couple of garden centers to load up for the season, including one I've always wanted to visit, but have never gotten a chance. It's right off a busy street, but you'd never know it. It was like a tranquil oasis of beautiful plants, statues and trickling fountains. I'm sure they loved our two wild monkeys running around flinging goldfish in the fountains. We loaded up on flowers and veggies, including a huge tomato plant for Wyatt, which he's so excited about. Every day since we brought it home he has asked when the tomatoes will be ready. My mom and I took several afternoons while Hadley was napping to get them all planted, but it's all done now and our backyard looks great. My mom knows a lot about plants so I like to soak up as much of her knowledge as I can.

We miss you already, Nana and Poppy. Can't wait for our next visit!

They insist on eating lunch in the playhouse every day.