PapaGigi Visit! (extra illustrated)

My parents came to visit this weekend. Their flights were a total debacle- delayed two hours on Friday, delayed, canceled, delayed four hours this afternoon, but the actual visit was wonderful.

Roger the Contractor and his team of merry men stayed until 10 p.m. Friday night to finish up the bulk of the projects. I followed him around, cleaning like crazy, while JP picked up my parents from the airport. We got a sitter and took them out for a very late dinner (thanks to their very delayed flight) at one of our favorite restaurants, arriving home just before midnight- easily the latest we've ever been out since having children. My poor mom was exhausted (she gets up at 3:45 a.m. on school days), but the food was fast and delicious and it was lovely to have a dinner with just the grown-ups. Another first since we had Landon.

Saturday was perfect. The weather, the activities, the non-activities, the kids... just everything. My parents love our house and the neighborhood (my dad said it reminds him of Beverly Hills; that might have been overly kind, but there's no doubt he loved it) and we had 2 out of 3 bathrooms fully functional! I took my parents on a tour of the area, downtown, and my office. There's a rope play gym in the plaza in front of my building where Claire continued her quest to prove she can do anything Landon can do.

We took a multi-generational trip to Lowe's (because we can't let a weekend go by without a visit or three there). The kids stripped and swam about 3 different times. There was a lot of relaxing, laughing, napping, and even a quick shopping trip with my mom. Quickly followed by more relaxing.

We took an evening trip to the famous Fort Worth Stockyards. You can't tell in the picture below, because JP doesn't understand how important it is to show footwear in a photo, but I'm wearing some pretty fabulous cowboy boots with my jean shorts. When in Rome.

Doesn't JP look fabulous in a pearl-button shirt and boots? That man was meant to live in Texas.

Claire loved the stockyards (and loved all the other people who loved her in the stockyards) and made sure to say "Neigh" to every horse we saw. Including every picture of a horse.

Papa and Gigi and grand kids on a large metal spur. Because it's Fort Worth.

This picture makes us fear for her college days.

Seriously. But our BBQ dinner was delicious!

My dad read to Landon. It was supposed to be one chapter because it was so late, but he read three instead. Because he's the Papa.

Today we went on our usual 2.5 mile walk all around the neighborhood and local parks. Then there was swimming and then pizza. Delicious delicious pizza. Then a stop at the Fort Worth Water Gardens.

Which are AWESOME. There is a lot of water, also, a rock mountain. It is Landon's favorite place in Fort Worth besides his school and our own backyard.

It was a really wonderful weekend. We don't get to see my parents enough, thanks to the distance between our cities and the fact that all four adults involved work full-time, but it makes the time extra special when we do.