Aunt Becky's Visit

Where do I start? We did so much, and had great fun!

We so loved having her come spend these last 10 days with us. We hated to see her leave, and my girls are already planning on having her come back next year (for her birthday!?!)

So, I'm going to try and recap, but do it with only ONE or TWO photos per day. Whew! Let's see if that's possible?*

Saturday- Airport and Field Museum

Sunday- Church & easy afternoon

Zoë was bouncing Veronica on the chair
and they were cracking each other up.

Monday- Amish Country, including the famous Quilt Garden Tour; we stopped for lunch at our favorite picnic place, Krider Gardens. They have these awesome mushroom statues that are so fun to take pictures on. Becky tucked the Rhodadendron flowers into the girls' hair and we got some great shots of them.






Tuesday- Silver Beach in Michigan, on the eastern boarder of Lake Michigan. The weather was PERFECT, and we were so glad that Travis was able to join us, too!

Veronica hated getting her feet in the water.
Every time her feet got wet, she'd start crying in a way that'd break your heart.
But, she loved her Aunt Becky!

Wednesday- Trip to Indy for Megan's doctor appointment, but we managed to make it a super fun day with visiting the Indianapolis Zoo, swimming at the hotel, and eating dinner at a restaurant.

Veronica hung out in the stroller for the most part, but she didn't nap until late afternoon!

Miranda loved watching the antics of the Lemurs playing "leap-frog"
over the turtles on the log that is behind us.

We chose to get wet at a splash pad, but soon after we saw the Giraffes,

... we needed those umbrellas!

Becky was great to help Miranda see things over the fence.

We ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Miranda saw this carousel pony, and wanted a ride.
She named the horse "Taco".

We needed to work off some of those chips! Swimming was a great fun way to do that.

Miranda begged to go swimming the next morning.
Sadly, we did not have any more time.

Thursday- More zoo, the drive home, and Becky's Happy Birthday!

Becky's Birthday Cake- I made it before we left for Indy.
Megan was as excited as Miranda (see above picture).
I can't remember why Zoë was so upset.

Friday- We went to the Farm, where I have the co-op garden, and then the girls painted their pets that Megan picked out at the hospital gift shop.

If any of you have spoken with Miranda after we've gone to the farm,
or mention anything about a "cat"
you will have already heard about "MY Calico Kitty Cat!"
Above, you can see how Miranda absolutely adores her Calico Kitty Cat.

Zoë was so sweet holding this little rabbit.
"It's ears are so warm against my face!"

This is where Veronica was most of the time- and she loved every minute!

We picked strawberries and I let each girl eat one on the way home.

Megan and Miranda ended up with juice dripping down their chins and arms!

Zoë named her fish "Prism" because she was rainbow colored.

Megan named her lizard, Lizzie.

Saturday- We were exhausted! and decided to have a low-key day. The rain helped our decision. We watched a friend run the end of a 1/2-Marathon, and then Becky made paper boats with the girls. They didn't get to float them, tho', because the rain came pouring down. So they had a "picnic" in the entryway watching the rain and the puddles.


Sunday- Church & Family Pictures

Monday- College Football Hall of Fame after a picnic lunch, chocolates from the South Bend Chocolate Company, and a family bike ride with a second picnic (dinner) on the Notre Dame campus.

It was fun to see the girls actually kick the ball.
They must get their athletic talent from extended family...

The BYU school song was playing when we came out of the museum.

Veronica and Miranda enjoyed riding in the trailer.
Our neighbor let Becky borrow a bike,
and we had a great time riding around campus in the sun.

Travis took Becky on a tour of the lab and the fish facility.

This picture of Becky was taken by our budding photographer, Miranda.

Tuesday- originally we planned to go to Amish Acres, but it was raining (again!) and so we decided instead to pick up some supplies for some projects: painting umbrellas and making slipper socks!

The girls ran downstairs to check on their socks the morning after Becky left to see if they were dry enough to wear. It was then a flurry of cardboard and giggles as the tried on all their decorated socks and ran around seeing how they felt. Megan changed her's a few times, Zoë stuck with the rainbows, and Miranda was thrilled beyond belief to be able to wear her ballerina socks. Veronica wasn't happy in the picture because she cared more about milk than what was on her toes.

Wednesday arrived far too quickly! While I dealt with a flood in the basement and a plumber clearing the main line, Becky played with the girls. Then we loaded up and drove to Chicago to spend the last few hours before Becky left at the Shedd Aquarium. We even got to see the new baby beluga.

I have a quote on my calendar:

Only an Aunt...
can give hugs like a mother,
can keep secrets like a sister,
and share love like a friend.

We had the best vacation with you, and look forward to your return. We love you, Becky!


*Were you counting pictures? I was: 57 pictures, an average of nearly 6/day. Well, I couldn't just put two per day- we had more activities, and the girls weren't always in the same shot! Oh, we won't count the number of pictures Becky and I together took- it's up into the 1000s. I only picked my favs... and not all of them!