Hello and Goodbye

This was Natalie waiting to jump out and surprise Grandma. We had only been home from vacation for about an hour and the kids were so excited to see Grandma; it was the best bandaid for having to come home from Sea World.



This is Grandma giving Natalie hugs and crying after Natalie performed one of her spanish songs for Grandma. David told me Grandma cried shortly after arriving just hearing Natalie speak some spanish.




Natalie's interest in learning spanish is very strong. She loved having Grandma around to speak to and to hear Daddy and Grandma speaking to each other.

Natalie isn't shy about speaking and really made strong improvements with Grandma here. "Mas leche por favor" is one of the most widely heard phrases around the house these days:) Every since her first dose of steroids Natalie began to crave milk and now she is a hard core milk drinker.

One of the funniest things is that I've heard Stephen counting the last few days and he adds in numbers in spanish. When Grandma was here she would hold Stephen on her lap and tell him descriptions of what she though of him in spanish, they were things like: " es activo, es guapo, etc. "Es Guapo" was the one she would repeat over and over while she loved on him. One day he lifted his shirt and said patted his belly and said about his belly, "Es Guapo!!" We died laughing. Maybe he didn't know what if meant, but part of me suspects he had an idea. He and Natalie play a game where she is always trying to catch his tummy to give it raspberries. He guards it and trys to get away and I think part of the game is about how cute and yummy his tummy is.

The other really cute thing with Stephen playing the "Stephen Song" for him when Auntie Laura was here. The song goes, "Steeeepppphhhheeennn, Steeeeppppphhhhheeeen, why won't you call me; Steeeeppppphhhheeen why won't you call me." After listening to the song and being all cute, he started to get a bit tired of it. He looked at the computer and put his hand on his head in exasperation and said, "I WILL, I will call you!!" It was the funniest thing ever and after that Grandma and Natalie and Daddy couldn't stop singing the song to him. It went on the entire time Grandma was here and I still hear it occasionally. (P.S. If you google the song, only listen to the first minute or two, it is not a nice song after that).



Saying Goodbye is hard! The kids drug their feet going to bed knowing Grandma would be leaving before they got up...







They read stories together to help make the last little bit of time last longer. I love this progression of Stephen all over the place. He can't sit still.

Goodbye Grandma we love you and miss you!!!!