There is not much more wonderful to this Mimi and Boppa than having one or more of our grands sitting at the breakfast counter. And of course, “sugar cereal” is a rare, but exciting, treat! 
Recently Emma, Teddy and sweet little Lincoln came for an appointment. It was only Emma’s third time home in seven years and so when their flights were cancelled two days in a row, the waiting (for this Mama) was unbearable agony. It’s not like you can just grab another flight when there is only one out each day. UGH. (Josh stayed behind and held down the fort caring for their other two and overseeing things at The Gem.) So when we finally saw them coming down the hallway at SkyHarbor our celebration was a time of praise and celebration – thanks to our astoundingly faithful God!
Emma had flown here for an appointment and since she is just about never, ever home, we all went to wait with her. Cause you know, the family that waits for appointments together makes lots of memories….and when what was supposed to be about a 45 minute wait turned into five hours…we were so glad we were together!
Cousins playing together sure made this Mimi and Boppa so stinkin’ happy…finally, finally, finally the littlest grands are together!
Johnny-boy loved meeting Lincoln….and he was able to get out and spend a day with us – which was delightful…more on that later!
The days sped by…and we attempted to squeeze every waking moment dry…
Jet lag hit hard (even little boys) after two nights in an airport till 4:30 am when flights were completely cancelled it was coffee for the win and to stay awake!
Perhaps one of the sweetest things to my soul was how Teddy loves his Auntie Ruby…it seemed that every time I turned around he was talking to her, playing with her, pushing her in her wheelchair, climbing in beside her in her little chair where she hangs out for a nap during the day….no doubt, he loves because he has spent his life loving on the Gems at The Gem. It thrills this mama’s and Mimi’s heart when anyone talks to Ruby, let alone intentionally spends time with her. She has such incredible value and is a gift of infinite worth to us.
IKEA elevators are pretty perfect for keeping everyone contained to snag a picture!!
And Christmas shopping is the best when you haven’t been to the mall at home near Christmas in 7 years!
The gorgeous Arizona sunset (because it’s literally sunny basically all day every day – my favorite!) is a most spectacular backdrop for decorated saguaro cacti and trees of the desert along the highways!
Our church had “Snowy Night”…as an outreach to our community…complete with tons of snow which Lincoln wasn’t sure what in the world it was! Teddy loved throwing snowballs in the snow area.
Our Birdie Bea.
No matter how far apart, siblings love each other with all their heart.
We’ll be reveling in the memories of family together while we’re already praying them home for another visit…because family time is truly good for the soul!