These past several weeks have been busy and filled with wonderful family events and special times with friends. Of course I first must brag about our new grandson - Marshall William Craw (Liam) born April 11, 2013!
I flew to Minneapolis on April 10th and all went as planned with baby Liam arriving the next morning. He is (of course) a beautiful baby and weighed just over 8 pounds. Jessica looked so small before his birth that I had no idea he would be so big! Mother and baby are both doing well. As I grow older, my appreciation and awe of the miracle of birth seems to grow stronger and stronger. Heavenly Father must certainly smile and rejoice at every birth!
Gigi and grandma hung out together at home during the days Jessica was recovering in the hospital. We had a great time playing hide and seek, painting nails, having tea parties, dancing together, playing IPad games (she turned me into a gamer!), reading books and singing songs. Each day, Adam would take us to the hospital to visit Jessica and Liam. Gigi loves her new brother and kept saying: "He is so tiny! He is so cute!" She too was in awe of this miracle of birth. I am sure that the full impact of having a sibling has not had time to sink in!
Baby arrived home from the hospital on April 14th.
Liam barely survived his first bath and photo shoot and was so glad when it was over and he could enjoy lunch!
Liam's gift to big sister Gigi was a bouncy cow which she loved!
Hal drove to Minneapolis and arrived on Tuesday April 16th. It was a long 2 days of driving but he was happy to see his new grandson!
We loved being with Adam and Jessica and their cute family - this also gave us an opportunity to see their new home. They have painted and decorated and things are looking great! Jessica has a real flare for decorating!
We also enjoyed visiting a Russian Art Museum near their home. It had a unique and unusual collection of artwork. We had the museum to ourselves that day because of the snowy conditions.
The weather was not our friend! It snowed every day I spent in Minneapolis and the night before we left, a BIG snowstorm dumped several inches of new snow. Our plan was to drive home through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada and see some places and things we had not seen before. Of course we had to go through North Dakota in our quest to visit all 50 states. Well, we did drive out of the Minnesota snow but then we drove into the Canada wind. We enjoyed? no endured a record breaking cold April as we traveled across Canada with stops in Winnipeg and Regina. We then drove south into Montana with a 1 night stop in Billings.
Driving through scenic but snowy Wind River Pass in Montana (well named!)
Thermopolis, Wyoming - you can see the steam rising from the hot springs!
The wind, cold and snow seemed to follow us through Montana and into Wyoming. We decided to cut our trip short and come on home where we found beautiful, sunny weather with spring blossoms and green trees and grass! Home Sweet Home!
