When family comes to town

We were fortunate to be able to spend our first week as a family of four together. Jeff was given a really nice amount of time for paternity leave for which we were so thankful. I wasn't sure how I was going to tackle being a mom of a newborn and a 2 year old while I was recovering. My parents were able to make a trip to meet Ellie when she was just a little over a week old. It was perfect timing really because they arrived just in time to help us celebrate Benjamin's 2nd birthday and to help me out when Jeff went back to work. One of my sisters was also able to make a quick trip to see us for a weekend when she was given a surprise day off from work. Here's what our time together looked like...

Benjamin was thrilled to see Grandpa and Grandma "Gold Tooth" pull up in the driveway. They were wonderful about making a fuss over him before they met the baby and he LOVED the attention.

Grandma meets Ellie.

These two have the same middle name. She shares her middle name with my mom's grandma too. Elizabeth has the same first name as her paternal grandma and great-grandma and Elizabeth was her maternal great-grandmother's middle name as well as her great-aunt's name. I love that her first and middle name are a reflection of so many wonderful women in our families.

Benjamin catches up with Grandpa and Banjosie. He just loves that dog.

Grandma gets to know grandchild number 7.

Grandpa meets little Ellie.

Benjamin shows grandpa how he does his chores, one of which is sorting the silverware after it comes out of the dishwasher.

One of Ben's birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa. I think he likes it :)

While I made the birthday cake.

Osa is worn out from tussling with Banjosie.

So sweet. I remember pouring over books for hours with mom when I was a kid. It's so fun to see her share that time with her grandkids now.

Good company. Mom and dad were so helpful. Not only did they entertain Benjamin, but they helped with housework. One day they watched both kids while I napped. When I woke up mom had swept the whole house for me. They vacuumed, washed dishes and helped with dinner not to mention lots of other little tasks. Seriously such a blessing to this tired mama.

Auntie meets Ellie.

Mom and dad's first visit to the Arch.

This is the second time my sister has been able to visit the Arch.

When the rain from Hurricane Isaac cleared we celebrated Benjamin's birthday at the zoo. Here we're waiting for the sea lion show to start while Benjamin sucks down some lemonade. The kid doesn't normally drink anything but milk and water, so he was really going to town.

And just to prove that I was there.

Rob the sea lion wows the crowd.

My family being "wowed".

The kids and I took mom and dad to the butterfly house. On a side note, in a few months my folks will have been married for 50 years. Pretty awesome, eh?

Benjamin loves him some bluegrass so he was happy that grandpa brought his mandolin.

This picture is terribly blurry but I love how delighted Benjamin looks that he gets to sing and play with grandpa.

Josie was really interested in the baby and took every opportunity to cuddle near her.

Mom and dad with my babies just before they left.

Hours after they left Benjamin waits for grandma and grandpa to come back.

So happy to have had the company and the help from family. Now we are looking forward to introducing Ellie to the rest of her family.