Growing Grays: A cold Fargo weekend

We always pick the coldest weekend to visit Matt, Janelle and Bradyn in Fargo-Moorhead. This year we stayed in a two-bedroom suite with the Sievers so that we could spread out a little, make a mess somewhere besides one of our own homes and swim in the pool. Although blustery and frigid outside (it felt like the Arctic) we had a fun, kid-centric weekend indoors which included a yummy breakfast each morning in the hotel restaurant, swimming, a pizza party and Yunker's Farm (a local, eclectic children's museum).

My favorite moments were: spending time with family, pounding on the piano and playing instruments as loud as we wanted with the kids at the museum, chasing Corey and Miles around in the planetarium, watching Hadley run around the pool - pumping her fat little legs and arms while her chubby cheeks jiggled up and down, celebrating with some bubbly the many blessings our family members are experiencing, taking time to drink coffee in the morning and chatting into the evening with the adults once the kids were (mostly) in bed.

I asked Miles what his favorite part was and he said hanging out with Corey. He then launched into a long explanation of how "Corey is [his] sister and Bradyn is Hadley's sister because we're big and they're small." I think he was making a statement about the big boys versus the little kids. He's got many, many more years of the "little kids" hanging out with the big boys.

If Hadley had answered the question she probably would have said that her favorite parts were playing little mama to baby Kenny (she tries picking her up by her pjs like a puppy) and loves to give her lots of overly loving hugs. She'd also say swimming, singing Alleluia (she often breaks into sweet song when she's happy singing "lula, lula, lula," and she'd say laughing her head off. She has a great laugh in which she throws her head all the way back, opens her mouth really wide and laughs very loudly.

Hadley likes to be a baby too.

Playing with all of Kenny's toys

Fun at Yunker's Farm

Hadley got right up in between Raggedy Anne and Andy. These dolls reminded me of the ones we used to have as children.

Cruising with her cart.

Baby Mozart. (I think I got more pictures of Hads because, despite the innocent face, she's such a wild child that I have to be right next to her 24/7)

Wheeling around the shopping carts and picking fruits and veggies was by far the favorite activity at the museum. It was nice because we had the place practically to ourselves!