Visit from Grandparents

My parents came to visit last week, since my sister had her baby...sweet Norah.


Of course, they fell in love with her right away.



I can't believe my parents have 3 grandkids now.


This visit was particularly special because we hadn't seen them for a year and a half.  The last time they came, Audrey was 2.5 yrs old and Marcus was only 9 months old.  I was so excited for my parents to see the kids again.  This time, they came to play with a 4 year-old little lady and a 2 year-old little monkey.


Marcus bonded so quickly with Grandpa.


And they both had a blast hanging out with Grandma at Disneyland.



They also got to sit in on one of Marcus' PT sessions.  Seeing how far Marcus has come since they last saw him really encouraged them.  And that encouraged me tremendously.  I really feel that it's through our parents' faithful prayers that our kids are so blessed.


It was special watching the kids interact with my parents.


And spending time with my sister and mom together made me think of years ago, when we both depended on her for everything.


It was real hard saying good-bye to my mom.  Sometimes I still can't believe that I'm a mom now and that I'm living my own life independent from her.  When I said good-bye, I remembered how I felt when I was young.  That if ever I had a problem or fear, everything would be okay because Mom and Dad would be there to take care of it all.  They could deal with it for me and assure me that everything would be okay.  So this time, it was hard to leave my mom because it was a stark reminder that I wasn't a kid anymore and that they weren't there to shield me from my fears and trials.

Right now, there are definitely fears and difficulties in my life that I wish I could hand over to my parents to take care of.  But one of the biggest undeserved blessings the Lord has given me is my parents' and Mike's parents' faith and love for the Lord.  Although they aren't always here to hold our hands, they are fervently praying for us and for our kids, and that is one of the biggest encouragements in the face of our trials.

So I'm accepting the fact that I'm a "big girl" now, living the "real life" no longer as my Mom and Dad's little girl.  But the greatest thing my parents have passed down to me is the example of calling on my Heavenly Father to take care of me and assure me that everything will be okay as long as I am in His hands.