Morning Prayers and Evening Fun

Our day started off really early and with lots of prayers. I dropped Grace off with Aunt Megan while I went to the hospital to keep Grandma company during Grandpa's surgery. Thankfully, the procedure was quick and, according to the doctor, went beautifully, so we will continue to say prayers for a quick and painless recovery.

As much as Grace wanted to see Grandma and Grandpa, I made sure to pick her up before Grandpa arrived home from the hospital in order to give him time to rest and recover before being greeted by his rambunctious girl.

After long afternoon naps for both of us, we hung out with Uncle Josh before heading out to visit with a couple of my oldest and dearest friends, Judy and Glenda. We have been friends since our junior high days and it was so much fun to see all of our kids running around and playing together. Between the three of us, we have three boys and three girls and we had to practically yell at each other to carry on our conversation over the ruckus.

Still, it was an absolutely wonderful evening. It's times like this when it makes me sad to live so far away because we rarely get to share these special moments. It definitely makes me cherish them all the more.

Trying to capture the kids on camera proved to be quite a challenge. Really, it was just Grace. She thought it was hilarious to run away every time I tried to snap a picture. It wasn't until Auntie Judy brought out the secret weapon, lollipops, when she willingly sat with the rest of the kids and put on her princess smile (top picture).

A few outtakes...