G is for (Great) Grandparents' Home

My grandparents are amazing!!! Grandpa just turned 90 this year... and Grandma is just behind him... but they are so alive and so generous! We tried to spend as much time around them as we could. Our guaranteed way to see them was to hang out on Wednesdays... every Wednesday for as long as I could remember they've hosted a lunch at their home so that their grandchildren could come over with their kids (so we're talking 4 generations present) and just hang out over egg salad sandwiches...

Most days, at some point of the day you can find Grandpa and Grandma hanging out on their porch... that is when they're not hosting prayer meetings, Bible studies, going to great-grandchildren's sporting events, hanging out with friends... you get the idea... they are amazing!

 One afternoon we just popped by on our way to pick up my mom from work... it was so great to just see them in action...

 Helena took these shots with my old camera (yes, old camera... my parents bought us a new one as a Christmas present but you'll have to wait until Sasha's wedding to see the fruit of that)...

 these two are always smiling!!!

 Hunter and Helena also appreciated their yard decorations... and plants... and flags...

 One Wednesday we went to the beach with Matt first to run the dog... Hunter was drying out on the driveway after a bit of waterplay... remember those days as kids - when you play in the sprinklers then lay down on the hot cement to warm up and dry off??? I loved that... and it was so fun to see Hunter doing the same thing!

 My cousin Emily - she's healthy and natural and oh so fun!

 Grandma and her eldest grandchild - Denise... how fun she doesn't even have a child with her and she still comes over to spend time with grandparents.

 Here we are with Cherise on the Wednesday before her wedding... how fun that her new family also came for the family lunch.

 How fun that Tony was here for a Wednesday and Amber takes lunch breaks to come on by as well...

 We also invited ourselves over for Uncle Ronnie's birthday lunch...

 Happy Birthday dear Uncle Ronnie... Happy Birthday to you!!!

 My cousin Andrew was in town for the wedding too... and boy was he fun to catch up with! He's hoping to come to NZ in the next few years to do a triathlon here... better start training!

 And I was trying to convince my cousin Carlie to come to NZ to do a semester abroad - thankfully my aunt (her mom) wasn't listening in on that conversation!!!

 Helena took a few more photos of lunch - she loved these chippies that she could actually eat...

 and the Tootsie Pops she couldn't.

 One of the days the kids played red light, green light...

 these are the reasons Grandma and Grandpa open their home - these are the times memories are made. 

 Hummingbirds were a treat for the kids.

Jessica and Gracie and Elijah... see, I got to see my cousins too...

It's always good times at our Grandparents' house... YAY!!! So glad we were there.