Michigan

Last weekend, Abby and I got to go on a 'girl's trip' to Michigan. My grandfather was awarded the Conference Cane by the West Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church. Now what that actually means is that he is the oldest living ordained minister in the conference. This October, he will be 94. His district superintendent set up a very nice presentation within the service of his local church AND he got to preach. As he retired when I was just 3, I never got to hear him preach, so that was a treat as well. We had wondered aloud before the weekend just what he would talk about and whether or not he would try to impart some wisdom on all the young "wipper-snapper" preachers moving up the ranks. But, he stuck just to the scripture and did a very nice job. And as an added bonus, we had a little mini family reunion. My dad and his four brothers were all present. And here is my grandpa and his little brother, Carl. He's 90. How cute is that? My grandmother is currently residing in a nursing home and is not really stable enough to leave for visits, so we had a nice lunch at her care facility so that she could attend. She was in a wonderful state and seemed very aware of all who were there and she was so happy to see Abby and my cousin's daughter, Emalyn. Those of you that read my post last summer about going to visit my grandma may remember that she was not is such a good state last time so I am really thankful that we were able to go and visit her again. We also had the opportunity to visit with some other friends while we were in town.

Here is Jen and her daughters Sophia and Ally. You may notice that Abby is not so happy to be in this picture. I promise you this was the only time she was upset the whole time we were away. We suspect it was because the girls were all about touching and playing with her. I think she was enjoying being away from her brother's and all that 'attention'. Jen also has a son, Jackson. He was busy checking out the yard and could not be bothered with a baby. I think Abby appreciated that.

Here is Lisa with her daughter Bethany and niece Cecilia. Lisa is an amazing seamstress. When Abby was born she gifted us all this great stuff. During this visit, she gave Abby some super cute Easter pants that you will see later.

So, this is what Abby looked like every second EXCEPT when with Jen and her girls. She LOVED having her own space and getting to explore grandma's house without bother.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Christopher and the boys were not able to join us because Christopher's nephew was receiving his Eagle Scout award in southern Missouri, so the boys stayed here to attend that celebration. Congrats, Alex!