Grandma Shari came to town!

My fabulous mom was in town last week and words alone cannot express what a great time we had. Nor could they convey all that she did to help me while she was here. So I've got pictures.

Before the kids even gave her a chance to get dressed...she played memory with Jack...

and painted Marian's nails (pink of course). Marian showed everyone her "pretty nails" all week long.

Then, thanks to Chad, my mom and I headed out on our own and lunched in Concord then went on a tour of the Louisa May Alcott Home.

My mom is so good at doing fun little crafts with the kids. They LOVED making Gingerbread men (and women) cutouts. They also made REAL gingerbread people and decorated them and hung them on the tree. But they disappeared, limb by limb before I could get a picture of them.

If you're wondering why Jack is ALWAYS in his pajamas in these pictures, it's because Jack is ALWAYS in his pajamas. The minute he gets home from school or church he puts his pajamas back on. He would live in sweats every day if I let him!

Grandma Shari also taught the kids the important strategies of paper, rock, scissors. I don't have a picture of it but it's because of all the fun things my mom did with the kids that when we played "spotlight" my mom was chosen every time!

The thing I looked forward to the most was making my mom's Yule Kaka. It's a Scandinavian Christmas bread that she makes every year for Christmas. She showed me how to make it and then helped me deliver the loaves (minus the 3 we devoured ourselves) to my neighbors.

It tasted as good as it looked!

My mom also got to come to Marian's beloved "dance class" and Marian was so proud to show off for Grandma.

My mom also helped me hang a lot of pictures and curtains in our apartment. I'm not ashamed to admit that we both kept saying how glad we were that it was a rental and not my own walls we were desecrating with extraneous holes. We were also glad that Chad wasn't there to see how much jimmy-rigging went on. BUT, the end result is fabulous!


You can't truly appreciate the difference these new curtains and rod make...but the before pictures were too painful. The curtain rod was sagging in the middle and my homemade curtains of which I was once so proud...were no longer making anyone proud.

Thanks mom for the FABULOUS visit! I felt so spoiled getting you all to myself! The kids, Chad, and I keep asking..."When is Grandma Shari coming again?" We love you!