Out and About

We are finally getting out of the house again. It's a new adventure with a baby and an always wandering 2 year old. I try to get the older girls to take charge of Tyler, but they don't always want to do that. When they do, things work out pretty well. When I need to feed Camden, things usually get a little tricky. The Lehi Library hosted a petting zoo last week. I didn't expect it to be much, but there were actually quite a few animals there.

The girls each took a turn holding one of the ferrets.

They even had this mama and baby goat and a pony. They all loved the animals and we even got to try out the new play equipment at the park(it was super crowded, so we have plans to go back another time).

 I also took them to the Children's Museum that we have annual passes for. Here is Ashley dressed up in her African attire.

Alyssa spent a good amount of time building this Castle/House. She managed to get a few helpers along the way. Even with the help it still took her at least 30 minutes.

It's funny, but the greatest challenge this summer in going anywhere has been getting out the door before friends come knocking. As a result, we have brought a friend along on a few of our outings.

Tyler's 2nd Birthday

It has been almost a month now, but Tyler turned 2. We celebrated by doing one of his favorite things--playing at the park.

Later that night, we had cake and ice cream and he opened his presents.

Tyler is so much fun to have around. he is so full of energy and says the cutest things. Some of his favorite things are balls and cars. He also loves to play outside, especially when it involves water. He loves doing whatever his big sisters are doing, as well. 

We had to take him to the ER the day before his birthday(a Sunday) which fortunately ended up being an ear infection rather than something more serious. Sometimes he loves to hold Camden. On Tyler's Birthday, Camden was 1 month old. Here are the two brothers together.

We love having Tyler as part of our family. Here are his stats:

Weight: 24.8 lbs

Height: 34 inches

Myrna Ginos-Beloved Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother

 

I've been trying to find some quiet time at the computer for the past two weeks in order to do this post. On June 6th, we lost someone very dear to our little family. First of all, Danny had the opportunity to grow up near her. He has told me many stories of going to her house throughout his childhood and the wonderful grandmother that she was. 

I had the opportunity to get to know her well while Danny and I lived with her and grandpa during our second year of marriage. I have many fond memories of coming home from student teaching and sitting with her in their living room and talking until Danny got home. We also played a lot of "Mexican Train" during those 8 months.

We moved to the Midwest after that and soon welcomed our first child. That was when the ice cream money and handwritten notes started arriving each month for Alyssa.We saw Grandma and Grandpa Ginos when we visited Utah, but that only happened once or twice a year. 

Here is a picture of the first time Grandma held Alyssa. Alyssa obviously had yet to learn what a wonderful lady she was.

 

 We also took this 4 generation shot during that trip.

 

When Ashley joined our family, the handwritten notes were addressed to her as well along with enough ice cream money for both girls.

We were so excited to move back to Utah again and be closer to family. Our kids have had the chance to get to know Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Ginos very well as we have spent holidays, birthdays, and Sunday dinners with them. They have even made it to a few of the girls special events, including this play that Alyssa was in.

 Tyler joined our family and Great Grandma was so excited to meet him and hold him. She also started to include him in the monthly ice cream envelopes. We took this picture about a month after he was born.

 When Camden was born, Grandma and Grandpa were living in their second home down in Arizona. She came to visit me the day before they left for Arizona and gave us a gift for the new baby boy. It was nice to sit and talk with her again and for the kids to all see her before she left. We had no idea that that would be the last time we would hear her sweet voice.
She came home from Arizona the day after Tyler's birthday. We hadn't yet had the chance to go over and visit her and introduce her to Camden when we heard that she wasn't doing well. We went to see her on the afternoon of the 6th. We knew at that point that she would not live much longer. We introduced her to Camden and placed him in her lap. She was unconscious, but from the moment Camden got in her lap, he calmed down and just stared at her face. We like to think that she was talking to him spirit to spirit. It was a very special moment for all of us present. We all said our goodbyes to her before leaving that afternoon, which was very difficult, but we feel honored to have had the opportunity to do that. She passed away a couple of hours later.
Her memorial service was the following Saturday. It was a very nice service and it was nice to reconnect with some of Danny's aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Grandma Ginos loved her family. She was always thinking of her great grandchildren and things she could do to brighten their days. She also loved music. She was a wonderful cook and taught me that the best meatloaf included everything but the kitchen sink. It was also much better the second day. We will miss her dearly but are grateful to know that we will see her again someday.