Sibling Snippets: Around Town

Awhile back, here on my blog, I use to add what I called “Sean Stories” to some of my posts when he did or said something that I thought was especially cute or amusing.  Now that Abby is part of our family, I want to do the same thing from time to time and include her. So rather than call them “Abby Stories” (which doesn’t quite have the same ring to it), I came up with “Sibling Snippets.” Now and then I will share about some of the fun and sweet interchanges that our children have, or things they do or say individually, in a brief post such as this and I will likely also include one or more recent pictures. After all the years that we tried, hoped, wished and prayed to be able to expand our family and for Sean to be able to have a sibling, I want celebrate and share these special moments in our family and life together. So here goes my first installment of “Sibling Snippets!”

This morning after I taught a group fitness class, while Sean and Abby enjoyed playing with other kids in the child care room, we decided to go to the library to check out some books and sign up for the “summer reading club” there. En route we were driving down Western Ave., one of the bigger and busier streets in our neighborhood, when we passed my dad/our kids’ paternal grandpa’s favorite restaurant near where we live. The restaurant is called “Hearty Cafe & Pancake House.” We often eat brunch/lunch there when my retired parents come for their weekly visit to spend time with us.  As we drove by the restaurant, Abby yelled out “grandpa!” I turned and saw what we had just passed and was impressed and amused that apparently she both recognized the restaurant and associated it with her Grandpa Kevin!

We decided to have Sean call Grandpa Kevin on speaker phone to share the story, as we knew he would get a kick out of it! We were right, Grandpa Kevin did really enjoy hearing the story. While Sean was talking with Grandpa Kevin, he asked, “Is Abby with you right now?” Sean replied, “she’s always with us!” I just thought that was such an adorable thing for our son/Abby’s proud big brother to say! Too cute!

Later when we got home and ate lunch, Abby was over due for a nap and got pretty slap happy during the meal. Sean and Abby were having a lot of fun goofing off and I snapped a few pictures (for a change) of the two of them after lunch, which you can see here. Now Abby is fast asleep, Sean is enjoying an after lunch break time in the basement and I am ready to enter “attack mode” and do some packing for our upcoming road trip/vacation to one of my favorite places in the world.

We are heading to Hilton Head Island, SC, where my maternal grandparents retired and lived for almost 20 years. It has been over 11 years since my maternal grandma died and 13 since my paternal grandpa passed away. Throughout my childhood I got to spend at least two weeks every year visiting them with my parents and sister on Hilton Head Island. Rough life… I know! Since they died we have tried to go back there with my parents, sister, brother-in-law and our children at least every 3 – 5 years. This will be Sean’s third visit, Abby’s first and also their cousin/my sister and her husband’s daughter Cora’s first visit! Hilton Head is such a nostalgic place for me and my family. I can’t wait to kick off our summer with a fun and relaxing vacation there, before we come home and finish preparing to move to our new home next month!

Life is good.

Thank you for your kind words and enthusiasm in your comments on my last post about our home finally being “under contract!” It continues to be exciting, overwhelming, bittersweet and surreal to be embarking on this next part of our life and journey as “Four of a Kind.”