Grandma Coon Visits

Michael's mom was in New Mexico for a work training (way back in March) and on her way home took a detour to visit us for a week. We are glad she was able to come- she hadn't seen Collin since he was 2 months old! Unfortunately Michael couldn't take off any work, but thankfully we had the evenings and weekend to do some fine things and she and Collin and I were able to do some fun things during the day.

We explored nearby Brazos Bend State Park. Enjoyed a nice walk around a pond (maybe they called it a lake?) Either way we saw a real alligator and some other fun birds and critters. We also checked out the ranger station where they lots of interactive things to touch and look at. We finished off our excursion with a picnic lunch and a little play on the playground and another short walk where we saw another, even closer, alligator just sunning itself a few feet from  us. 

 

Grandma treated us to a day at the zoo.  Collin loved all the animals! And that was his new favorite word after that. Highlight for him though was probably the carousel ride Grandma took him on. I was a little nervous to how he would react- he had only been on the little carousel at Bass Pro Shop when we saw Santa and he was a little hesitant about it- but he had the biggest smile the whole ride! 

 

One evening we took a trip to the beach. There were so many seashells that night. It was fun to collect some. Collin was still in his anti-sand phase so he was content to stay on the blanket or safe in Daddy's arms. 

Had some yummy meals at home. One night we treated Grandma Coon to some homemade sushi. This is always a fun  and unique meal to have with company. 

 

The rest of our time together was filled with evenings talking, sharing stories from Michael's childhood (seems like we now know the source of Collins energy), some movie nights, church, and some of our regular outings like story time at the library. We are so glad that Grandma Coon took the time to come visit. The hardest part of living in Texas is being so far away from family. I am especially grateful for the time Collin got to bond with his Grandma and the memories they made together. Also I know Michael enjoyed seeing some of his family. I've had the chance to see my family quite a bit but it's been harder for him to see his since we moved from Utah.