Grandpa Ring

At the end of March, the kids and I and Uncle Steve (Nathan had to work) took a quick jaunt down to Logan to see my sister.

We also saw my dad. The last time I'd seen him was Thanksgiving of 2000, when he still lived in California. (Now he lives in Binghamton, NY.) Ten and a half years . . . that was before he was a grandpa! This trip was his chance to meet all 5 of his grandkids for the first time. We were only able to stay for one night and one day, but what a wonderful visit. Annalee ran in the house and said "Hi, Grandpa Ring!" and rushed to give him a hug. She is all about grandparents and hugs. Unfortunately, I was relaxing and enjoying family so much that I didn't get a lot of pictures.

Here is gramps with his two newest little ones, Ginny and Vander. (Remember, Genevieve is named after my dad's grandma!)
Looks like double trouble to me. All that cuteness? He doesn't stand a chance.

We ate tons of good food (Sarah is a fantastic cook) and just talked and enjoyed each other. At one point we took a very long bike ride to a nearby park. It was very long because Annalee is not too good at pedaling yet. Calvin and Paisley rode their bikes while Uncle Steve pulled Annalee's big wheel along with the rope he's tied to the handlebars. At the park we watched a college-age guy fly a parachute like a kite. He almost got blown away! Calvin asked if he could fly it next. "No," we laughed, "we'd never see you again!"

Annalee dragged Grandpa out to the backyard, where her face had a run-in with the ground. We were really concerned she would lose her front tooth, as it was loose and the gums were torn up all around it, but she didn't.

The visit was over all too soon. We are so glad we got to see Grandpa Ring. Come back soon!