Grandpa and Grandma Visit

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On July 2, Hallie's parents came to visit for a week. It was very exciting to have them come to Michigan. They hadn't seen Landon since the beginning of January, and Landon has grown and changed a lot since then.

On Wednesday we rented a minivan and picked them up from the airport in the late afternoon. We went to a small diner in Grosse Pointe Woods for dinner and then home where Mommy and her friend Carmen made a big banner welcoming their arrival.

Thursday morning we got up bright and early and finished packing and then headed out of town with everyone. We were on our way to Kirtland, Ohio. The rain followed us all the way there, but it did not get our spirits down. It was fun to tour around Kirtland in the rain ("whatnot" is our new favorite word), and Landon was a great sport. Our first night we spent in Buffalo, NY, and had yummy food at Gabriel's Gate.

Friday we were off to Palmyra, NY. It was a beautiful day, and we could not ask for better weather (70s in July? Wow!). When we got to Palmyra, people were practicing for the Hill Cumorah Pagent. We hiked to the top and saw the most lovely view. Afterward we picked up a really big sandwich from the IGA and took it to eat at the Sacred Grove picnic tables. Took the tour the missionaries offered and walked the Sacred Grove. It was moving for me to tell Landon about Joseph Smith that day, loved it! Later on we drove to the Whitmer Farm and had a nice time there as well. Friday evening we spent the night in Rochester, NY, and could see fireworks from the hotel windows.

Saturday brought more excitement when we headed off to Niagara Falls. Little glitch at the border due to no birth certificate for Landon, but we got through. Dropped our stuff off at the hotel and started walking. The falls are beautiful, and we had a lot of fun there. Landon did great on the Maid of the Mist boat ride. He was a great trooper on all of this. We were upgraded at the hotel and had a room with a view of the falls. It was awesome, and even though I didn't do all that you can at the falls, I loved just being there and having time to relax.

Sunday we ate breakfast at the hotel and were able to look out over the falls while eating, and it was amazing. Packed up our stuff and got in the car to head toward home. But while in Canada Hallie can't resist buying Landon something from Roots, and Grandpa got a hoodie, too. Yay, Grandpa! A stop at Costco in Windsor and Tim Hortons made our trip complete.

Monday Mike toured us around Detroit with my cousin Tyson and his wife Springer. We had a picnic and had a lot of fun. For dinner we were going to go to the lake and BBQ, but like most of our summer has been, a big thunderstorm broke out and we had Mike BBQ from the backyard in the rain. He was a good sport. Grandpa made s'mores in tinfoil on the BBQ, and they were good and messy. What a lot of good memories!

Tuesday we hung around Grosse Pointe and just relaxed and got some things done around the house.

Wednesday found us at The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. If you ever come to Michigan you HAVE TO go to this museum. Just awesome and we didn't get to see most of it. Mike and I bought a pass, and we now have gone twice in a week. We hope to keep going and to get all that we can out of it. Dropped Mike off at his volunteer work, ran by the temple, and took the grandparents to the Somerset Collection. It is a very nice mall that covers two sides of the street.

Thursday it was time to take Grandma and Grandpa home. Hallie was very sad to see them leave. It was so much fun to see Landon play and smile at his Grandma and Grandpa.

Landon is well tempered and is crawling like crazy these days. He loves to pull himself up onto anything he can and put anything in his mouth. With the entrance of his fourth tooth there is no stopping him.