The Downs Are Back In Town

It's crazy how kids grow.  Seems like not that very long ago my older sister was in labor with her first baby, and my first neice.  Fast forward through the years and I've spent holidays, vacations, and entire summers taking care of little Megan.  Somehow, she grew up!  She's now on her own, and headed back for another term at BYU-I.  The entire Fam was dropping her off in Rexburg, so they took an extra night in their travels and stayed in Salt Lake so we could have a quick visit.  But mostly so they could see Luke. :)

It was April 20th, the morning after our amazing Princess Party.  Everyone was exhausted, not the least of which were Danny and I.  Danny got a nasty stomach flu the night before (and actually missed the Princess Party and instead stayed near the bathroom), and I was definitely losing the battle to that same bug.  But we don't get to see the Downs enough, so we woke up early and packed the kids in the car and headed to the hospital.

We are so glad we did!  It was awesome to see Jeff, Jami, and the kids...and Grandma Candy came, too! We were much too big of a group to all descend on Luke's room at once, so Grandma Candy set up base in the Forever Young Zone so the kids that weren't with Luke could play.

The first group to see Luke was Rose, Ace, Tali, and Jami.  Everyone was a little nervous about what to expect.  With the exceptions of Jami and Megan, no one had seen Luke in person since he got sick.  They were all pleasantly surprised by how healthy he looked, and that he was okay to be held.  I think it made them all feel better about Luke to see him like that.

  

Rosie

Ace

Natalia

Jami

While we were upstairs with Luke, the group downstairs was having a blast!  Claire, Sophie, and Johnny were delighted to see their cousins again.  Claire and Sophie were particularly excited to get to be with Lily again.  And I love watching my nieces interact and love my kids just like I did with them when they were that age.  Ah, the circle of life... :)

The next group to come spend time with Luke was Lily, Bowen, Chance, Megan, and Jeff.  Luke didn't even know he had this many cousins!  Chance and Luke really haven't had the chance to play, but I'm sure they'll appreciate each other when they both get older. :)

Lily Mae

Bowen

Chance

Megan

Jeff 

It was too brief a visit...for everyone.  But Megan needed to get back to Rexburg in time to buy books.  Oh, the life of a college student!  We all went down to the Forever Young Zone to gather the children, but they were hesitant to leave.  They were having too much fun!

Lily noticed the Wish Tree while she was playing in the Forever Young Zone, and that sweet little girl made a wish for our Luke.  I love these kids so much...

Thank you, Lily!

Family is such a wonderful thing.  We have needed the strength from the relationships we have with our family so much during this time.  It is a strength that is only rivaled by that of our heavenly family.  We are so grateful that the Downs took some extra time on their trip to stop and see us.  We miss them a lot, and wish we could spend more time together.  It's always the best of times!

We love you guys!!