Gifts from Grandpa & Grandma

Grandma and Grandpa had the thoughtful idea to give Jaden and Cody small gifts during each day of their visit. Of course, the best gift was simply hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa, but our boys were pretty excited about these little extras from their grandparents, too. :)

By the end of the week, Cody and Jaden seemed to know just what to expect in the mornings. They would often wait eagerly by the top of the stairs when they heard Grandma and Grandpa's voices.

One of Grandma's good friends had sewn these cute little gift baskets for the boys. Cody and Jaden were very eager to check out the baskets' contents.

Of course, the boys LOVED the food that they found in the baskets-- fruit snacks....

and M & M's. What a fun treat!

Grandma also included fun activities in the baskets, like coloring books and crayons or stickers.

One day, Grandma and Grandpa even gave the boys small bird treats that we could hang in our tree. Unfortunately, we haven't seen any birds nibble on this treat yet, but then again, the birds are just barely starting to return home after our long & snowy winter! Jaden and Grandma & Cody and Grandpa hung the treats so that we could see the hungry birds perfectly from our front window.

Definitely the toy that elicited the most giggles was this pack of noisemakers! Both boys even figured out how to blow the noisemaker all on their own, though because they were giggling so much, they often needed help holding on to it.

Mommy and Daddy were even the blessed recipients of a wonderful treat one day, too. Grandma and Grandpa graciously offered to babysit Jaden and Cody for a late afternoon and evening so that we could attend a wedding & reception for some church friends. Since we rarely take the chance to go out together, this was such a gift! Don't you love all the toys in the background of this otherwise formal couple picture?? How our lives have changed... :)

We knew that we were leaving our boys in loving, capable hands, so we didn't worry one bit! Jaden and Cody seemed to love the extra time and attention from Grandma and Grandpa, too.

The activity that took up much of their playtime while we were gone involved another Grandma and Grandpa gift. This gift was an early birthday present-- a new wooden train set! Aunt Kim had suggested a few great options of train sets for our boys, and this one that we selected arrived in the mail only hours before we left for the wedding. It was perfect timing. Right after the boys awoke from their nap, Grandma and Grandpa had a great distraction for the boys.

We loved this particular train set because of all the "extras"-- trees, road signs, houses, and bridges.

As you can see, the boys eagerly jumped right in. Grandpa taught them how to keep their train cars right on the track.

Grandpa and Grandma wisely determined that both boys needed their own train engine, so they bought another engine and a few extra vehicles from Target. They certainly know how the minds of these little twin boys work! We are sure to enjoy many hours of train-playing in our future!

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for all of these kind gifts and most of all for your love-- both for us and for our little boys. We appreciate your generosity!