Meeting Their Neice for the First Time

Rayleigh has a ton of people who truly care and love her. Unfortunately, there are some who are not as close to Bug as we would like. Geographically, that is. My mom, younger brother and younger sister (all of whom I am super close to) live in Florida now. My mom was here in OKC for Rayleigh's birth but had to get back home after a few days :( My brother, Charlie, and sister, Sierra, had never met Rayleigh. They had heard her cries or coos in the background when we're all on the phone but with them in school we would just have to wait a few months until summer break.

Towards the end of July Mom brought the kids here to meet little Bug! It hadn't even been a year since the last time I saw them but MAN how they had changed!! I saw pictures of them throughout the school year but they couldn't really show the difference I suppose. Charlie, now 14 years old, is such a teenage boy. A guy's guy who plays football, texts girls nonstop, and wouldn't been seen in the mall walking with his older sister (me) and a baby stroller! All this aside, Bug drew him in like a magnet. He is already a wonderful uncle to her!

Sierra, who turns 9 tomorrow, already acts like a teenager! On Mom's cell phone all the time talking to her girl friends back home. Dressing up, doing her hair, playing the Wii, putting on makeup, playing on her iPod and arguing. Those are the things she would be doing if she wasn't playing with Bug... which she was most of their trip.

Which brings us back to my mom, Rayleigh's grandma. My mom would get Rayleigh and hold her and play with her for all of about 5 minutes before one of the kids took her away to play on her mat or sit on their lap. Poor Mom. I think she maybe got to hold Rayleigh for a total of 1 hour the entire 10 days they were here.

It was so great to have them here and for Charlie and Sierra to meet their neice who they so obviously adore. We tried to get out and do things that we normally would do but it was just too stinking hot for a lot of things! We took them to the zoo, to hike Martin Nature Trail Park, bowling with Uncle Dan, swimming at GPa's apartment's pool, and shopping at the mall. But other than that, we mostly stayed in and hung out! We would hang out at my house where they were staying or we would go over Aunt Debbie & Uncle Dan's house (Mom's sister and brother-in-law). It was so great to all get together like that. Just like old times.

Aunt Debbie & Rayleigh Bug

Uncle Dan with Bug

Charlie's "Seriously? You have the camera out AGAIN?!?" face.

And then time went by too fast like it usually does and it was the day for them to leave. I must have cried 15 times. Just knowing that they won't get to see Bug on a normal basis like the other grandparents and aunts/uncles breaks my heart. I'm thinking of getting a webcam for my laptop so we can maybe at least do some video chat... right now all we do is phone, e-mail and send pictures! I'm hopeful that someday down the road they will move back home to Oklahoma and we can all be together again because it was the best week of the summer by far!!

I love you, Mom. Rayleigh is doing so much better and I can't wait for you to see her again! Give the kids hugs for me, I'll call Sierra tomorrow to wish her a Happy Birthday!!!