on grandma.

More on mama. and grandma. what a joyful  bliss she is to have around. i had been so, so excited to have her here for 1.5 weeks. it met my expectations and surpassed them!

we went to South Carolina on a house hunt and made a new friend in Bill Still. (Dan couldn't come due to school, boo!)

we looked at lots of houses. some rickety, some new. some seventies, some blue!

lots of hotel breakfast, stashed away for lunch too. we also went to a mexican restaurant. the only mexican restaurant in boiling springs. how cute is that?

lots of navigating using the iPhone map and finding our way around new places. (3600 parris bridge rd?!) like ATL without one wrong turn! go us!

we had a photo shoot of jude in the hotel room. we were ecstatic about how cute he was in his new green outfit!

This one's for Grandpa...

Grandma did lots of laundry. she loves laundry. we even starting packing!

we watched some movies, &danced away to footloose.

a trip to TJ max, sam's club, and wal-mart.

Oh, and chipotle. and chick-fil-a, of COURSE! (my mom's favorite)

Jude just knew to smile. He didn't even have to look at the camera.

BEST. BLUE. EYES. EVER.

Conan O'brien anyone?! BEST.

His teeth were hurting... Poor boy.

We made a quick trip to Target to get some teething rings. He was laughing like crazy the whole time.

Spent our last evening together enjoying some real Southern ribs at Dreamland.

had a picnic on campus over dan's lunch break &dined on yogurt, tortilla chips &hummus, m&m's. so good!

we drove all the way from Spartanburg to Tuscaloosa with zero stops. i'd say that's pretty impressive with a baby on board.

Most importantly, she spent lots of time with her little grandson. giving him lots of hugs and kisses and rocking him in the rocking chair and playing with him. He loves his grandma!

VICTORIOUS!!!

Jude's blessing

Jude's baby blessing was such a special, wonderful day. Jude is lucky to have a faithful, loving, strong father who works hard to honor his priesthood. The blessing was beautiful. Jude is special and it was amazing to get a little glimpse into his future. My heart gets tingly when I think about the awe-some things Dan voiced.

He is one loved little man. His entire extended family and great grandma and grandpa were in attendance! He was loved and doted upon like no other. He was as precious as ever and stole everyone's hearts. He got a little weary at times, unsure of what to make of so many people constantly smooching and holding him, but it was great. He surprised us by how well he did on the plane, so well-behaved and unphased by the ridiculously loud take offs and landings. What fun those tiny little changing tables in the lavatory are! Or when we walk down the whole plane to get to the front lavatory, get him undressed and realize I forgot a clean diaper... Oops! Thank you flight attendant for fetching it for me.

It was a memorable weekend with both Dan's and my family. It was nice to all get to spend time together and just relax and get to know each other better. We spent Saturday in old-town Sacramento. Dan's mom put together a lovely, perfect little picnic that we enjoying overlooking the river. We then just walked around and and enjoyed the sites. The weekend was pleasant and pleasing. We had delicious food thanks to the hard work of Grandma Mulder, played games, and spent most of our time looking at, holding, playing with, laughing at, kissing, hugging, and squeezing Jude.

The rest of the week was spent playing Wii, Killer Bunnies, Bananagrams, some movie-watching, some fishing, some shopping, a night out on the town getting Chinese food and bowling, and just relaxing enjoying being with Dan's family. Mother nature was being sassy and decided to rain every single day we were there so our illustrious outdoor plans were replaced with indoor activities, but we loved being there! We even snuck in a bike ride and a motorcycle ride on our one clear afternoon. Oh, it just feels so nice to be in the presence of California.

Grandpa's kind of enamored...

We like to sit around and stare at him...

Kris might have beamed like never before... :) 

Fell asleep with his little hand on Aunt Kris. She's in love. :) 

Uhm, can you blame her?! 

Personalized drinks Mama Mulder made! How perfect! 

The Grandpa's keepin it real. Thank you for carrying my purse, Dad!

Great Grandma lovin :)

The blessing outfit :)

The weekend wouldn't have been complete without an intense game of Clue...

A morning at the mall... 

He sucked his thumb for the first time in Great Grandma's arms! 

Fishing trip with Dad and Grandpa. Jude was such a trooper.

He hung out in the car seat covered in blankets the whole time since it was pretty freezing.

Leatherby's!

Bowling was the best. Everyone got a strike!

Breastfeeding while bowling. So efficient!

My mom seems awfully happy to be cozied up next to Bill Clinton...

Navy brats... :)

We nothing less than love and adore our sweet child. The joy he has brought into our lives (and I dare say, many others!) is unbelievable! We are so thankful for loving and supportive families to help us raise and love this child. :)