A Visit From Grandma and Grandpa Bennett!

Wow.  It feels like it's been forever since my last blog post.  Perhaps it's because of all that has happened in between.  After that eventful afternoon with Eliot and Peter at the car wash (see previous post), Peter and I both fell ill and the three of us spent an entire weekend holed up in our apartment drinking ginger water and watching Beauty and the Beast over and over and over.

We were back on our feet just in time for Spencer to come home from a work trip, and for his mother and step-father to arrive later that evening.  They were here in Perth for a week, after having spent about a week in Melbourne and Sydney respectively.  We had a great time showing them around and Eliot and Peter warmed to them immediately.  We didn't know what to expect because it had been so long since the boys had seen them in person.  But as soon as Eliot set eyes on them he didn't want them to leave his side.  Peter showed off some of his newly acquired language skills and Eliot demonstrated some of his swimming skills in their hotel pool.

While visiting their hotel, Yellow Bear went missing and we spent an anxious night without him, praying that we'd find him.  We called the hotel's housekeeping and Grandma and Grandpa even went back down to the pool (where we thought Yellow Bear had been left) to search under deck chairs and sift through the towel bin.  Nothing.  Eventually a fuzzy memory came to me; Eliot opening an end table drawer in their room and beginning to stuff in Yellow Bear.  I asked Eliot if he had put Yellow Bear into a drawer in Grandma and Grandpa's room.  He looked at me with wide eyes and said that he had.  I asked which one, and straight away he said, "The lamp table.  He can't get out by himself."  Indeed.  That evening Grandma and Grandpa checked the 'lamp table' and Yellow Bear was returned home.  Whew!

Grandma and Grandpa were immediately put to work reading stories and giving snuggles.

Grandma helped Peter act out the story "The Snowy Day."

Tracking kangaroos up at Pinnaroo.

Eliot and Grandma getting a closer look.

Cooling off at a fountain near Grandma and Grandpa's hotel.  The boys are wearing new outfits.  Grandma ran inside the mall to get them after the boys got soaked in the fountain.  I didn't take any pictures of them playing in the fountain because I was with them (at Eliot's request), trying my best to avoid getting wet myself!  Next time we'll have to remember their swimsuits! ;)

We made it down to the beach a few times and made a trip to the Fremantle Market to pet the Koala Bear.

When it came time to say goodbye Eliot started to cry.  Fortunately, their flight wasn't until late in the evening, so Peter got to give them each one of his famous Big Hugs and say Bye! on his way to bed, and Grandma had time to tuck Eliot in one last time.  Both boys were fast asleep and dreaming before they left.  The next morning Eliot asked where Grandma and Grandpa were and when I explained that they were in a big plane, flying home to Canada he said, "No, I want them to jump down.  I want them here."  I think he spoke for all of us.