...8.6...Friday Favorites...Family...

...when we lived in North Dakota...we came 'home' once each year...so there was not a lot of family visiting...and we're happier to be close enough now to do things like this...and have longer and more frequent family visits...

...most of our days this week looked like this...

...lots of spinning...not me though...but I can remember loving to spin when I was little...now...it just makes me kind of seasick...

...why are baby swings so much fun...when you're too big for them...haha...

...more spinning...I did actually get on for a couple of rounds...but quickly abandoned that ship...

...a midday 'hike'...

...she found a walking stick before we even started up the trail...and then collected some pine cones...in case we got hungry...she's hilarious...

...we went back to the playground every evening after dinner...this is a game where she 'does something' on the slide and then I have to do the exact same thing...sometimes I get to be the leader...haha...

...more scootering...I'm on my bike...kind of wishing I had a scooter though...

...more spinning...

...more follow the leader...

...the follow the leader game moves around...

...it was actually easier for me to jump across the tables...just because I'm bigger...but most of the things she did were more difficult for me than her...

...and in between all that playing we did some more beadwork...working on a Christmas ornament...watching Barbie...

...but when she worked on the fancy glass beadwork...she was pretty focused...

...after some ballet, beadwork, tv watching, hide and seek, and snacking...it was time to go back to the playground one last time...

...where we stayed until it was properly dark...

...and on her last day here...she got all of her finished ornaments together...

...she even made one for her Auntie...sweet...

...the almost finished glass bead ornament...I got the needle-nosed pliers to finish just the ends...she did everything else herself...it's gorgeous...

...and then she got all of her little 'presents' wrapped up...

...decorated and ready for gifting...

...and we spent our last little bit of time waiting on her parents to arrive working some puzzles...

...she had sorted them by difficulty...and worked them from easiest to hardest...

...and we had one more evening of lightening bug chasing...

...we had so much fun!...family is the BEST!...

~Have a lovely day!