Time With Our Sweet Nana

I'm often in awe at the grace that my babies have so many grandmas in their lives. Would you believe that there are TEN?! Three grandmas, four great grandmas, two great-greats, and one adopted from church. They are each such a treasure to us and love our boys so well.

This past Saturday we finally had the chance to visit our Nana after a serious bout with pneumonia and her move from Jer's parents to a rehabilitation clinic. To say the change wasn't rough on everybody would be a lie. The boys especially had a hard time. They went from seeing her a couple times a week to not really knowing where she was or even having the option to visit. It had been several months of impromptu tears and upsets but that all ended Saturday when they got to see that their beloved Nana was resting well! 

Before we left, we tried fiendishly to get a photo of this five generation span. Although this was the best we could do in the short time before Grace came undone, I have to admit this picture is so precious to me. It truly shows just how much love exists between this grandmother and her grandchildren. Nearly ninety one years old and still clutching a baby in her lap and an arm around another. As for the other two, they're holding on to the sides of her wheelchair that she just finished giving them rides in. 

What a heritage she has both her on earth and in Heaven. And what a blessing that we have gotten to claim her as ours. 

28 Weeks and EVERYONE Needs a Grandma Joyce!

Tonight, while I was downloading pictures off my camera, I came across this photo. It was taken two days before Christmas. It's our DRIVEWAY and those tracks are from a TRACTOR. As in, the only vehicle big enough to get in and out of our road until the plow came. And to think that living in Albuquerque we rarely got but a few inches! We still have snow left from this storm and what's no longer snow is now mud. And for those who don't know about mountain mud, I think it takes the cake on just about every kind of mess there is. And it claims every pair of shoes that a family of five can own. Where is the Pinterest board for that little problemo, I ask you?!

Truly, my reason for downloading pictures though was not to blog about our eight week old snow  or my mud woes but to update my mom on a belly pic. So here ya go mom! TWENTY EIGHT WEEKS. Looks mighty familiar and boy-ish, donchathink?!

And last but not least, can I just say that everyone needs a Grandma Joyce. Not only is she the Mickey Mouse pancake extraordinaire but she just loves up each and every one of her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids to the core. This last week, she even came and spent the entire Tuesday with us hemming, and ironing, and hanging my new curtains for me. All while she insisted that I put my leg up with a bag of ice. 

I'm telling you, everyone needs a Grandma Joyce.

What a Zoo!

This weekend, my mom and Mark were in town and we decided to subject them to the desert heat and hit the zoo. It was the first time for us four too!

The boys had all kinds of grand adventures!

And saw all kinds of exotic animals!

Abe explored...

...and Ben adored...Grandpa Mark.

And more Grandpa Mark.

And even more Grandpa Mark.

And we all felt like Abe looked by the end of the day.

Yeah for the zoo!

5 Generations of Sloans

Top: (Great) Grandma Glennie, (Great-Great) Nana, (Grandma) Mimi

Bottom: Mom, Ben, Dad, Abe

Taken at Jeremy's birthday dinner. This is definitely something you don't see everyday! How special that the boys have SO many grandma's to love on them!