The long-awaited visit from Nana & Pops...

They arrived late Thursday night - I was already in bed - but of course Nana had to peek in on her little man. As usual, he was sleeping soundly with his little butt in the air. On Friday morning, she couldnt wait and gave Nate his Valentine's Day present a little early. It was a HIT! It was a personalized water bottle with a built-in straw, and Nate was obsessed with it all day long! Carried it everywhere. Good job Nana! We lucked out and had another beautiful weekend, so we headed to our usual spot - the greenway/trailhead with a playground. We took a walk, tried to feed some geese, watched the trains zoom by, and played on the playground. We even met a little girl named Dolce! (Yes, like Dolce & Gabbana - hilarious). Once again, the slide was the favorite... Next, we were off to Pops' favorite place for lunch - Steak'N'Shake. And of course, Nate got a strawberry shake. He LOVED it... I headed off to get a haircut, so Nate got to play with Nana & Pops outside once he woke up from his nap. He got a special treat - goldfish for a snack! - and had fun exploring. They even took him down to see a huge forklift at the neighbors. This kid is obsessed with trucks! Nate was running around like a wild man - as usual - while I was fixing dinner, but finally calmed down once we put an Elmo dvd in. Works like a charm! And since it's about the only time he sits still, it's a good time to get in some cuddling... After dinner, Pops was finally able to give Nate an oreo. He had been waiting patiently all day! And just like at Christmas, Nate loved it!! And it showed...all over his face.... I'm not sure if it was oreos (yes, he had two) or what, but Nate was HYPER after dinner. We all sat in the living room just visiting, and he was running around in circles, literally. He had fun showing off his headstands & doing ring-around-the-rosy with Mom. Saturday was race day! Pops & Greg left around 8:30 am for Nashville, while Nana & I stayed back with Nate and made some signs. We were going to be cheerleaders at the race and surprise them with some signs! Nate didn't want to help, and I had difficulty tracing his hands, so the signs didn't turn out as well as I had planned. In fact, it looked like Nate had a mutant hand - only 4 fingers! We had a great time at the race - Nate loved taking in all the sights - and Greg & Pops both did well, though they said it was super hilly & windy. It was the Fangtastic 5K, put on by the Nashville Predators (the NHL team). Pops was happy b/c there was "good food" afterwards - Panera bagels and fruit. He walked away with 9 extra bagels (yes, this is what he does) and 2 extra longsleeve shirts for me & Nana! Nice! After the race, we headed to the famous Pancake Pantry for brunch. Greg had been looking forward to this for weeks! But unfortunately - and as we had expected - the line was out the door and the wait was over an hour. So we had to leave :( It was already 11 am and Nate was not going to last that long b/f he started to melt down for his nap! Thank goodness Nana was in the backseat with Nate to entertain him, b/c we were in the car for awhile! Peek-a-boo was Nate's game of choice. We also tried to get into Mimi's Cafe once we were back in Murfreesboro, but that place was packed too. Guess lots of people went out to lunch for Valentine's Day! After Nate's nap, we once again headed outside and played. This time, some of the neighborhood kids came over and played "soccer" in the front yard with Greg. Nate loves watching all the big kids! Once inside, Nate got some goldfish again - Nana & Pops are too nice - and he had a ball with the Vday balloon Greg had gotten me. Who knew a balloon could be so fun?! Greg & I got to go out for a rare date night, while Nana & Pops had a "Nate night" for Valentine's Day. They took him to Las Palmas, our fave cheap mexican place, and said he was great! Ate (and threw on the floor) a ton of rice, chips, and quesadilla. I'm sure the staff was super happy when they left, and saw the 8 lbs of rice on the floor! He enjoyed his time with Nana & Pops, and we had a super duper Vday ourselves. For once, Nana & Pops didn't rush off so early in the morning, so they got to hang with Nate for about an hour today. Lots of giggles, dancing, funny faces, and playing on the sit-n-spin. We had a great visit!!