Meeting Grandpa Groves

Just let me finish our trip if you don't mind! Since this trip, I have already been to st. louis and back! Thanks, Kathryn, for treating me to dinner! Tell the hubs I said so too! It was great to see ya!

Ok, flashback... to WISCONSIN!!

And this was the sign that let us know that we were ALMOST there!! In fact, we had reservations at the Hickory Hotel!

We very briefly dropped our bags at the hotel, then headed straight to the golf course, where Todd's Grandpa Groves and his uncles were already on the tee box!

And here it is... the very moment that Grandpa Groves met Gabbi for the first time.

And it was the second time he's ever seen Ellie, and the first time, she was right at 12 months old!

Grandpa Groves is the gentlest, kindest, fairest guy! He was the town's banker. He is quite respected and lives a very moedest life in the town in which he raised all his boys (four) and lived with Todd's grandmother for, I suppose, their whole lives.

Grandpa Groves very much loves his family! And now, he has two more little girls to consider his family and to whom to spread his love!

I love visiting Wisconsin.... in the SUMMER!! I don't know how I'd do with all that snow! But, in the summer, the flowers are AWESOME, because the ground is so moist, I suppose, from the melted snow!

The boys teed off, and the girls just admired from afar!

This is tradition. The Groves boys meet the day before the Viroqua Open and all play together. Both of Todd's uncles, and now three of his cousins too. Along with Grandpa Groves, of course. He is still hittin em long.

Have I mentioned Todd is a really, really, really good golfer?! Well, he is! Now that he's employed by Melanie Massey Physical Therapy, he doesnt' get to play as often as he used to. (I hear, his boss is a stickler for punctuality and attendance). He would DEFINITELY argue over that "boss" statement!

And Grandpa Groves knows he cant' really play in the Open anymore, but he wouldn't miss playing with all his boys!

His back is really stiff, with age, but he is quite prudent, and has figured out how to modify his swing to disallow much rotation of the spine at all. He is just really something. A very neat man!

Way to Go, Grandpa!!

The girls and I watched a while from the clubhouse!

And then, we watched a while from a golf cart too!

Here is another close up of Ellie's outbreak with the sun. I still have no idea what happened with that. A sun sensitivity?!

Gabbi is coming into her own lately. She saw her daddy down there on the green and toof off to see him!! SHe's running here. Isn't that sweet?!

Grandpa and Grandma Groves had all boys. Havent' I mentioned that? ANd all grandsons, except one!! So, now he is having great grands!! These are the only two girls other than one girl cousin of Todd's.

And then, Ellie grabbed the camera! Niiiiiiiiiiiice!!

Absolutley no problem getting my girls to smile!! They are pretty accustomed to photo ops!

And this is the tree that was planted MANY years ago, when Todd's dad passed away.

Every year, all the guys take a picture by it. The first pic showed the tree about 5' tall. And look at it now.

There's a plaque on the base of it that says In Memory of Scott Groves. I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see that tree!! And now my girlies are a part of that tradition too!

I am so happy that we got to spend time with Todd's family, and especially glad that they got to

meet our girls. For a 36-38 or somewhere around that, hour, roadtrip, it was surprisingly smooth!

Family is important to me, and I want it to be very important to my girls.

MO