Family Time

 After over a year and a half, the Martin Crew finally got to hug up on Papa!!!!

We all agree that we have faired well through COVID, but it has not been easy to be away from family.  Luckily, the boys picked up their relationship with Papa without any hesitation.

Alexander and my dad were always very close, and though Niko was still an infant the last time he saw Papa face-to-face, video chats have played a big role in keeping Papa as a major part of our lives.

It was the perfect plan, because my dad planned his visit to coincide with Ryan and Mary's Vegas trip.  This was extra special because we were supposed to do this combined visit last March, but my dad decided to wait to visit because things had begun to get worrisome with the virus.  It's over a year later, but we made it happen and we made some great memories!!

With heat continuing to push 110 degrees, we spent most of our time in the water

As usual, Alexander wanted to capture all of Aunt Mary's attention!

Niko took to Aunt Mary as soon as we picked them up from the airport!

The boys definitely filled their cups with Papa snuggles, even when he tried to catch a quick snooze

We got to have a night out, meeting Ryan and Mary and their friend Liz at Sushi Samba

Papa got Niko the classic fishing game, Baby Shark style (it sings the song on repeat) and the boys love it!

He also got us a manual pole saw which led to some overdue tree trimming

It was surprisingly fun and rewarding, but I was sore the next day!

I hope visits like this become a tradition.  We absolutely loved spending time all together.

I'm a boy mom now, but these two were the original men in my life and I couldn't have been more blessed!