Grandma's Visit and a Weekend in Chattanooga

So, the first week of April was complete heaven for us here in Nashville! My mom, Cindy came to visit us for her Spring Break. We spent time just hanging out around the house and playing. Michaela called her "Gamma" to her face for the first time and brought her to tears. I can't even describe how good it was for Miki to have her here. (I think it was a little beneficial to Grandma too.) We are lucky to have good friends and a comfy little house here. But one of my biggest regrets right now is that Miki doesn't have the close interaction with our extended family that I know would only be good for her. She is such an amazing little girl and she teaches me new lessons every day. She is happy here because she doesn't know any different and I am so glad. But it is hard for me to have her miss this time with cousins and aunties and grandparents. So, that being said, we had a great time. Grandma and Miki read books and played games. We all went to the zoo and saw all of the fun animals. We took mom to the Opryland Hotel and had a delicious burger at STAX. Then we went and got gelato. Also delicious. We were able to have friends over to get to know my mom a little better as well which is also really nice. It's so nice when the people that we talk about to each other get to meet in person. We grilled burgers and had a fire in the fire pit that Matt built in the back yard. One of the other highlights of the week was our ultrasound on Friday the 6th.

Mom got to be here to see that we will be having her 6th granddaughter in September! Lucy Jean Griffith is what we are naming her. Matt and I are so excited for Miki to have a sister so close in age to her. As you all know, my sisters are my best friends. We didn't always get along like we do now of course but growing up with them made me into the woman I am today. They constantly inspire me with their strength, testimonies of the gospel and the amazing men that they have chosen for companions. I love that Miki will have so many girl cousins close in age to her and a sister to share memories with! We are planning on having more kids later but we are excited to be able to enjoy our 2 girls for awhile.

I have to share this cause it's so adorable. Matt gave me a hug when we got home from our ultrasound and said that he didn't want to say anything before cause he didn't want me to think he would be disappointed if we were having a boy but, he was really hoping for a girl. Because "girls are so much fun!" He is such an amazing husband and he loves his Miki girl so much, I am looking forward to watching his relationship grow with Lucy. And mine too. What a welcome addition to our family!

As I said, Lucy will be the 6th granddaughter on my side in 2 1/2 years. When I called all of the family to tell them it was a girl everyone just giggled. We love having so many girls in our family!

So, to get us out of town a little bit, Matt to Miki and I to Chattanooga, Tennessee over the weekend. It was so nice to get away for a few days. We took Miki to the Tennessee Aquarium which was awesome! She loves all of the "fishies" and "nakes" (snakes) and she tried to grab the fish out of the air in the Imax 3D Coral Reef movie. We took her swimming in the hotel pool twice and she had a blast! She picked out her own bright pink swimsuit just for the occasion. We really liked Chattanooga. It's a great little city with a huge river running down its center. There is a great atmosphere there and nice people. Mommy needed a break and it was so good to have one. Even if it was short.

So, we are going to start preparing for little miss Lucy to join us in September. We are excited for all of the changes in our whole family in the next few months. Lots of babies and visits and fun planned. So, if you get a desire to come and visit us, please do. Every little distraction helps me so much right now. I am still not feeling wonderful all of the time and have been exhausted with this pregnancy. I am grateful for modern technology that helps us to keep in touch with people so easily. But there is nothing as good as a face to face convo and some good ole family time. Well, we love you all! Hope all is well.

Matt, Stef and Miki