Anyway, this past weekend, Ava & Josie got to spend a couple of days with the Greco family. A little backstory on the Grecos. When I was first offered my job with USIS, Josie was about 7 months old and I was desperately seeking a childcare provider for her. I have never been keen on babies in daycare centers (and having operated one for awhile, still stand firm on that). Rather than go into all the reasons why, and in an effort to not bore you with all the details regarding my search for someone to entrust with my precious baby's care...I'll make it short by saying that a series of events led to me meeting Sue Greco, who agreed to leave her job at a doctor's office to stay home and watch my baby (and Ava, who was only in Pre-K at the time). Little did I know at the time just how truly BLESSED our entire family would be by this arrangement.
Sue, her husband, Mike and their teenage kids, Katie & Ben (Jason was out of the home by then) welcomed our kids with open arms, nurturing, loving and caring for them in the way a family truly loves and cares for one another. They were patient, kind, fun-loving, energetic, flexible....just amazing. Sue was there when this mom forgot to send Ava in a Halloween costume for her Kindergarten party. She had a costume of Katie's she'd saved (and it was better than the one I had for Ava that year!). She had dolls & toys & all kinds of fun things she'd saved of her kids' that my kids loved to play with. All of the Grecos are playful and fun-loving, and my girls (and Thad & I) ADORED them. Honestly, with us living 2 hours from home and only seeing the grandparents a few times per year, the Grecos sort of became like fill-in grandparents/aunts/uncles to Ava & Josie. They saw Josie take her first steps, were with Ava as she started Kindergarten, spent summers swimming in their pool and playing at the playground nearby.
It was incredibly difficult moving away from them. I knew I'd never, ever find another family like them to care for Ava & Josie, and was especially concerned about Josie when we moved because Ava was in school full-time by then, but Josie still needed a babysitter/daycare. I found someone good after a brief search, but she was no Sue. Not even close.
Anyway, in December 2011, Ava & Josie were flower girls in Katie & Geoff's wedding back in PA. It was a magical night for all of us. A perfect wedding and fantastic experience all around. I think that may have been the last time we've seen them :-(. We try to see them when we go home, but our trips to PA are few and far between, so we really don't get to see each other very often. In addition, they all live in Beaver County and our families are all still in Clarion County, so it requires some extra travel & planning to visit.
Well, after a few bumps in the road trying to get them there, Ava & Josie just spent an epic weekend with their biggest big "sis" (or super cool extra-auntie, however you look at it), Katie, and Mike & Sue (who the girls call "MissSue" - all one word. Josie used to call Mike, "Mite" - forEVER). They had a big sleepover party and went to the Pittsburgh Zoo, went to "their" playground, watched movies, played cards & cornhole, built a fire and had s'mores, etc, etc). Katie sent me pictures each day and my heart just about burst each time, looking at their faces. I am so, SOOOO happy we were able to work things out so they could spend this precious time together. And major, special thanks to my dad, who drove them from NY to PA, despite having plans, and my MIL, who communicated with Katie along the way and dropped off and picked up the girls in Grove City. We all truly appreciate it!!!!! Thank you, thank you!
Anyway, here are the photos from their weekend. Enjoy!
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