Then Papa came home from work and the noisy excitement began all over again. We also got to see Uncle Rick and Aunt Joan - whom we haven’t seen in years. Grandma G-G visited bearing gifts. My cousin stopped by with her brand new baby - he is so small and adorable. It seems like only yesterday that Cohen was that little. How quickly time flies!
The rest of the week was a whirlwind. We had so much to do and so little time…
While Craig was at work, I took the girls to see some friends. First up, Melissa's house, where there is always an adventure. There's so much to do - and hear!!! - between her five children and my three! They might be bouncing off the walls, but at least they're having fun doin it!
Partners in crime! :)
We discovered Cohen can sleep through ANYTHING :)
Melissa was like the sister I never had growing up. We were always together when we were little. In fact, she seems to remember details about my childhood that even I don’t remember until she reminds me! If I ever write a memoir, I’ll have to go to her for some extra details…
Melissa and her youngest blue-eyed cutie
Melissa’s family has a new addition: a cute little black dog named Rocky. He’s about a foot long, so he’s very, very tiny; however, Hannah was so afraid of Rocky, he might as well have been a pit bull. I laughed, then felt bad for laughing; I couldn’t help it. It looked kinda funny, this eensie-weensie dog happily bounding and leaping around while my kid ran for cover, terrified. But then, eventually, she tried to play it off like she was not afraid of him anymore. She even crouched down, patted her knees and called him over – while he was still in the next room!! -- to show off to the other kids, like “I’m not afraid, see?” But it was really just a poorly executed cover. Her voice was too high-pitched to be normal, and she was obviously shaking like a leaf, ready to turn tail and run if this rodent-sized, happily oblivious puppy really did heed her calls and head on over.
Next stop? My best friend Chriss’ to see her and her kids. It felt like we’d never left. Chriss made me a beautiful paper bag scrapbook to honor our friendship together - I absolutely LOVED IT! You could tell it took a lot of time to make, and to a mom of three/sometimes four, time is definitely precious! Chriss didn’t see my tears, but they were there, girl! Thanks for being there and for just being you.
Chriss and her beautiful, hungry Madelyn
While we were at Chriss', Hannah enjoyed playing with the new toys. She found two Care Bears that she wanted to play with – share bare and lovey bear…or something like that?! Oh, whatever! Anyways, one of the bears would not sing or talk because its batteries were dead, so she brought it to Chriss for help. Chriss told her it needed batteries and Hannah just spun around and left the room, so I figured maybe she’d moved on, which would be totally SHOCKING because what Hannah wants, Hannah better get! :) But just as Chriss was asking her husband where the screw driver was to open up the battery compartment, Hannah comes back with the screw driver in hand. “Here ya go,” she says, like, “No need to thank me, I’m THAT good!” Okay, the weird part? Chriss doesn’t remember mentioning that she needed a screw driver. And neither of us could figure out where, or even how, she got the screw driver in the first place! Guess some things just can’t be explained…
Our little princesses! Jenna, Rhianna, Hannah, Belle, and hungry Madelyn :)
Chriss' good friend Rebecca came over with her two kids, who are about the same age as Cohen and Hannah. We've all had fun scrapbooking together in the past and it was great to see her.
Later that night, Craig, Cohen and I went out to dinner with our friends while the girls happily remained at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. It was nice to have some adult time, but just as we were finishing up, our evening came to an abrupt end when one of our friends got a phone call with some devastating news that shocked us all. It really made me treasure the time I had with my family even more, because time is not promised to us, and who knows how long we’ll have together?
Friday was family day. My brother and his wife and son came over to my parent’s for a yummy turkey dinner. My Aunt Kathy stopped by to eat with us, too. It was awesome.
Uncle Greg and Grandma with Jenna-bug
Silly girls. What's so funny?
Cohen is still not amused.
The kids always love it at their grandparent's house. They danced around the living room and sang to Disney Sing-A-Long songs. They played with cars, toys and fought like only family can :)
They went for a stroll outside... then played catch me if you can with the adults.
Bbrrrr... it's cold outside!
Hannah lent cousin Cody a jacket and they held hands crossing the street.
Together, we all watched old home movies my aunt had all these years and reminisced while we laughed, but it made me think about the days when all of the cousins were together and the family dynamic was "tease or be teased." And under no circumstances must you cry when/where others can see you! We're still hearing about the "Cryin' Ninja" nearly 20 years later! I think this all started two generations before mine, with my father's father, the grandpa I never met. But then my dad and his siblings and cousins really created memories that make very, very funny stories now. Where is everyone now?!
The time spent in Cali was great, but I only wish we’d had more of it… *sigh* There were more people I was hoping to see. Oh, well. We’ll be back in the summer. It was impossible to fit it all in.
Being in Cali, on this trip, reminded me that family and friends are so very precious and I really tried to enjoy the moments we spent together. Staying in the house where I grew up, with people I love dearly, was very comforting in a time of many life changes. My family is full of love for one another, and I think there's nothing more important in life than to love and be loved by those who know you best. Those who brought you into the world. Those who remember the awkward years, the braces, bad perms, and teenage attitudes, but never stopped caring or believing in you. All of you who know me best know that miles cannot separate us. We will always find a way to be together in spirit. Or over the phone. :)
The flight back was great, except for the hour delay. Jenna slept again for most of the flight. So did Hannah – at least for part of the time. The airline showed a cute movie that helped the time fly :) and I was much more relaxed about the bumpy ride, though all in all, it was a much smoother flight. And the girls loved being up where the “birds fly and the rainbows glow.”
On the way down, the lights from the city twinkled in the darkness and Hannah began to sing “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” for everyone within hearing distance. It was very, very adorable. Jenna was also very sweet, not once asking for a movie! We were worried that she would really dislike flying, but she is so unpredictable! After a fairly rough landing, she laughed, turned to Craig and asked, "Again?!" I was so proud of my kids and how well they did on that plane!
I must say, looking back on it all, that even though the journey was difficult, and the airport a major hassle, I will never return to an airport without my family and not miss having them there with me. That’s the beauty of family. Yeah, it’s tough, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love them. They’re everything to me.
1 comment:
Hey you were right, that IS a cute picture of me ;-) I was so glad you guys could visit and that we got to go out to dinner eventhough it ended so sadly. We are really looking forward to you all coming out this summer! We'll have to have one of our MANY birthday parties while you are here cause it just wouldn't be a party without ya!
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