Family Visits

Yet another recap post that will be boring to most but important for me to document for my own sake. Or maybe this is just what my blog really entails, aside from pregnancy updates and the MMIW series: random life updates and recaps. Who knew? ;)

My mom visited us for a whole week recently and Memaw was here for five days, for Cecelia's birthday but it was also the last time I will see them before baby boy arrives. Memaw and Pepaw are going to fly up here again at the end of July, and Mom and Dad are going to fly here right when the baby is born...or they will attempt to time it that way. It's a little harder for them to hop in the car and meet us at the hospital now that the drive is 15 hours from Colorado instead of 'just' 8 hours from mid-Missouri. So flying is a must, but it's hard to predict when they should buy tickets!

I feel like I always say that having kids brings about the highest of highs and the lowest of lows---extremes of emotions. I also sort of think that having super-important family living states away similarly brings intense joy when they visit, and then it's SUCH a let down when they leave. Along those same lines, it also seems like life gets exponentially easier with my mom here and then the post-visitor crash makes everything harder. So anyway, totally worth it to have my out of state family visit us but we always have to brace ourselves for extreme fun/easiness with extra helping hands followed by an extreme trip back to reality/routine. (read: spoiled kids need time to adjust back to mom's rules). 

We all had an excellent visit together this time (as always). Sure, emails and texting and the blog/Flickr are a great way to stay connected but there is nothing like quality time in person! So onto a picture heavy, text light recap.


Tuesday 5/27/14: our visitors arrived around dinner time! The kids were immediately in heaven and it was tough to convince them about bedtime.




Wednesday 5/28/14: Cecelia's Birthday!! I kept both kids home from Lori's this day while I worked and Mom/MM watched the kids. They had a ball. After I got home from work I made dinner, and we all walked to get FroYo for our girl. Nate met us there and we brought our own candle/lighter for a tiny celebration.








Thursday 5/29/14: I was home with the crew all day! We went to Jacobus park, played outside at our house, and then Nate and I went to our anniversary dinner while Mom/MM took the kids to McDonalds. Pretty awesome day.











Friday 5/30/14: I worked again and planned to send the kids to Lori's, letting mom and Memaw rest at home. But we ended up keeping them home since they were all having so much fun and Mom swore she didn't need a rest from her grandkids. I had an OB appt at the end of this work day so it was an extra long one away from the family. But then we got take out pizza and Lois met us all over here for dinner, too, so I cannot complain. Cecelia and Truman were beyond adorable playing nicely in CC's new hot pink chair from Land of Nod. Therefore I had to take pictures of this special moment between a sister and a brother who usually DO get along, but sometimes it's hard to handle the sweetness between the two of them.


Saturday 5/31/14:
Party prep and party evening for our girl! Also, I forgot to mention that this was my parents' 39th wedding anniversary. And they spent it apart, yet again, in honor of our little Wisconsin family. I am so inspired by my parents constantly but seriously? Thirty-nine years together? Incredible. Both Nate and I are so incredibly lucky to have fantastic marriage role models in our parents. Mom and Dad did get to talk on the phone a bit for their big day, no worries;)

Also, Memaw and Truman are best buddies and I love it.


Sunday 6/1/14: We all hung around the house before heading to the (very crowded) pool. After that we had to say goodbye to Memaw and I took her to the airport. We had dinner with everyone including Tony and Lois at our house--he had just returned from his 3 week long Nepal trip so it was great to finally catch up with him a bit, since it was too crazy at CC's party the night before to really chat.






Hilarious matching 'Yak Yak Yak' shirts from Nepal!


Monday 6/2/14: I worked and mom stayed home with both kids. The did not miss me;) That night we all went to Truman's soccer practice and Nate was even able to make part of it (first time he got off early enough!). Then Nate went to the Brewers game and Mom and I did bedtime alone for two very tired children.





Tuesday 6/3/14: Our last day at home together and we made it count. Mom and I took the kids to Cranky Al's for donuts, then to the library, and then CC had a major meltdown about being strapped into her car seat so we nixed the idea of a playground. But once she was napping we had a fun picnic lunch outside, rode bikes, and took a walk when the princess awoke. Mom and I wanted to get our traditional mani/pedicures when Nate got home (his early afternoon at work!) but CC would not let Mom out of her sight. So we took Cecelia with us on a whim and she did great! She even got a coat of polish and a finger soak in a bowl of water, along with two suckers---happy girl! We had to say goodbye to Mom, Nate and his dad took the kids to Nate's sand volleyball game, and I took mom to the airport. Surprisingly, no tears were shed because we know we will all see each other again SOON and we are too excited to meet this baby boy to be sad right now!















The crash after such a fun visit probably hit Cecelia the hardest. Later this night she was a hot mess of all hot messes, melting down and just wow. Truman was also a bit teary but nothing like his sister. And the next morning's pre-daycare rush-rush-rush routine was brutal. But we survived and seem to be back in the swing of our 'normal' days here now. Just in time for a new baby to stir things up again. ;)