- Nine days ago both Sons Brian and Tony, along with their families, flew into town. Today they all climbed into a rental car for the trip to the airport to catch their flights. Just like that everyone was gone, and the house was weirdly still.
- Not everyone was here for the entire time. The day after Christmas Brian, Nicole, Grandson Jay, and Yves the dog left for a trip to Columbia, Missouri. They returned last night. While they were gone we got to have some quality time with Tony and Ie.
- The week was a mixture of ups and downs. Grandson Jay ended up having an ear infection, diagnosed at an urgent care on Christmas Eve morning. The illness muted his normally bubbling personality (but the good news is that he was better by the family's return). The day before everyone arrived I started with cold symptoms, which got worse and worse. By Christmas evening my voice was raspy, my throat was sore from trying to talk, and I had a cough that wouldn't quit. The next day I laid around with no energy, and ended up going to the urgent care after dinner. My diagnosis was bronchitis, which is better but still not gone.
- The cats have never been in close contact with a baby before. Jackson pretty much stayed in my bedroom for the entire time (the first two days under the bed), but Pepper was brave enough to make an occasional jaunt downstairs. Jay thought it was great fun to toddle along trying to catch him. Pepper wasn't quite as excited.
- Our extended family celebration was smaller this year. Thanks to a new baby born just four days earlier my nephew and his family stayed home. However, the set of one-year old twin great nephews that were still in the hospital last Christmas were able to be here. Including Jay, that was the first time in years there were so many little ones in the house.
- We had a dusting of snow on Saturday morning, the first time Jay had seen anything like it. He enjoyed looking out the family room door at the deck, but wasn't too sure about touching the white stuff when his dad took him out in it.
- I had done quite a thorough job of organizing the kitchen, but Jay spent hours trying to improve on my work. It will take me quite some time to get everything back where it belongs.
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| Pans don't go in the cabinet, Grandma! |
Great family time despite the illnesses thanks for sharing! Happy New Year Kathy!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you, too!
DeleteHow wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good time, except for those cold setbacks. Darn it, why do those things happen when company appears. Terry also fell ill while our kids were here, but at least after seeing the Star Wars movie. He thinks he ate too much popcorn and that was his downfall.
ReplyDeleteYou will find that redoing the house gets easier as the grandkids get older. I no longer have to move furniture for their visits, except to get out the roll-away bed.
It makes sense that cleaning the house for a toddler visit would be more extensive than for older children. The good news is that I found some unneeded items when I was cleaning that went into the thrift store pile.
DeleteChristmas can be exhausting. I think my brother and his wife, who stopped in town for breakfast on their way home from a week with their adult kids in Washington, were so happy to be headed home. They looked tense and exhausted.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd enjoy spending the time away from my home and routine.
Deletehappy new year, my friend!
ReplyDeleteAnd back to you. too.
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