But made it to Bill and Tamara’s by dinner time. We got some play time in with them before bed. Olivia hung out with Tamara in the morning and “helped” her with her perfume. When Tamara went to work, the rest of us headed to the mall to walk around.
Bill treated the kids to little rides and chocolates, and all of us to lunch at Red Robin! Yummmm! Thanks!
Then we spent Friday afternoon with Jane! The kids love their Mutti! It was nice to visit with her and play with Bug. Hopefully they will move near us this year!
Friday evening, the kids and I went to Elizabeth while Nicholas stayed with Mutti to continue visiting. Aunt Heidi, Isaac, and Asher were there at Mom and Dad’s when we got there and the playing started!
Saturday brought lots of play and visiting time! The cousins are playing SO well together that it gives the adults time to talk!
Laura’s birthday was Saturday, so Heidi baked a cake, and we all had lunch together! Then Xavier played the flute for us, and he is really good!
Sunday, Nicholas came out to join us for brunch! It was great for him to get to see Mom, Dad, and Grandma! And the cousins had a little extra time to play and snuggle!
Each time we visit, we realize how nice it would be to be closer and how lucky we are to have the family we have. I feel thankful for my parents and all the ways they show love—from giving us beef to making meals while we are there, to watching kids outside so we can catch up inside. I am thankful for my weekly phone calls with my sisters, Mom, and Grandma. And I am thankful for Grandma and all she has done for me in my life—from moving from ND to help my mom when we were young, teaching us how to sew, garden, and cook along with my mom, to just being a calming presence in my life. I look forward to the stories and the wisdom I hear from her each week.
And another shout out to Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Brandon for hosting us each time we come in, never judging our explosion of stuff into their house, and including the kids in whatever farm stuff is going on. Olivia LOVED driving the Kubota and “helping” out on the farm.
We spent Sunday afternoon with Mutti, and that was perfect since she takes the kids when they are grumpy and smiles knowingly and loves them anyway. Jane let the kids feel needed by letting them “train and exercise” Bug. We even took him to a playground!
Leo lost his first tooth on Sunday, too!! He was eating bacon and thought the tooth was a seed or gristle and just put it on the table. When I noticed his smile was different, we retraced his steps and found it on the table! Ha! The tooth fairy came with a silver dollar when we spent the night at Bill’s! Leo was thrilled!
And special thanks to Bill and Tamara for letting us crash at their place without question. I know our family of five is a lot to take when you don’t normally have kids in the house!
Finally, extra special thanks to Nicholas for making these trips happen! He packs and cleans the car, and drives the entire way—even in the snow—without complaining. Thanks, honey! We love you!
What a beautiful and loving post. A thank you for Christine, too. You provide us with such a wonderful blog where we can keep a record of our time together. It was such a wonderful visit with everyone. Thank you for being so kind.
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