MJ's Aunt Sharon came to visit Grandma for Thanksgiving, and we were able to spend a lovely afternoon with her that weekend.
The kids didn't remember meeting her in DC when we went in 2018, but they warmed up immediately. CC even modeled the Halloween costume she made for herself, and Sharon was duly impressed. We chatted for several hours, and it was so nice to catch up. Maybe someday soon we can visit her in New York City!
Last weekend we were BUSY. On top of our normal weekend activities, the girls had two Cirque performances on Saturday. And on Sunday, Little Man and CC had their second cross-country meet. Grandpa and Grandma joined up for both events, and Memere and Pepere came to town, too.
Cirque went well. It was the studio's annual "Tricks and Treats" festival. There were lots of activities, and two shows in the afternoon. CC's contemporary dance class performed in the first show. The second show featured a silks solo by CC, plus a number by Sweet Pea and CC's jazz class.
Direct link here: https://youtu.be/jFAobsZoXGQ
CC was extremely nervous about her solo. She worked her tail off these last few weeks, doing all the choreography herself, selecting music, and picking out her costume. She even learned several skills just for this solo -- like tying a knot in the silks with her feet. At the dress rehearsal the night before, she made a big mistake, and she woke up the morning of the show in tears, convinced she'd do it again. But I told her that people in the performing arts always say that a bad dress rehearsal leads to a great performance. And that was definitely the case with her solo! It was beautiful. I was so proud of her for putting herself out there and taking such a big risk.
The next morning we went to early Mass, in order to be at the cross-country course by 9:30. CC and Little Man were raring to go after having so much fun at their first meet. The rest of us stood around, shivering in the cold and wind! It was a complete turnaround from the day before, which had been hot.
The weekend was successful all the way around!
Definitely a highlight of the year -- we got to see Abby and Anna this weekend!
We took them to an amusement park on Saturday, and although I was concerned about the weather and the crowds, we were very lucky -- it was mostly cloudy during the day, which kept the heat down, and the crowds weren't bad at all! We rode all our favorite roller coasters (sometimes twice) and went on plenty of other rides as well. Sweet Pea is finally tall enough to ride all the BIG coasters, and it turns out she's just as big a coaster junkie as CC!
Little Man went on everything except the huge coasters, and he and I hung with Grandma when we weren't on rides. She was a trooper, despite her recent knee replacement!
On Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa treated everyone to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. Afterwards, the whole family came back to our house, where we played games, chatted, deep-fried Oreos, played piano, and showed them everything we've been up to lately. It was lovely and over too quickly, but we loved seeing them.
Ted came to visit! Well, he actually came here for work, but bonus: we got to see him for dinner last night! It was a lovely evening, and so nice to catch up and exchange hugs.
We considered going without the kids, but Ted thought it would be really nice to see them. So CC and Little Man came (Sweet Pea was at Cirque, naturally). Even better, Ted thinks he'll be here once a year for the foreseeable future.
It was a lovely Thanksgiving! Jon, Susan, Dane and Hayden came from Texas to celebrate with us, and it was so nice to have my side of the family all together again. Patrick and Karen hosted, so we all gathered at their house for the day and relaxed, ate delicious food, celebrated Braxton, Bryson and Dane's birthdays, and enjoyed being together.
The kids had the most fun outside, because since we'd been to their house Patrick has added a zip line. The girls played on it almost the entire time. The boys played football, and Matt even joined in to lead a scrimmage (Bryson and Dane won).
Jon and Susan stayed with us for their visit, and there was a lot of laughter, games, whispering, and more football. Little Man and Dane played chess, and to Little Man's shock, he didn't lose! He played Dane to a stalemate, which he took as a massive win, and ran whooping around the house.
The next day, Fran and Sally came over, and we had another Thanksgiving celebration (with lasagna this time). We watched football and played many rounds of Uno.
My heart is full! Now we look forward to Christmas.
I was excited to hear from my cousin, Robin, that she'd be in town with two of her daughters. They had a wedding to attend, and included a stop here in their itinerary. They came over for dinner and we had a great time! Even better, my parents made an impromptu trip here to see them as well, so we had a full house and loads of fun.
Jacqui and Taylor updated us on their goings-on (college and jobs), and filled us in on what all the family was up to. It was great to hear about my other cousins, and see pictures of them and their kids. Family is wonderful!
This weekend, Sweet Pea and Little Man had their big birthday bash at a trampoline park, and they had a blast. Braxton and Bryson came with Aunt Karen and Uncle Patrick, plus all four grandparents, plus friends. It was wild! They were red-faced and sweaty but beaming.
All four (my three plus Emmy) wore their new tie-dyed shirts, which turned out so well!
Memere came through with a delicious cake that had the kids beaming: a Mandalorian cake with both Mando (Little Man) and Grogu (Sweet Pea). It was half strawberry (Sweet Pea) and half red velvet (Little Man).
The bounced and swung and dodged and flew and climbed to their hearts' content.
Afterwards Memere and Pepere spent the weekend, which included playing games and opening their presents. Sweet Pea got a big scooter and new helmet, some books she's been wanting, a fanny pack (they're back in style!) and a fun storage clipboard. Little Man got an awesome new baseball bag filled with new balls, a new bat, and wraparound sunglasses that he's really excited about. He also got a massive Nerf gun that he's been terrorizing us all with.
Then we took an outing to the toy store so the twins could spend their new gift cards. (They both chose stuffed animals: two snakes and an elephant.)
Cheers to fun weekend visits, and another awesome birthday party!
We had to bid a temporary farewell to Dane and Hayden last week. Jon got a new job in Fort Worth, Texas, and they had to move very quickly. Dane and Hayden stayed with Memere and Pepere for a week while Jon and Susan house-hunted and explored schools and neighborhoods. So while they were there, I took the kids and went to visit, too.
It was bittersweet, but an emphasis on the sweet. We went to the pool, played board games, visited a local museum we used to go to all the time when the kids were younger, played more games, made catapults, and savored the time we had together.
Like Little Man says, "They're not disappearing! They're just moving! We'll see them again." And that's true. But we're still sad that we can't just get in the car and drive to visit them anymore. Say howdy to Texas for us, y'all, and let us know when you're ready for visitors!
What a fun weekend! Dane and Hayden came to stay on Friday night, on their way to one of Dane's ninja meets. So the cousins got to see each other on St Patrick's Day, and eat Irish Soda Bread and have chocolate coins. Yum!
It was also the first time Dane and CC had been together since CC got her braces. Now they match.
When they left the next morning, Hayden and Leia stayed with us for the day, which was super fun! Hayden watched CC's swim practice, and Leia came with us to pick Sweet Pea up from dance.
Cousins are for sleepovers, playing PlayStation, making bracelets and baking cookies!
(Jon and Susan were at a football game with friends, so we had Dane and Hayden all to ourselves!)
