So much for my sit and home-be bored-have an uneventful Christmas!!
That did not happen… I reminded myself of that as I drove into work today and felt like I had not been on break- but more like I had been broken ?.
My parents flew in for Christmas on Christmas Eve- We open gifts that night- Christmas Day Steve, Penny, and Zachary come over. Then that night we got the news about Grandma passing away.
Mom and Dad flew out early on Thursday- and we flew out early on Friday- we connected in St. Louis to be with them on that flight. We were supposed to have a one hour layover and had a four hour layover- can you say snow-and Minneapolis. So we got in at like 7:00 PM to Minneapolis after leaving Charlotte at 8:00 Am.
When we arrive we walk through the jet-way and it is like a ton of bricks hitting you in the face. It was 19 degrees (and I don’t think they added that up right) so that was like what? 470 below zero with the wind chill factor? We go to the rental car and they had let our min-van go because we were so late. So they offer us a 15 passenger van. Great you might think? Well that is because they don’t know that the females in the group are walking penguins and the step was like climbing Mount Everest.
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Let me also add a tad bit of my conversations with Emma for the day-
Mom-
Yes Emma
Look down
What Emma?
I think you stomach is getting bigger
Really?
You are huge already
Really? (Ready to hit her over the head with her “whatever” backpack)
Yes- how big is the baby? The size of my hand?
No Emma about the size of your thumb?
My thumb?
Yes
Then why is your stomach so huge?
I don’t know
You should have lost weight before this happened
DO YOU THINK???
Then She knows that I should not be drinking diet coke (Note to self do not tell Emma what I can and can not due while pregnant)
I order a diet coke on the plane and my six year old tells the flight attendant- she will have a water (then puts her hands around her mouth and proclaims) SHE IS 39 AND PREGNANT.
Great now that we have the planes attention- we can take off.
So we arrive at 9:30 PM at our hotel. The girls are enthralled-
The next morning…
There is snow as far as the eyes can see. They have a buffet breakfast in the am (like a cruise-ship but without any variety) and there is snow waiting to be leaped in.
They last about 45 minutes until they plead to get out into the snow.
I sent them out with John. They had no snow clothes- so they had tights/their PJs pants/skirts/PJ tops/swears/coats/gloves/hats on. They looked like two marshmallows.
We met my cousin for lunch, went to look at the old farm (where I was raised with my Grandparents), went Winona (neighboring town) and back to hotel.
The next day we went early to the funeral home to see my Grandma and then that day was the viewing and the funeral. It was a great turnout even in feet of snow. So many cousins, family friends, and church members came out. I had to speak- and made it through. I told of how fitting she went to be “home” for Christmas and that she always loved the season. I wished I could have been there for that great reunion.
Every region from the Foreign Missions Department sent arrangements along with my parents church, our church, and a lot of friends of the family. Brother Howell also came. So glad for my Mom as this was such a hard, hard day for her.
The church had a really nice dinner for everyone afterwards. I was amazed at how many people there were born when their Mom was over 40 or had a sibling when their parents where that age (yes- elderly pregnancy stories spread like wild fires in churches) Smile.
We wanted to do something “lighthearted” after the funeral so we took the girls to the sky slopes by the hotel. They got to see the kids going down the bunny hill at night – very cute- and the snowboarders. They both put away their ambitions of being a beautician or artist (Emma) or Schoolteacher (Seanna) and they are both going to be professional skiers (Hmmmmmm).
On Monday the 31st they got to sled for the first time ever. Emma is ready to move! We went to my cousins house and they had a blast. They bundled up and hit the trails. They were zooming so fast. They had a cat that insisted on jumping on with them and she would fly off ½ way down.
We flew out Monday Night to St. Louis- Got to the parking garage to find the tire was flat. Yahoo (after all the bags and everything was loaded) we got home at 10:30- Were supposed to go to a party- Did not go and I was in bed by 11:30- I told John it was 12:30 in Charlotte ?
We flew out on Tuesday and got home last night at 9:00 ish.
I don’t know why I would be tired today- how can you get tired when you have dreams of sitting in a chair all vacation ?
The Girls were crying on the way to school today- It was hard to get them up. Emma however in the midst of tears perked up and said- Oh I can’t be sad today- I got the best Christmas gift ever- My Mom is having a baby!! Seanna said me too!!
Joy has arrived at the Nickel house- and Joy is How many months away still? I don’t have a clue- but I will let you know after I go do the DR on the 31st ?
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