When we returned to Texas for Michael's Celebration of Life Service, we were fortunate to spend a lot of time with family. The kids have pretty much become experts at air travel at this point, and I am just so thankful that they do so well on flights. They have had such great attitudes, even when their Yoto players haven't worked; they have been {mostly} patient, shared with each other, and been such great travelers!
On our way back to Texas for the second time in a month
Watching his favorite thing in the world: football :)
We spent the first few days on the front end of our trip with Mike's family. Staying with Granny and Grumpz means lots of games, toys, yummy snacks, and fun! Granny was gracious to watch the kids and allowed me to sneak away to go have lunch with Cindy and Kirston, as well as see Dan at the office. I am really grateful that I had that time as a final closure to say goodbye to that chapter of my life as well. I know I will keep in contact, but being able to see them and give hugs after the official closing was helpful for my heart.
We also got to celebrate Henley's birthday with a fun breakfast-for-dinner and hot tub night! The kids had a blast with their cousins, and Lindsay and I even got to sneak away for a McAlister's lunch :) And then we got to have another fun night of cousin fun at Uncle Bryan's house, complete with a bounce house {fully inflated inside the living room} and s'mores! To say that my kids had all the cousin fun they could have wanted, is an understatement :)
It was good to fill our hearts with family fun before my brother's service. And even though we moved over to Grandma and Papa's house and had to prepare for that, it didn't mean we didn't make time for family fun over there. Through the tears and the hardship, we were still able to find ways to laugh and enjoy time together, and I am grateful for that.
Grandma took Maddie and me to get our nails done, which is such a sweet way for the girls to spend time together. Maddie loved every minute of the pampering, and she was a good sport for the rest of the errands we had to run that day.
Grandma's house is also filled with games and toys and fun. From Legos to Jenga, to coloring and bowling, there is not a lack of fun things to do. And we also got to watch a lot of football, which was Aiden's favorite :) Not pictured was a lot of time spent with extended family who was in town, which was also really sweet and special.
Mike had to head back home on Saturday, but the kids and I were able to stay a couple of extra days. On Sunday, we were able to go to lunch and then out for {real} bowling with Aunt Vi, Addison, Airalyn, and Uncle Thinh. The kids had a blast, and it was a sweet afternoon with family.
I'm thankful for my good little travelers! They know the drill, and they got so many compliments on how well they were prepared through security and how well they behaved on the flights. It's really only because I came armed with snacks, and they have flown so much recently. Although, we did have one incident where we were made a bathroom trip right before boarding started. We were literally getting ready to do family boarding and one child {who will remain nameless} said they had to go to the bathroom again. I had to make a split second decision whether or not to take them right then or wait until after we were in the air... Thankfully the bathroom was close and there was not a line. We made it back just as they were boarding. It would not have been that big of a deal, except that I was flying with them solo and relying on family boarding so that we could sit together. Why did you not empty out, child??? haha
Headed back to Virginia!
My little travel pros :)
He's like a middle aged man haha
Our trips to Texas in the last couple of months have not been what we expected or would have planned. In many ways, they were the hardest weeks I have experienced. But I am thankful for family, and I am thankful for the time we got to spend together. I'm thankful for the moments of laughter in the midst of the tears.
No comments:
Post a Comment