Christmas/New Years 2005

Aww, we are back and it is so good to be home. While I love visiting family and it is always so hard to say goodbye, there is just no place like home. Even though I was greeted by a messy and cluttered house, I will still glad to walk in my front door tonight.

We were actually supposed to get home yesterday (Monday), but a bad case of some pukey sickness hit each and every one of us Reimers (with the exception of Adrianna, thankfully!) at different intervals during the past few days. Greg and I were up all night on Sunday night and too weak on Monday to make the drive home. But if I am to look for blessings in disguise, I guess I am quite thankful that if I had to be sick and that Greg and I were both sick at the same time, then I am very glad it was at Greg’s parents’ house where there were plenty of willing hands to take care of Adrianna so we could sleep and rest. I didn’t have the energy to even pick her up, and now that she is crawling she is always on the go.

Our time with the Reimers was so great, as it always is. On both Tuesday and Wednesday we had family reunions to attend. And as an added bonus, we got to spend some time with two of Greg’s cousins and their families as well. Shawn, Vicki, and their kids came on Wednesday evening and stayed through Saturday. It must be said that I love the Veers. Their kids are so loving, so sweet, and so loveable. Kathleen, Elli, Moriah, and Jesse are all such a joy. And on Thursday, Patrick and Conni drove up from Texas with their little daughter, Eva Grace, who is 11 months old. It was fun introducing Adrianna to her 2nd cousins.

When we were trying to explain the family relationships to Moriah (who is 7 or 8 years old), we told her that Adrianna was her “2nd cousin.” Moriah immediately asked, “Who is my first?” It was obvious that she wasn’t thinking of first cousins but that each different cousin was assigned a place in some sort of order.

It was a full house, but it was more fun that way. We stayed up late and played Farkle. Patrick aka Bobby Brady won. (Reimer house rules state that each player must have a code name. Greg’s was Trogdor and mine was Sweet Cheeks. Greg came up with the Sweet Cheeks, not me!)

On Friday morning, a brunch was held at the Reimer house. I estimate that about 25 people or so were served up yummy pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs. Greg’s friend Bert Johnson, Bert’s son Emmanuel, and Kristi’s friend Malinda Boeker and her two kids were among the attendees.

On Saturday, Greg, Adrianna and I went with Jeff and Jess to Wichita for some shopping. We then met Dave (Marilyn and Kristi were sick) for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I won’t go into a review of that movie in this post, other than to say that it was GREAT. We attended a theatre that had a cry room, which turned out to come in quite handy with Adrianna. She wasn’t crying. She was just making happy baby noises and generally restless. Cry rooms are such a blessing. I hope they catch on in more theatres. I was able to watch and enjoy the movie without worrying about my child affecting others’ movie-watching experience. I even had the room to myself, so I was able to nurse Adrianna and she fell asleep for most of the show. Later on, I was told by Dave that there were some other children in the theatre that should have been in the cry room.

So, all in all, a great trip. Lots of games (Big Boggle, Farkle, Scrabble, and Scene It) and lots of family time.