This last week

This last week was a whirlwind of a week. It all started last Wednesday, Andrew received a phone call from his Mom saying that his Grandma (who was like a 2nd mom to him) had suddenly passed away. He hopped on a plane and was gone that day. The next five days I was on my own with the kids. Did I mention that it was FIVE days? Wow...those days were long and torturous. Finally the day arrived to load up the mini van, and make the world's longest trek with 3 kids and a baby. I drove from Boise to Bullhead City, AZ to arrive just in time for a short visit with Andrew's side of the family and his grandma's memorial services. The 13 hour drive down was tricky. Amiah threw up five times and by the time we got there we were all lookin' pretty rough! Thank the good heavens above that Grandma and Grandpa have portable DVD players for us to borrow. That trip could have been fatal. They did well, there were a few hiccups, but for the most part they were great. It was so nice to see Andrew's side of the family again. I haven't been down there to see them since before I had kids at all! It truly was a nice break and I appreciated having the opportunity to see all of the them again and introduce them to our babies. Tuesday we just played around in the sunshine and the kids had a hay day with all of Great Grandpa's little rocks. Never thought that a yard full of rocks could be so entertaining. But, a few sticks of wood and the rocks kept them busy the whole week. So funny! A few of Andrew's cousins made an impression with the boys. They wanted to see them more, but they were afraid of getting kisses. (Don't let that fool ya, they ate up every ounce of attention they got!) Everyone was so good to them, and were so patient with them. Thank you all! They got to meet great aunts and uncles, cousins and second cousins, friends, and more family than imaginable. Wednesday the services were small, intimate, upbeat, and special. Andrew was honored to officiate, per his Grandpa's request, and kept his poise through the whole thing. He had a big smile as he talked about his Grandma, I was very proud of him. We spent the rest of the day with family, threw rocks in the river with Uncle Art, and then got up early Thursday to make the long trek home again. We hope to meet again soon, under different circumstances of course, to share lots of hugs, smiles, and laughter again. Love you all!!