Since the first part of January, Steve and I have been going absolutely non-stop. We went from finding out that we were having a little girl, to "extreme nesting" to family entertaining. I'll start with the extreme nesting.
EXTREME NESTING
It goes without saying that Steve is a very patient man, and that most of you will roll your eyes at this story and start sending him heartfelt good vibes that he has to put up with me every day. I just want you to know that I do know how lucky I am, and that he is amazing, but send your good vibes his way... I'm neurotic and pregnancy hormones aren't softening that blow.
When we found out that we were going to be blessed with the opportunity to have my Grandparent's as house guests, Steve and I sat down and made a list of everything that needed to be done in the house before they got here. A quick note about my Grandparents and their home: I adore them and their home. I had the amazing opportunity to house-sit for them while they were on their second mission, and continue to live with them for a couple of years after they returned. They have created a home that is not only elegant but warm, homey, and all them. For me, it is a respite; it is one of the more peaceful places that I have spent time. I was hoping to offer them a place that was as comfortable for them as their home is for me. So after the holidays we started on the list. All of the dings in the walls were fixed and painted, some pictures were hung, curtains were hung and we did the closets. The closets were the worst part. The guest room that the were going to stay in, and will be Tildy's room, had a closet full of stuff, and I wanted it cleaned. We also had to clean up the office, which had several years worth of paperwork and books stacked up - this also required a closet cleanup. And all of that required that the sewing room closet be cleaned up. I'll leave the IKEA story out, but you can ask Steve about it. His head almost exploded. It took us two full weekends, but we finished up the last of the cleaning literally the minute before we walked out the door to pick my Grandparent's up at the airport. I was grateful to Steve for sticking with me through it, for my Grandparent's for giving us an excuse to get it all done, and for allowing us to host them. I hope we have the opportunity again. Steve and I both really enjoy spending time with them. They are absolutely amazing.
FAMILY ENTERTAINING
My Grandparents came in at the end of January so that they could be in town for my cousin Ian's farewell. Thank goodness they did. I volunteered to help with the food for his farewell. We did a taco bar for 75 people, and my Grandmother made 15 lbs. of taco meat. Andrea and Chris borrowed a bunch of catering gear from Andrea's Mom, and away we went. The open house was great and the food was good. Ian gave a lovely talk the next day in Sacrament meeting, and it was so fun to see everyone.
The week following was our recovery from the farewell and our gearing up for my Mom's homecoming. We spent some time up at her house opening things up, making sure everything was in order, and my Grandparent's did some good cleaning. The following Tuesday my sister and her family came into town. Unfortunately, she had two sick children. I have never seen Tabitha as low-key as she was at the airport that night. She had red, sick eyes and none of her regular Tabitha craziness. Hyatt just slept, and the boys were their usual excitable selves.
On Wednesday, my Grandma Konnad came in. There was a small mis-hap when my sister was at the airport waiting for her, and she didn't get off the plane. After a little digging, the airline was gracious enough to tell us that she missed her flight and was on the next one. Then finally, it was the moment we had all been waiting for (credit for the following pictures goes to my sister Mandy - for those of you that read her blog, I totally stole them straight off hers. Thanks Boat!)
My Mom arrived Wednesday evening. I am so grateful that she is home. We missed her dearly.
I had a chance to spend Friday with my sister and Tabs doing some boutique-hopping. I learned a good Mom tip too while we were out: Suckers will keep them quiet for a few minutes, but everything and everyone within a 4 foot radius will be sticky. Then, they'll scream bloody murder when you take it away. Sorry Boat and Tabs.
Sunday was fun. My Mom hosted the SuperBowl party at her house after an appropriate amount of Sabbath observance. I will just say that it was so nice to be altogether as a family. My Mom's arrival afforded me to let go of a lot of stress that I had been holding on to for some reason. What an amazing opportunity and adventure that my Mom had in Ecuador! But I'm so glad that it's over. :)
All of this was ended by a quick trip by me to Miami for work. By the time I got home, I was absolutely exhausted.
Now, on to Tildy prep!
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