Smith Family Weblog

Gramma and Grampa Great came for a visit this weekend, staying just long enough to thoroughly spoil the girls (and their parents, too!).

We were all sad to see them go, but some of us handled it better than others.

And you thought I was kidding about that whole 57 parts thing.

We met up with the Bornemeier side of the family on Saturday. I love this gathering–the food is always delicious, there’s a lot of wine, and you get to take mid-afternoon naps on one of the many couches (or the floor, if you’re not fast enough). It’s hard to beat Gramma’s house.

To kick things off, we posed for the traditional family photo. You know the one–there’s three people taking photos with six different cameras, so half the subjects are looking one way and the other half are looking the other.

At least Mom has this in focus. As I looked through my photos from the last few posts, it seems I had misplaced what few photography skills I had. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the wine. Or eggnog.

And speaking of, Liv got scotch for Christmas!

Oops, I guess that belongs to her dad. Sorry, Bry.

Don’t worry, Olivia, I’m sure there’s something less toxic for you under the tree.

We were back at Smiths for the rest of the week. There was a wedding on Sunday, the Smith family Christmas gathering on Monday, and a baby shower on Tuesday. We were able to spend a lot of time just relaxing with Bryan’s parents and siblings, which was very nice. Plus, we spent New Year’s there, too.

More photos to come, of course.

We traveled to my dad’s the day after Christmas to see him, Rose and my grandpa.

While Ava played with Aunt Katie and Dad, I took advantage of the doctor’s office nearby and got Olivia in for her ongoing ear infection issues. The antibiotic she’d been on for a number of days (the third in a series for this particular–and persistent–infection wasn’t working). Dad’s doctor fixed her up with something new, and she was back to her old self again in a few days.

Rose joined us after she finished her work day, coming home to the great roast chickens Dad had made. We did something else, too, but I just can’t remember what….

Oh, right, presents!

Rose found this “decorate it yourself” teddy bear for Ava. She was thrilled at the idea.

Believe it or not, there’s still more to come…

We left Mom, Dave, Gramma and Grampa early Christmas morning–we were on the road for our three hour trip by 8 am.

We spent a lot of time in the car last week, and it has a strange effect on the girls. Olivia, who naps as a hobby and still sleeps about 15 hours a day, refuses to sleep in the car–even when we leave right at naptime. Ava, who will only nap when medicated, falls asleep as the car pulls out of the driveway. So, Ava slept through the three hour trip while Olivia chatted us up from the backseat.

We arrived at Smiths to find Laura making these gorgeous homemade rolls–a tradition from Josh’s side of the family.

Ava and Leo helped their younger siblings open presents–they are so thoughtful.

Olivia loved this playhouse, complete with many, many household sounds.

One of my adorable nephews:

Liv’s not real big on sharing Dad.

Jess, Doug and Wyatt, who carries a blanket like Olivia. I kept pointing out the thumb to Olivia, thinking that maybe she’d forgo the pacifier. No luck.

Aunt Jess made Ava this beautiful quilt.

And, speaking of quilts, Karyl made one for each of the girls–here’s Jess unfurling hers. I’ll post a photo of mine later.

We also received handmade aprons. I’m on the left on this photo taken by Doug. You probably recognize the little one in the middle.

Karyl’s sister and her family joined us for the afternoon. We were just warming up!

Given our distance from family, Christmas tends to be a two-week affair for us most years. No worries, though–our families keep us quite busy during our trip. This year, we had nine separate gatherings over eight days.While I probably won’t post about all of them, I will cover quite a few in the coming days.

We started our trip–just the girls and me–out at my mom’s on Monday the 22nd. I took the opportunity to make many batches of candy in my mom’s formerly pristine kitchen (sorry, Mom).

Mornings are always beautiful on the lake, and Mom and Dave added a hot tub to the new deck construction. Just when you thought the view couldn’t be improved…

The girls played happily at Gramma’s, though Ava asked when Aunt Katie would arrive about 15 times every hour.

Katie flew into Kansas City on Tuesday night, but a pending ice storm caused her and Bryan to delay their trip west until Wednesday morning. Road conditions meant an extra 90 minutes in the car for what was already a five hour trip. Needless to say, they were both a little tired and stressed.

You know what will help with that? Mulled wine. Nicely done, Mom.

For the record, you are not supposed to drink mulled wine in the hot tub, then request more by throwing your cinnamon stick stirrer at the window in an effort to get Mom’s attention. Despite the fact that it is literally four degrees above zero, you should risk life and limb to scurry across the deck into the house. The 30 mile an hour winds feel brisk against your wet skin, but you probably won’t get frostbite. The wine–made with a LOT of apricot brandy–is worth the trip.

More to come!