Gemma's First Thanksgiving (and other things)

I'm finally getting around to writing another blog post. Things have been a bit crazy here of late. The week before Thanksgiving, my Granny (my dad's mom) passed away. Because the funeral was going to be in Kansas City, we had a hard time figuring out what to do. We really wanted all three of us to be able to go, but we didn't want to take Gemma on a plane, and we didn't really have time to do the incredibly long car ride to get there. So, in the end, I flew out with my parents and sister and Cy and Gemma stayed home. It was a very hard decision. It was the first time Cy and I had spent a night apart since we got married, and it was definitely my first time away from little Gemma. I was so worried that she wouldn't even remember me when I got back, but fortunately that was not the case! She was so excited to see me! It was a quick and difficult trip to Kansas City and back, but I am glad that I went. My Granny had been through some very awful suffering in the last few weeks of her life, and I was glad that she was finally at peace, and glad that I was able to go to her funeral. While there, I was very touched to see that she had pictures of me, Cy, and Gemma on display in her house. I do regret that she did not get to meet sweet little Gemma in person.

After traveling in cars and planes and sitting in airports the whole week before Thanksgiving, I wasn't feeling terribly excited about getting back in the car and driving 8 hours each way to visit my mom's parents in Bedford, Virginia. But I definitely wanted them to be able to meet Gemma, so we piled in the car and headed on up. We split the trip in half by spending the night at my parents' house each way before finishing up the trip.

Even though I am still exhausted from so much traveling, I am so glad that we made the trip. Gemma did fantastic with all the time in the car, and with meeting so many new people and letting them hold her. She is such a sweetie, and I am so thankful that she is so laid back. My grandparents were absolutely thrilled to meet her! I practically had to pry her away from my Grandma a few times because she enjoyed holding her so much!

While in Virginia, we also got to see two of my uncles and aunts, and my three boy cousins. We had Thanksgiving dinner at my uncle Jeff's house, and it was a huge feast! There were even three different kinds of meat - turkey, duck, and capon. Everything was delicious. We enjoyed the food, but mostly we enjoyed getting to see family that we hadn't seen in a couple of years.

Before we left, we got to take a "four-generation photo" with my Grandma, my mom, me, and Gemma. It was a very sweet moment.

Though we had a really good time seeing anyone, we were so incredibly relieved to be home. We are looking forward to not having to travel again for a very long time, hopefully! We are enjoying being back at home and are focusing most of our efforts now on getting the house ready for Christmas!