The Relatives Came

And went.

Last Monday, my mom, dad, brother, and one of my sisters came for a visit. They arrived a little before 6 pm. We sat around and talked, watched the last quarter of the NC State game, then Mom, Heather, and I got started on dinner. Mom says I'm a good delegator, because halfway through prep, I was standing in the kitchen talking while Mom and Heather did all the work. But I swear, that's not how I planned it!

After dinner we got everyone settled, the guys watched some more football, and we went to bed. But Dad and Heather's air mattresses sprang leaks, so Heather ended up sleeping on the love seat and Dad slept on the floor.

Tuesday we went to the Georgia Aquairium, the largest in the world. It was PACKED! There were some really, really neat things to see, however. Libby really liked the Jellyfish wall. We also got to see Beluga Whales (I saw their belly buttons, that was so cool!) and Whale Sharks. Libby and seperated from the rest, since she would only spend about 30 seconds per exhibit. Until we got to the stingray pool, where we spent 15 minutes petting stingrays and sharks as they swam by. That was pretty cool. The penguins were on vacation, which made me sad since Libby likes penguins so much. She's never been able to see them in person yet. She thought the Whale Sharks were pretty cool; so did I. She started to have a meltdown after a couple hours, so we sat down and shared a granola bar, some crackers, and a strawberry gelato. That's when everyone else showed up. We sat for a little while, then left to go see the last few exhibits before heading home.

Heather spotted the Einstein Bagel shop by our apartment and talked Mom and Dad into stopping for bagels. Then Heather and I ran next door to Starbucks for hot chocolates. We got home, ate some bagels for lunch, got the girls down for their naps, then headed out for the Temple, leaving Heather at home to babysit. John and I haven't been to the Temple in ages. It was nice to go back the Atlanta Temple, where we haven't been for so many years. And it was so nice to be able to be there with my baby brother before he leaves for the MTC (13 days to go, if I'm not mistaken). On the way home we stopped at Target so Dad could get some new air mattresses.

Tuesday's dinner was not delegated, as it was a simple meal of chicken and rice. The guys watched football. Again. Heather, Mom, and I took turns playing Nintendo and reading. And we teased Gregory when he called his girlfriend. We went to bed, Dad's air mattress (the new one!) leaked and he ended up on the floor again. I said he'd never want to visit us again. He said he'd be glad to when we had a real bed for him to sleep on. Poor guy.

Wednesday we were scheduled to go to the High Museum of Art to see China's First Emporer: The Terracotta Army. I had the great idea to walk, since it's just a couple blocks from our apartment, it was sunny, and parking cost $10 for each of the two cars we would have to take. And the walk was great, until we got up to the corner and entered the wind tunnel. Oh my heck, that wind was so cold and so strong, it was literally blowing us backwards. Then we hit a cross street and it blew us sideways. I handed Libby in the stroller to Gregory "for just a sec, so I can zip my jacket" but then never took her back :) We finally arrived, with runny noses and windblown hair, and I don't think anyone will ever again let me talk them into walking somewhere, even when it's "just right around the corner". Libby wasn't too thrilled at the museum, so Heather took over and talked to her about each display and got her interested. John and I traded off with Jaina. The Terracotta Army was pretty dang awesome. After that we headed down to Folk Art and African American Art. I fed Jaina while looking at some rather disturbing "art". After Libby started running around squealing, John and I decided to head home. Mom and Dad came with us, Heather and Gregory stayed behind to look at art on loan from the Louvre. We stopped at another Starbucks on the way home. I am officially addcited to Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate and Lemon Pound Cake.

I got the girls down for a nap, Dad and John went out to get yet another air mattress and some groceries, Mom and I lazed around playing our nintendos and reading and talking about babies and families. Heather and Gregory got home shortly before Dad and John. They said the Louvre: Atlanta was really cool. John I are planning to go back, but we'll leave the kids at home with a sitter next time.

Dad cooked us a Turkey for New Year's Eve dinner. They guys watched more football, and Heather taught me how to play Gin Rummy. I'm hooked. Dinner can be summed up in one word: Awesome. My dad is the Turkey King.

That night we all stayed up to welcome in the New Year. Except Dad, but really, who can blame him? We spent a lot of time teasing Gregory and his girlfriend when she called. Heather and I started to get a little punchy and had a great time joking about the stunt guys at Las Vegas's New Year's thing. OK, we got a lot punchy. The next day we didn't quite remember all the things we were laughing at, or why the things we did remember were so funny, but we had a great night regardless.

New Year's Day was designated Football Day by the guys. We spent the morning breading schnitzel for dinner, then Mom, Heather, and I decided to go to the mall. We left the kids at home and headed out for a day on the town. We went to lunch at Maggianno's first. It was my first time. It was divine. We headed over to the mall after, hoping to find a wool coat for me that I loved and that was also under $60. No such luck, but we got calendars for 50% off. We did a lot of walking, a lot of browsing, and the three of us fell in love at first sight with Anthropologie. Mom and Heather are not happy that the closest one to them is 3 hours away in Charlotte. I bought Libby a pink elephant, I couldn't resist. We tried to hit Starbucks before we left, but the line was too long. We then went to Old Navy, where I found a coat I loved on sale for $40. Lies! It rang up as $72. "Just because the sign above it says 60% off, doesn't neccessarily apply to all the products on that shelf" said the cashier. Oh, well, excuse me. Still no coat. We got lost trying to find a Burlington Coat Factory that apparently no longer exists, so we went home. Stopped by the Starbucks by my apartment. Closed. No more Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate for me.

That night: Schnitzel. Heaven on a plate. Oh, and more football. Heather taught John how to play Gin Rummy. He likes it too. Heather, Gregory, and I played Phase 10 as well. We made a No Texting rule while we played. Gregory didn't like that :) Everyone got a good night's sleep, then it was time for them to go home Friday morning. Much to my jealousy, they stopped by Starbucks on their way out.

As you can see, we had a fun-filled, jam-packed visit. See what happens when you visit us?

We spent the weekend eating leftovers, finally finishing them last night. Oh, and doing laundry. And we didn't vacuum the whole time they were here, so you can imagine what my floors looked like when they left. 4 days, two kids, no vacuum...need I say more? So basically, I am exhausted now, but whether that is because of the trip or because of another reason remains to be seen. Don't you love a good cliffhanger?