Family dinner, briefly
There was enough going on earlier in the day that I didn't get to write anything up beforehand, but tonight was our big family dinner, meeting the two new additions.
Dad wanted to leave around 7; we didn't pull away until 8:30. Even dad was enjoying the conversation and chiming in, though.
The toddler is very cute and enjoyed playing peekaboo and is a very good eater--we know he gets that from his dad (his mom barely ate as a child).
The six-year-old will be going on the stand-up circuit shortly. She drew a family picture...then held a raffle to see who would win it. (The fiancee did.) Second prize was the picture the toddler drew. I'd claimed mom was good at winning raffles; she did, in fact, come home with that picture.
The fiancee is a sweet girl. We really like her a lot, very personable, gave us all hugs as soon as we walked in the door. She listened to our various stories and did not run screaming into the night, so that's a good sign.
The wedding reception will be held at a brewery. We were unaware that any of them even drank, so that was interesting--and there was wine at dinner for anyone who wanted. You can bet grandma partook--because not only was she not driving, she's spending the night with us.
We told a number of stories about Papa. My uncle even did a pretty good impression of him, then complimented me on my impression a little bit later. My aunt seemed a bit wistful about remembering him. This is his week--he would have turned 90 on Thursday. And his brother would have been 99 on Tuesday.
I got to show off my French prowess as well, explaining what "je t'aime" means. My uncle asked if I'd taken French in school; I said yes, but I also have an app. He went, Duolingo? Why yes! Heh.
We also talked a lot about Ancestry.com and the DNA testing. He sounded interested in learning more about the family's history, so I might have to type some stuff up for him.
We talked a little bit about the senior facility where grandma put down the deposit. Not only is it about a mile from my uncle's house, but my oldest cousin and her husband are (hopefully!) closing on a house on Friday that is only a few more miles north of there--super convenient for them. That would be wonderful.
Grandma, meanwhile, is slo-o-owly clearing out her apartment, and I *finally* thought to ask her about her Harry Potter books; not only are they earmarked for me (yay!), but she honestly meant to bring them with her today, but forgot. She said they're sitting on her dresser.
That's all for now. It was a fun time, but once we left the convivial atmosphere, I got pretty tired. I woke up tired. So it's all catching up to me.
Dad wanted to leave around 7; we didn't pull away until 8:30. Even dad was enjoying the conversation and chiming in, though.
The toddler is very cute and enjoyed playing peekaboo and is a very good eater--we know he gets that from his dad (his mom barely ate as a child).
The six-year-old will be going on the stand-up circuit shortly. She drew a family picture...then held a raffle to see who would win it. (The fiancee did.) Second prize was the picture the toddler drew. I'd claimed mom was good at winning raffles; she did, in fact, come home with that picture.
The fiancee is a sweet girl. We really like her a lot, very personable, gave us all hugs as soon as we walked in the door. She listened to our various stories and did not run screaming into the night, so that's a good sign.
The wedding reception will be held at a brewery. We were unaware that any of them even drank, so that was interesting--and there was wine at dinner for anyone who wanted. You can bet grandma partook--because not only was she not driving, she's spending the night with us.
We told a number of stories about Papa. My uncle even did a pretty good impression of him, then complimented me on my impression a little bit later. My aunt seemed a bit wistful about remembering him. This is his week--he would have turned 90 on Thursday. And his brother would have been 99 on Tuesday.
I got to show off my French prowess as well, explaining what "je t'aime" means. My uncle asked if I'd taken French in school; I said yes, but I also have an app. He went, Duolingo? Why yes! Heh.
We also talked a lot about Ancestry.com and the DNA testing. He sounded interested in learning more about the family's history, so I might have to type some stuff up for him.
We talked a little bit about the senior facility where grandma put down the deposit. Not only is it about a mile from my uncle's house, but my oldest cousin and her husband are (hopefully!) closing on a house on Friday that is only a few more miles north of there--super convenient for them. That would be wonderful.
Grandma, meanwhile, is slo-o-owly clearing out her apartment, and I *finally* thought to ask her about her Harry Potter books; not only are they earmarked for me (yay!), but she honestly meant to bring them with her today, but forgot. She said they're sitting on her dresser.
That's all for now. It was a fun time, but once we left the convivial atmosphere, I got pretty tired. I woke up tired. So it's all catching up to me.