November

Steph and Ben came to visit

Who needs a baby swing?

The whole family

Is this Nate or Isaac?!

Driving to FL

The "pink house" we rented had a cool tub to dance in

Sarasota National Cemetery

Siesta Key beach with cousins

Grandkid train ride with Grandpa

Eating at Grandpa's house

Thanksgiving Day

 November began with a visit from Steph and her boyfriend, Ben.  We had heard much about him and were happy to meet him!  Before Ben arrived, Stephen declared that he did not like Ben.  Well, Ben changed Stephen's mind fairly quickly.  All of the kids (and adults) decided Ben is a pretty cool guy and Steph should keep him around.

Nate and the boys went on the cadet campout and the soccer season ended.  I think the younger three were happy about that, no more games to sit through!

Mom was nearing the end of her life so our family skyped with Mom and Dad on November 7.  The kids saw Grandma briefly on the screen and then Grandpa held the phone next to Grandma's ear.  The kids said a Bible verse and gave Grandma their love.  She was not able to talk anymore, but Dad thought she was still hearing what people said.  Nate and I also said our goodbyes to Mom.  She died on November 8 while listening to their church service online.

We had bought tickets for Nate and the older 3 kids to visit Grandma and Grandpa on the 11th.  We decided that just Nate would go down for those couple of days and spend time with Dad.  On November 19, we began the drive to Florida.  It took us 14 hours to reach Atlanta and we stayed overnight with our friend Julie Melendez and family.  The next day it took us 10 hours to reach Ft. Myers.  The drive was hard, but the kids did really well.  We had lots of snacks, movies, books on CD and activities.

Mom's memorial service was November 21.  It was hard and beautiful at the same time.  We saw many extended family members we do not see very often.  Our family rented a house with Colleen's family for the weekend.  It worked well for our families to have some space and the cousins could play together.  On November 23, Mom was laid to rest at Sarasota National Cemetery. The weekend was full of sadness, but also good memories and stories.

After the extended family left, our family moved into Dad's house for the rest of the week.  We spent time at the pool, played games and Thanksgiving Day we went to the beach.  The first of many holidays that will feel different and bittersweet.

We left for home the day after Thanksgiving.  We stayed with the Ramsey family in Atlanta.  We had met them in China and it was fun to see their little girl and Lexi together again.  And then we did the final push home.