How We Got Here

We had to make a sudden Trip North on Friday of last week due to the passing of my husband's Father. We're terrible at timeliness, so despite our best efforts we didn't take off until evening, arriving in Southern Indiana in the early AM hours Saturday.
After the services we saw my husband's family at the requisite family meal and it was nice because my kids had never seen some of these relatives. I feel really bad because I'm realizing that we didn't get pictures, or as many as we should've with his family.
I don't really know why and now I'm feeling all bad about that. His sister took pictures so I am really hoping that she sends them to us.
But what I realized, laying in bed this morning was something rather odd about our trip.
We went a lot of places, saw a lot of people - and it almost seemed throughout the trip - that we were showing our oldest son (because the little ones didn't quite understand) WHO WE ARE and HOW WE GOT HERE.

These are the people we love, we were showing him. This is where we lived. This is where we
used to go. These are the things we love and like. It was a whirlwind of dunking our children into the ponds of our past. Starting with his family on both sides and then to see mine for dinner.

Here are mine with their 1st cousin Maddie at our favorite place to eat when visiting Grandma. THE PIZZA KING! This one has a train that delivers your drinks, which if you are little, is pretty much the coolest thing ever from what I can tell.

Besides the brilliant train and yummy pizza the pizza king has a train ride of dubious safety (they've had to bolt it to the wall) but the kids like it.

Here are the twins riding the train with their Grandma helping.


Of course the big boy and Maddie needed a turn as well.

My brother has a new baby that I got to see and kiss and hug for the first time as well. She's a chunky cuddler, I love big babies. They give the best snuggles.

This is what we do in Indiana, when there is death in the family. We eat meals together. First with his family, immediately following the funeral, and then this day we ate with mine. I'm not sure if it's some archetypal throwback to "eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die" or if it's just basic family bonding. Sometimes you eat at the house, sometimes you go out to eat.

But you eat. You definitely eat.