So much to be thankful for

Last week we drove to Cincinnati for Paw's 92nd birthday and Thanksgiving with the Clarks'.  It was a fantastic experience all the way around (despite me coming down with the still-lingering flu and sharing it with Will the day before Thanksgiving!)

We were worried about the drive down, as we're still so new with potty training.  Evie was a true champ, and though afraid to use public restrooms decided to oblige with bribery of a grape upon return to the car.  Hey, if a grape is all it takes, I am willing to offer!  When we arrived to Jeff and Patti's house (where we stayed for 3 days before the rest of the Clarks' arrived to the hotel), Evie remembered that five hours previously I'd told her they had a dog.  She proceeded to run around the house looking for said dog and was disappointed to see I may not have been telling the truth.  Note to self: do not tell Evie about something as exciting as a dog if I'm not certain I can deliver.  Their dog was at the kennel so that we wouldn't have her jumping all over us when we arrived.  It was 4 hours until the dog returned and in that time I'm certain she had decided never to trust me again.  Until Jodi (the dog) arrived.  Then, Evie immediately forgave me and proceeded to smooch the dog and chase her all over the house.  She was in love. 

The next day we took Evie and her cousin Ryan to meet Paw.  Although a little intimidated by him at first, Evie eventually warmed up.  We visited him later the same day and she went running in to his room saying "Paw!  Paw!".  She ran up to him and blew him a kiss, and even said "I love you".  Well, okay, her version of "I love you" which sounds something like "I lub oo".

Old family photos of previous Clark reunions

On Thanksgiving day, Evie was excited for Paw to arrive and once he was there she approached him bearing toys, which she handed to him one by one.  Poor Paw wasn't sure what to do with all of them, and she certainly challenged his gripping skills (which have deteriorated with the Parkinsons).  I think what's better than Evie remembering Paw was that each day Paw remembered Evie.  Though he didn't always recall all of the rest of us, he knew who she was.  Each time he saw her, he said "That's Evie.  She's a year and a half." Then, he'd turn to me and ask if she was mine.  I explained each time she was and that she would have been his daughter Becky's granddaughter.  I was also excited to share that Evie's middle name was Jean, sharing said middle name with his beloved wife of 60+ years, Becky, and me.  I'm not sure whether he fully grasped that, but at one point he did make a joke that I'd better watch out for her if she were anything like the rest of us. 

This trip was also the first time Evie had seen her cousin Ryan since he was an infant.  I'm not sure she knew what to do with him.  She wanted to show him her toys, but not really share the toys.  She wanted to play with him but didn't quite grasp that he couldn't keep up with her.  Despite this, the two of them had a few adorable shared moments of story time and shape sorting.  The rest of the time I think they each could've been fine without the other there.  I know that will change over time, and it will be up to Becca and me to make sure the two of them have plenty of opportunities to build their relationship.  I have so many fond memories of reunions with the Clark cousins as kids, and I hope that we can provide that to Evie and Ryan since we live so far apart. 

The day after Thanksgiving, the rest of the Clarks decended upon Cincinnati for the family reunion and Paw's birthday.  That first night, Evie was thrilled to have the excuse to literally sprint up and down the halls of the hotel with her cousins Sabine (1), Gabe (2), William (10), Katie (7), and Caroline (4).  The hotel had made the mistake of telling us we had the whole hall to ourselves.  We later discovered they were wrong, and there were four rooms amidst our craziness who I'm sure didn't care so much for the kids antics.  Okay, they probably didn't care much for the adults hanging in the hall after all the kids went to bed either...

Saturday was Paw's birthday celebration.  Jeff had secured a large private banquet room so the kids could run around like crazy without the parents stressing out about it.  Once again Evie was thrilled to see Paw.  As the night progressed, Paw faded and began to fall asleep in his wheel chair.  The brothers began their speeches for him, and Evie ran up to him tapping his leg repeating "Paw!" and trying to get him to wake up.  She somehow knew this was all for him and wanted to be sure he didn't miss out.  Then, she sat on the foot of his wheelchair.  The bond between the two of them was pretty amazing.  It was the highlight of my trip, as I have so many fond memories of Paw from when I was a child.  I know she won't get to experience his humor or have him play "monster" and chase her around.  I know she won't get the coolest-ever-jean-jacket with his hand painted cookie monster on the back (Paw originally wanted to be a cartoonist).  And I know she won't get to see the most loving marriage between him and Jean modeled for her the way that I did.  But, I hope to find a way for her to go back down there and see him again.  It was just so special to see them together.  I remember my mom telling me that I had a special bond with Paw's father Chili.  I don't have recollection of this, but there are pictures of me at a young age visiting him, reading books, and sitting on his lap.  Though I can't remember it, it still means a lot to me to know that I bonded with my mom's favorite grandfather.  I hope to provide the same opportunity for Evie.