Well the holidays are over. They flew by so quickly. This past Christmas was Grace's first time, but not last time on an airplane. I was a bit nervous flying with a baby. Grace did very well on the flight. I flew over on December 2nd, by myself with Grace. On the Frankfurt to Cincinatti part of the trip I was fortunate enough to sit by two very nice older ladies who just about fought over who would hold Grace when the meals were served. The Cincinatti to Salt Lake leg of the flight, I wasn't as fortunate. Grace was having a meltdown as we were boarding the plane. You could just see the horror on the faces of the other passengers "Oh no, a screaming baby. Please don't sit next to me!" Thankfully Grace calmed down and went right to sleep before we even took off. She slept all the way until we landed in Salt Lake. She did extremely well on the last leg of the trip from Salt Lake to Spokane. Of course Grace's Grandma and Grandpa were anxiously waiting at the gate for us (actually just Grace) to get off of the plane.
(Photo of Grace at Frankfurt Airport)
I spent the next two plus weeks enjoying my family, taking Grace for her first Christmas photos, taking her for her three month photos, visiting friends, shopping and of course eating at Dubs in Sandpoint! My dad took the entire time off while I was there so he could spoil Grace, though I think it was him that got spoiled.
(Grace's 3 month photos)
The weather did damper some of my plans and it really made it difficult for Brandon and Carrera to fly in. They were supposed to arrive the 17th, but didn't actually get in until the 19th. They got delayed in New York, had flight cancellations in Salt Lake and were only able to fly to Seattle, instead of Spokane. At least being in Seattle they were closer than they were in Salt Lake. Brandon rented a car, stayed the night at my Aunt Diane's house (thank you Diane) and left the next morning to make the drive over. They just happened to make that narrow window of good weather because once they got there it just DUMPED snow.
(Photos of Grace with my parents)
The time really flew by once Brandon and Carrera got there. We spent the rest of our time, with the exception of one night, at Brandon's Aunts house. Thank you Lisa for letting us stay with you! We had a lot of fun! While we were there, we enjoyed our families, and we made sure that we took four generation photos and we watched the snow just keep piling up. It was beautiful to see, and was manageable because we knew we would be flying out and leaving it behind. Our trip ended December 31st. We boarded the plane early that morning and made the long flight back to Germany.
Once we arrived in Germany, we had it set up to take the train back to Heidelberg. This was a good thought, but not so good in real life. At least it's not the most practical thing when you are traveling like we did. The trains in Germany only stop for up to three minutes. During that time passengers are expected to depart or board the train. Well that isn't the easiest thing to do when you have a lot of luggage and a baby stroller. We managed to do it by having one person on the train, and the other people handing the luggage to that person and helping to lift the stroller up on to the train. I'm sure we looked like the Beverly Hillbillys - German Style. What should have been an hour long train ride, turned in to almost five hours. I don't recommend traveling that way when you have a lot of luggage. We did make to Heidelberg, and took a taxi home. It was so nice to be home finally! We were all exhausted and ready for bed.
I learned while I was on my trip back to the States that I'm no longer who they look forward to seeing, it's Grace. I just happen to be the food source and transportation for her. Oh well. I half expected that. We enjoyed our vacation back home, but I'm glad that Christmas is only once a year.
