Family Visit

I haven't had much time to post the events of the last few days on this blog. I wanted to take it all in and enjoy my family while they were visiting. Despite that, there were so many activities in such a short period of time that I still felt like I didn't spend much time with them.

This is a picture I took during our final meal together, lunch at Panera Bread yesterday (Saturday). I'm a little surprised that they are all looking in the same general direction of the camera. Panera Bread, of course, is where Natalie always requests to go after a swim meet. Instead of going there on the last day of the meet, as per our tradition, we moved it up to Saturday. For those that want to know but don't know already, left to right, Patrick is on the left then his parents Angie and Ernie, my paternal Uncle Nany and his wife Myrna, my sisters Melissa and Cynthia, my brother-in-law John, my nephew Nick, Alex, then my parents Linda and Tony. Eric is, of course, is front and center and did not want to put down his yogurt for the picture. My nieces Emily and Aly are behind me at a separate table with Natalie. It was tough to fit all of us at one table.

Besides my immediate family, Patrick's parents came on Wednesday morning (June 5). My paternal uncle and his wife arrived in Houston on Wednesday for my Dad's birthday (82nd). They celebrated with the family in Houston then drove to San Antonio on Thursday. They also visited with their good friends in San Antonio. My sister Melissa and her daughter Emily arrived at our house just before we went to Eric's informal kindergarten graduation on Thursday afternoon. My brother-in-law had to work on Thursday morning, so we didn't see his family until we met them at Anthony's graduation ceremony on Thursday evening. They usually all stay at my house but this time most of them, except for my parents, stayed at hotels.

This is a picture of my niece Aly with Eric. Every time my nieces visit, I always regret not getting more photos of Natalie with her girl cousins. She really misses being with them when they're not here and they're an inseparable trio when they get together.

Everyone left on Saturday. They didn't stay long at all. Patrick and Anthony are leaving tomorrow for their big London trip (Anthony's graduation present from us). Alex is leaving on a school trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City tomorrow also (sort of a graduation present). That will leave me with Natalie and Eric shuttling back and forth in between three daily swim practices. I'll have to post more about that later.