The First Six Weeks Part Two: Grandma Jackson Visits!

On Dec 4 Grandma Jackson arrived to spend a week with us.  Her timing was perfect.  I was worn out after a week of taking care of the three kids while Andrew was busy trying to get ready for finals.  When she arrived I slowed way down and focused on recovering and Andrew focused on acing his finals.

There was a lot of hanging out.   She read for hours to Emily and Nathan.  My Grandma Blomquist had sent a package that arrived while Grandma Jackson was here with paper, stickers, and activity books to make winter creatures and bugs.  Grandma Jackson spent a lot of the time making paper creatures with the kids with Grandma Blomquist’s kit.  I’m so grateful for them both!

The kids showed her their Pickler Triangle.

During the week we all needed to get out of the house for a bit so we went to campus to look at the gingerbread house and GIANT christmas tree in the Purdue Memorial Union.  It was a nice little excursion but it wore me out.  I forget how slow my body really wants me to go the first few weeks after having a baby.

On Thursday night Jenny and I went to our wards Relief Society Meeting.  We both needed to see life outside the tiny apartment and it was so fun to go with her.  By Sunday when they asked for visitors at church I forgot she wasn’t living here permanently (obviously wishful thinking…).

She was able to take plenty of Laura, Emily, and Nathan pictures to send back to doting aunts and uncle in Utah (thanks for sharing with us too!).

While she was here we had the first snow of the year.  Andrew took the kids sledding and discovered that we needed upgrade Nathan’s boot situation, which I took care of the following week.

We introduced her to our absolute favorite kid’s game, Richard Scarry’s Busytown.

Jenny requested that we teach her how to make the traditional Moose family ice cream cake.  We happily obliged and celebrated her birthday before she left the next morning.

At some point while she was here and I was sleeping Jenny stocked our freezer with homemade meals.  I discovered the stash after she went home and it was a wonderful surprise.  We we all so grateful for this time together.