Easter Weekend in Maryland

Well, gonna try to write an update now. . .The weekend was quick. . .too quick! I got in on Friday at 4:45 and my sister met me at the airport, we drove to the house and talked a bit while we waited for her husband to get ready and for my dad to get home (he was at his sisters, she lives close). Then we went out to Buca di Beppo for dinner, which was a lot of fun! The next day we picked up my Aunt and 2 cousins (they do not drive) and did the grocery shopping for Easter. My aunt and cousins arrived just after lunch, so I made them some sandwiches and we looked at the albums I brought (did I tell you all that I had a box of pics that I put in about 10 albums- each with over 200 pictures in it??? Then we went to the Easter production at my moms old church, the one my sister still attends. Lets just say it was HUGE! there were 12 of us there. On the way home we picked up pizza and I HAD to get a sub too since you cant get a decent sub here in Kansas City. . .go figure!? After dinner we made pies, played cards, looked at pictures, dyed Easter eggs, talked and talked and talked! We all slept in on Easter, since we had gone to church the night before. The rest of the clan arrived around 2ish and we finished prepping dinner while we talked and had fun. My newest nephew, who was named after my mom, was there. . .he is only 3 weeks old. His name is Maeson, after my mom Mae. All in all it was a good trip. I did not get to spend as much time alone with my Dad and sister as I would have liked because my cousins were there. Both of them are mentally delayed. the oldest one is 28 and she probobly has the mental capacity of a 12 year old. She is actually smart, but her social skills are very very delayed. My other cousin is 21, and is a senior in high school. Their mom is my late mothers sister. Another one of my moms sisters died in October. Spending the weekend with them made me wonder what would happen to them if my aunt were to pass away. They are on welfare and assistance. They have very very little. My younger sister is going to help them by trying to get my younger cousin to go onto college and my older cousin to work. Right now she does not work. I know she can hold down a job. Their mom is not in great shape, she has a lot of physical problems. I know before she passed away, my mom was trying to help my aunt. They had just gotten back in touch. My aunt had moved and not told anyone and they were not able to track her down until the last few years. Anyway, since my aunt and cousins were there until Monday (they were supposed to go home Sunday night, but my sister asked them if they wanted to stay the night again) I did not get to go to my moms grave until Monday on the way to the airport. That was really hard. There is no marker yet, just a long patch of dirt. It was hard to believe and still does not seem real. My dad seems to be doing okay. He is having finacial issues waiting for the insurance money and my moms savings account to be freed up for him. I wish I could do more, I got him a $50 grocery gift card and put it in a card before I left. I wish I could have stayed longer. Easter was also my brothers birthday, he was not there, he lives in Florida and since he already missed 2 weeks when my mom was sick and passed away in January and February he could not make it. We called him. He did finally get to see his oldest daughter though. Her step father was killed in an accident just about a month after my mom died. She is supposed to spend the weekends with my brother, she had not since her step father passed away. Supposedly to be with her mom. This past weekend was the first time she went to my brothers since then. He was very happy to see her again! I am trying to write in the journal I got from my mom every night. I found hers, one very similar to the one I have from her, and it had about 4 pages written in. I photocopied them. It is the leather bound book with a bible verse and short "story" on each page with a place for you to write in. One of the things she wrote was how she wanted to keep a record for her kids. Just about 3 weeks before she passed away she started a writing class, she was SO EXCITED about that class! She went to one class before she went into the hospital! I don't think I have nearly as much to say as she did, but I want to say it anyway! So I am going to try to be consistant with writing every day in it.Sorry I have been away so long! Hopefully next week when the kids go back to school I can get back into everything I need to. . .it is amazing how busy they keep me! Today they popped a water balloon in the living room, all over the coffee table, carpet, and Wii Motes! ARGH!!!! And the fact that it is hard to get them to bed at a decent hour!Dawn