A Year of Gratitude #101

A Year of Gratitude #101: Cates Family Visit

Dave and Gus (July 2010)

I am so excited that my brother Dave and his family is coming to visit us this Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday!! I haven't seen him since July of 2010 and it's been too long.

The last time I saw Dave was when he and his wife Heather and their three kids, Eamon, Aine, and Benton, came to NC to visit us while they were on this side of the country for their summer vacation. The above picture was taken in Michigan. It was the last day of our being held in MI for Gus's adoption, and what an incredible last day it was.

Not only was I so excited that we could FINALLY take Gus back to NC and bond, and start our life as a family under normal circumstances, but it was the first time I got to see Steve in more than three weeks (the longest that we've been apart), AND it was the day that I got to spend with Dave, Heather, and the kiddos. Scott (my twin) came over with Christy, Alex, and Lily (she wasn't even one yet) and for the first time in YEARS I was together with every single member of my immediate family. It was the greatest day.

We headed back to NC on July 11th (Gus was exactly two months old) and then the following week, Dave and the family came to NC to see us. His visit with us was short, he was only with us a day or two, but it was still great to see him and the family.

Here are some pictures of Gus with his Uncle Dave and cousins from Arizona:

It's so crazy to think that it's been almost two years since I last saw them. Mind blowing even. I'm so incredibly excited for Gus to play with his cousins and to take a bazillion pictures of them all together. To think that they last saw him and could hold him and feed him is crazy... good luck with that now!!  :-)

I absolutely MUST get a picture of Gus with his Aunt Heather too... not sure why I didn't get one from when we saw her last, but she's the only family member that I don't have a picture of her with Gus.

Not sure of the time when they'll be arriving on Sunday (I think Dave said it'd be evening), but I am just so excited to see them. They'll be here Sunday night and then all day Monday, all day Tuesday, and then they'll be heading to Washington D.C. on Wednesday. It'll be hard to say goodbye... but I'm hoping that while they're on this side of the country, I'll be able to see them at least once more before the head back to Arizona. Maybe they'll want to stop by and see us again on their return trip to AZ.

I'm thankful that we're on the way to D.C. and that they'll be able to come and spend a few days with us. I'm grateful that I'll be seeing my family and it'll help with the homesickness. I miss Dave and the family so very much... this is the greatest gift that I've received in quite some time!!