Easter in Missouri

It's been years since I've celebrated Easter in Missouri, and this year our celebration was bittersweet. We were heading to my birth state not for fun getaway weekend, but to remember my Grandma Josie's amazing life. I was looking forward to sharing my favorite memories with relatives and family friends, and being together again for Easter seemed special - but a key component was missing, Grandma. 

We flew out Friday afternoon, and this was Harper's first time in her own seat. She's flown several times as an infant, most recently last June when we visited the Fisher's in Colorado. We haven't had any air travel in nearly 10 months, and since Harper is much more vocal nowadays I was eager to see her reaction. 

I always forget how much stuff you have to pack when traveling out of state with a toddler. We had a pile of luggage, stuffed backpacks, a pack-n-play, carseat and stroller all for a measly 2-day trip. Security is always a whirlwind, getting everything through and keeping track of Harper in the process. I'm happy to report and somewhat surprised we managed to make it to Missouri and back without losing anything.

Harper was eager to board the plane. She kept yelling, "we're going on an airplane!" After finding our seats, buckling up and reaching into her new Disney Princess backpack for distractions - we were ready for take off. We all flapped our arms like we were flying during take off (I'm sure other passengers were staring with puzzled looks, but I've realized when I'm trying to entertain my child I forget about my surroundings). Once the aircraft lifted off the ground, that's when it started to go downhill. Harper's big blue eyes grew wide and a look terror washed over her face. With every dip the plane made, our stomachs dropped and Harper screamed. Luckily our flight was only and hour and half, but for at least 30 minutes of it we were trying to calm down our hysterical child. I felt awful for her, she was truly terrified. She was damp from sweating, and had a look of panic with any ounce of turbulence. We finally touched down in St. Louis close to 9pm. As soon as the wheels hit the pavement, Harper said, "We did it!! That was fun!" Mitch and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. All we could do was hope our experience going home Sunday was better. 

I knew Saturday would be a long, emotional day for all of us. My Grandma's service was beautiful, and even though she was very allergic to flowers she was surrounded by them. As I mentioned in my past post, my Grandma had a lot of friends. Someone actually said it best Saturday, "Josie never met a stranger, they were immediately her friends." Everyone she met instantly loved her witty ways and constant smile. It was so amazing to see how many people came to celebrate her 70 years, and to hear all the stories they had to share. There were bingo buddies, bowling teammates, beauty shop stylists, relatives and family friends. Each with a favorite memory or story to share. The love and support everyone showed my Grandpa, Mom, aunts and other relatives was amazing to see. There were many tears, but also many laughs remembering her crazy ways and strong-headedness. 

Mitch was may savior that day (and really, everyday). Not only did he comfort me when I needed it, but he entertained Harper the entire day. 2 year olds don't really know how to be quiet, or at least our child doesn't. It had already been a very long day, and we were past nap time. During the service Harper didn't comprehend what an "inside voice" was and Mitch was there to calm her down and distract. So I must give a huge thank you to him for being a wonderful husband, friend and father and for the constant support. 

After the service, everyone came back to my grandparents house for a late lunch. Since it was absolutely beautiful outside, we set up our lawn chairs and soaked up the sunshine. It was nice to sit and catch up with old friends and family, and managed to get a little tan in the process. 

One of my "must do's" when I visit DeSoto is Pogolino's Pizza. I absolutely LOVE this pizza and their house salad is a favorite. Knowing this, Mitch decided we would order that for dinner. I certainly didn't oppose. After scarfing down entirely too much pepperoni and pork sausage pizza, we headed back to our hotel extremely exhausted. 

We woke up Easter Sunday and enjoyed our complimentary breakfast at the hotel (biscuits and gravy, ummm yum!). As we packed up our room, Harper put on her pretty Easter dress and rummaged through her Easter basket. Mitch and I made a pitstop to Walmart the night before so she had something to open. Who knew everyone else was also putting together last minute baskets - Wal-Mart was a zoo! After checking out of our hotel we headed over to my Aunt Margie Schumer's to visit for a while, plus she had an Easter gift for Harper. It was great seeing Aunt Margie, even if it was for a short period of time.

Afterwards, we ventured to DeSoto to my grandparents house. Harper loved being outside hunting easter eggs and blowing bubbles. We even got a surprise visit from the ice cream man! It's been YEARS since I've heard that music, but as soon as someone said, "the ice cream man just drove by." I grabbed Mitch's wallet and ran up the hill to catch him. After ordering a giant ice cream sandwich for Mitch, Bugs Bunny for Harper, Sonic the hedgehog for Austin and my favorite - a Two Ball Screwball I think I had a perma-smile. It was a nice Easter, and all of us being together made it that much better.

Sunday afternoon we headed to St. Louis to start our journey back to Minnesota. Deep down I was dreading the flight, since our way there didn't really go as planned. After making it through security, surprisingly Harper was excited to see the airplanes. It was deja vu hearing her say, "oh we're going on an airplane!" with such excitement. I had my fingers crossed.

We boarded the plane with no problem, and Harper jumped into her seat and buckled up. During takeoff we flapped our wings again, but also had the iPad out for an extra distraction. Once again there was slight moment of panic when the plane lifted off the ground. She didn't scream, but there were a few shrieks. After crawling onto my lap to look out the window, she quickly fell into a daze. Within minutes, she was fast asleep on my lap. Clearly she was exhausted, since she didn't wake up until we were on the ground. Needless to say - our flight home was much much better for all involved.

It was a whirlwind weekend, and we all miss Grandma very much. My Mom, Harper and myself are going back down in a few weeks to visit my Grandpa. I'm looking forward to celebrating Aunt Joan's birthday, and go on a few adventures throughout St. Louis.

Until next time...
The Helleen's