Thanksgiving Fun - Part 1

Over the next few posts, I want to share some of the fun I had over Thanksgiving. I know it's already past, but the stories are fun. Here's the introduction:

On Sunday before Thanksgiving, I traveled with my two-year-old neice, Olivia, to Modesto, CA. I bought her a little teddy bear backpack with a leash on it so I wouldn't lose her. She liked to wear it backwards, so she could hug the teddy, and I've never had so many people looking at us. She's really cute, and was very well behaved.

We arrived in Oakland and met my mom and my one-year-old nephew who flew in on another flight, and my grandmother and her neice (my mom's cousin). I've never met the cousin, and when grandma introduced me, she said, "this is Lil". But Lil, upon giving me a hug, said, "The family calls me Lil but I prefer to go by Chris. You can call me Chris." And she called my grandma "Aunt Amelia", which is strange because my entire life, Grandma's name has been Frances. I know her name is Amelia Frances, but she has always preferred using her middle name.

After about an hour and a half drive, we arrived in Ceres, outside Modesto. My great-aunt Laura and great-uncle Nacho and his wife, Macie, all live on the same property, along with J.C., Aunt Laura's grandson. Aunt Laura's husband, also called Nacho, died about a year ago and J.C. moved in. Apparently Aunt Laura has wanted a new house for years, so she built one, right next door to the mobile home she's lived in for 35 years. Then she convinced Grandma and Uncle Nacho to move in - Grandma in the new house and Nacho and Macie in the old one.

Now if you're not yet confused about everyone's names, here's the fun part: Uncle Nacho's real name is Ignacio, but he goes by Manuel (I only heard Macie call him that) and the family has always called him Nacho. My grandmother is known by her names, Frances and Amelia, but also as Cotana (a nickname her grandmother gave her), and Nacho calls her ADD. Aunt Laura is just called Laura, but Nacho's daughter is also Laura, and one of Aunt Laura's granddaughters as well.

There were more of us in addition to everyone listed: my sister and her husband, mother-in-law, oldest son, and our younger sister, drove down and arrived at grandma's on Monday morning. Dad drove in on Wednesday with a rental car (he had been working). My poor nephews and neice - there was "grandma" (my mom), "grandmama" (paternal grandmother) and "nana" (my grandma). They never quite got it.

Uncle Nacho's daughter, Laura, came with her husband and two kids. My aunt Alice and uncle Ronnie came with their grandson. Aunt Laura's daughter, Mary Helen and her son Paul (J.C. was already there) and his wife came; as well as her daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren. There were a few others for dinner who's names/relations I don't remember.

I didn't realize that I'm part of a big family. It was really fun! My mom's cousin Laura when she met us, said, "I always called you my white cousins!" We laughed...my grandmother is the only one of her siblings who married a Caucasian, and all of her children did as well. The family members in my mom's generation are much more latino than my mom and her siblings, but the cousins my age are pretty well mixed. I love coming from an ethnic background. My aunt Laura made all kinds of great Mexican food, and Aunt Macie makes the best beans I've ever had.