Christmas comes to our house again

My #1 son came home for a visit! (Insert happy dance). He arrived last Thursday night, after travelling for almost 24 hours. He is taller, and thinner and more like himself - only in a more grown-up, independent way. He's been gone for seven long months. Christmas was a little strange this year because he wasn't with us. He sort of fills up the room with his running commentary on every little thing. And I missed him so dearly. Getting through Christmas was helped because I knew that three weeks later, we could steal some time away with him, before he has to return to his new life. I drove to the airport. But first we had to stop by the soccer practice to let my husband know that as soon as we picked the boy/man up, we were going to DQ to celebrate with an ice cream. He promised to join us. [Ice cream is such a nice way to celebrate don't you think?] We arrived at the airport on time (because I had tracked the flights - another reason I love the Internet) to pick him up. As we walked toward the terminal, my #2 son and I went one way and my daughter went the other way. [Oh me of little faith, I had to check that he was on the flight. Yep. He was.] By that time, my daughter had found him and made the appropriate tsk tsk sounds about all the grown-up statements he had made (such as a certain piercing).

We made our way back to the van and the oldest and the youngest immediately started arguing about "Shoddy". For those of you who don't know what that means, it is simply a means of driving a parent mad. One of them always rushes to the passenger door at the front, hoping to ride 'shotgun'. When they were little, I didn't put up with those kinds of shenanigans. If there was any arguing, they all sat in the back. So I reiterated this to them, but to no avail. My daughter immediately ran around to the driver's side and got in. She wouldn't budge. My # 2 son wouldn't budge and so I had to ride in the back. I didn't really mind being ambushed, but I tried to make a show of it anyway. All the way to DQ, they pretended they were younger versions of each other (and me). Whining about this and that, and then my daughter threatening to make them get out of the van and make them walk the rest of the way.

It was really joyful inspite of the pretend fighting. Once there, we decided on the treats we wanted and waited for my husband to arrive. My #2 son took the camera and posed as the paparazzi and ambushed him as he walked in the door.

It felt so good to be a complete family again. I wish I could have bottled it up. I'll need it in a couple of weeks.