Visitors

The week after we met Spiff's family in St. Louis, they came to us at home.  After the funeral, we drove straight home so Spiff could go back to work.  His mom and sister toured around for a few days and eventually made their way to our house.  Hobbes did an actual leap for joy when he saw them in the driveway.  They spent the next few days making my kids very happy.  They read to them, talked to them, played with them, told jokes with them, walked with them...everything that makes them happy.  I'm sure it was quite exhausting for both CFG and Mhana because my kids didn't give them a moment's rest.  But Grandmas and Aunties are the best.

While they were here, we went to the apple orchard and then baked pies.  We ate delicious food together, although we didn't eat out.  (Eating out is only fun occasionally, and I had had enough eating out during our previous weekend in the Lou to last me a lifetime.  Or at least a month or so.)  We drove to the SPAM Museum and learned all about processed meat.  It was okay fun, and I loved that the SPAM Museum doesn't take itself too seriously.  We stayed up late talking and enjoying being around each other.  It was so so nice to have them around.  So nice to be together.

Then they had to leave, and we were all sad.  Gunner cried and cried, and I had to quickly think of a game plan to distract him.  We invited his favorite friend over to play.  Good thing he was available because that was one sad sad kid.

I love having visitors, but it's really crappy when they have to go home.  It's even worse when we don't have a definite plan for when we'll see them again.

We miss them.  We are grateful that they came and grateful for some wonderful memories.  Sooner or later, we'll either live close enough that we can see them sometimes, or someone will finally invent that Transporter Beam and distance won't be an issue any longer.