Arrrgh!!!

My youngest sister and her family (husband, two teenaged daughters and ailing beagle) came to us Christmas morning for a lovely stay. We usually see them for a day or two at a time, so this three (plus) day stay was a luxury. We ate, opened gifts, ate, decorated the tree, ate, watched movies, ate, played cards, ate, cooked, ate, shopped, ate, chatted and ATE! None of the eight of us are used to that much food.....so it was a relief to stop that part of the celebration.

The joy of the visit was the chance to talk, and to see how our nieces are maturing. I've never raised teenaged girls. I get to see these young women two to four times a year, so I'm well aware of the changes in them. At fourteen, the oldest seems to think she has stopped growing. Since there is height on both sides of the family, I think she might be surprised with another growth spurt.

One of the most wonderful things about this visit was to see parts of myself in my nieces. The oldest has my abiding love of, and addiction to, books. Like me, she wants to open a book and read from cover to cover uninterrupted. Sorry, hon......you'll find that those interruptions will be regular, but keep reading.

Her younger sister loves to do hands-on projects. While she was with us, she was trying to figure out how to make an A-line skirt from denim and duct tape. She has the most amazing duct tape purse I've ever seen. I wonder if I can get her hooked on quilting.....

Sunday morning, we had one last breakfast together, and then everyone began their packing routine. Dad brought the truck around to make it easier to load. (They traveled in the truck because they needed room for all the food and gifts they brought.....and because we were sending home cedar logs for daughter #2 to carve.) Ellie....the beagle, started howling when Dad carried things out the door. She was clearly afraid they would leave without her. Not a chance. Ed, my cat, would have been pushing Ellie out the door.

Beds were stripped, towels gathered, quilts were folded, pillows were stacked for the trip home. Bags of food were organized, clothes collected, hair was fluffed, and then it was time for hugs all around.

It's wonderful to be hugged by a kid. They just sort of melt around you. We pat backs, and squeeze, buss cheeks and murmur parting wishes for safe trips.
And still, it's hard to walk them down the sidewalk. It was all over too soon.

So, I can officially tell you, a good time was had by all. Now, it's time to think about getting back into old habits, and resuming work. Normal?? Not just yet.......but it's coming.