Family Visit

After almost two weeks of having family in town, we will begin our first round of goodbyes tomorrow. My parents were supposed to arrive last Friday (7/8), but their flight never left Burlington due to the weather in the DC area. My brother and I were nearly to the airport when our older sister called to inform us the flight had been canceled and they were resecheduled on a 5:45am flight the next morning. My brother and I literally spent 5 hours in the car only to have my parents not arrive. I got up the next morning, with Jack and Caroline in tow, to head back to Dulles to greet my parents for what will be a fun-filled week. Unfortunately, the time has come to say goodbye. We have enjoyed the visit and spending time with them for sure.

I know my parents have enjoyed seeing the VA and CA grandkids and spending 8 days with us. It's been a nice visit and we always hate to say goodbye. The visit seemed to work out pretty well and I think easier for my parents. My brother was initially going to spend a week in Vermont, but with airfares and rental costs, it just didn't seem to make economical sense; so my parents came here. I feel badly for my sisters who were unable to see my brother and his family this time around, but hopefully they will have the opportunity to see them soon because they haven't seen baby Julia yet and I know they wanted to see her.

We took my parents to the local fair, the National Zoo in DC, spent time locally in Frederickburg, had a sleepover, got a chance to spend time with both sets of in-laws, etc. As parents, we find ourselves saying "it's all about the kids" and for this trip in particular, I tried my best to get the kids together as much as we could. We wanted to be as flexible and seize the opportunity to hang out, because who knows when the next time will be. So, I hope the kids have had fun (I think they have) and it's been fun for me watching them play and interact with one another. Jack looks up to Noah; the girls LOVE playing pretty much anything; and Lauren tries to keep up with the big girls!

Hosting for a long stretch of time can definitely be exhausting.....both mentally, emotionally and physically. Routines are off, stress levels start to increase, etc... My brother and his family are here for 2 more days and I hope the kids will get to play together a bit more before they leave. I know Monday night will be emotional for the kids and I hate to see that. Saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow is going to be hard enough.