A few days ago my brave and amazing in-laws made a proposal. They were taking a road trip to Canada (my mother-in-law grew up in Alberta), and they wanted to take their four oldest grandchildren along.
Those would be my kids.
Oh, and guess what? Said trip would be for a week and a half. That's right, 10 days. And they were leaving on Sunday.
It took a while for my brain to stop reeling, but once it did my husband and I talked it over and decided to grant our permission. This was an incredible opportunity, and adventure in the making...how could we deny them the chance? So we made lists. We did laundry, we went to the store, and we packed and packed and packed.
And then, this morning, they left. Four big chunks of my heart climbed into a Honda and headed for the border.
I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit wrenching. I trust Jeff's parents completely, but this is a long distance and a long time. I drove home feeling rather bereft.
But then I started to clean.
I vacuumed the downstairs. I mopped the kitchen and dining room floor, loving the shine. I cleaned one bathroom and tidied another. I picked up Dora accessories off of my daughter's bedroom floor.
You should know, cleaning is not a natural reaction for me. It is by no means a default. But with the four oldest of my brood away, I jumped at the chance to clean and...well, and to have my home stay clean for a while. At least for it to have a fighting chance.
Isn't my floor pretty?
For the record, I still have this fellow to keep me company. So there is good reason to doubt that the house will stay tidy for long, really. Remember THIS POST?
But his sparkling personality, blossoming verbal skills, and toddler tendencies are certain to keep my life interesting for the next 10 days. It'll be like 2004 all over again, just me and my 19-month-old. We'll go on walks, attend story time at the library, and have our own kind of adventures together. It'll be different - it'll definitely be weird (for both of us, I'd wager), but it will be fun.
Still, four huge pieces of my heart are far, far away tonight...dreaming of adventure.
3 comments:
Enjoy the one on one time, and tidying up after only one little one.
What a great adventure, what wonderful grandparents!!
Oh wow... Kevin told me it was just going to be you and Gabe for a few days,but this fills in a lot of details. I can feel your mixed emotions in your words...praying for you all!
I'm sure it will feel very strange. Those four look so happy and it will be wonderful memories for them. But I'll bet you and Gabe will have a sweet time. Love that picture with the squirt gun.
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