Going Home

"Mommy, I wanna go home." Ian walked in from our living room where he was snuggled up watching Netflix after dinner to tell us that. He's been saying that a lot lately. He says it in the car when we're heading home. He will say it when we're halfway through a wagon ride with the dogs. He'll say it as he's finishing dinner. I'm realizing it's less about being at this particular address than it is being somewhere you feel comfortable and safe and ready to relax.

So when he says things like this now, I ask him if he's tired. I ask him if he wants to snuggle. I ask him if he wants to share a blanket. Those things seem to mean home to him.

This weekend we went to Crown Tourney but also spent the weekend with our dear friends. Our son disappeared into the basement for hours playing a variety of games with the other two boys. We sat in the floor having three separate conversations all on top of each other while the hockey game was on and Mr. Smith and I noodled over his MacBook. We left in time to go to bed only to wake up Sunday morning to bring breakfast back for everyone to share. We complimented each other, teased each other, encouraged each other, and sympathized with each other.

So while we were three and a half hours from our place of residency, I know exactly what Ian means about going home.

*Kevin is conspicuously absent from this photo only because he had to go to a church meeting before we realized we needed a group photo. We will photoshop him in or give him his own photo spread when next we all gather.

Crown Tourney

We spent the day at Crown Tourney in Leesburg and it was lovely. Ian and I are working on a cold but we rallied. I totally need to rent a second kid to take to events with us because Ian became significantly lower maintenance once the 7 year old arrived. He went from nagging me and whining about everything to disappearing for hours at at time to play ninja turtles and Skylanders. I only had to work on one special project of retrieving the soccer ball from the other side of the electric fence and they were otherwise relatively self-sufficient.

I spent way too much (again) at Eadric's pottery but I have another lovely mug and another side dish for turnips etc. Kathy asked me what I have of Eadric's and I told her it was better not to know. I know I have at least 12 place settings ... but they all make me so happy!

I was pleased to stand next to Cuan and his son so that every time the boy asked a question about what just happened on the list field, I could learn too. You would think after all these years, I would be better at deciphering what they're doing, but a lot of it's a blur.

Holy moly it was so cold! I was only slightly prepared for it being so chilly, in that I only had a light wrap. I missed my wool. We had a great day, though, and my kid was super good. Mostly I was pleased to leave site, put on warm clothes, and head to the Smiths for pizza and green tea. I'm eking out this entry before I succumb to the apple cider or the fatigue. But it was a good day all around.

Another oatmeal post, but my fingers are still warming up.

NaBloPoMo 2013

I have long neglected my blog. I blame Facebook (at least in part) and the immediacy of updates. But I've found some things I want to write about lately that are longer than just one paragraph. So I'm going to knock the dust off my typing fingers and attempt to post every day this month. It is National Blog Posting Month, after all.

I'm off to a great start already with this meta post at 11:30pm but we all have to start somewhere.