Thanks giving, Week 13

I have become more and more thankful that I'm living so much closer to family now that we're back in the southeast.  My parents came up this weekend, arriving on Thursday before dinner and leaving late this morning after breakfast.  My dad had Friday off from school, and being so close, it was easy for them to just shoot up for the weekend and still get home early enough to rest and relax on Sunday after returning home.  We didn't have an especially exciting weekend.  We drove out to the Loveless Cafe, a southern-style restaurant, on Thursday for dinner (and back again Friday morning after I realized I'd left my purse there).  On Friday we went shopping for a new living room light fixture and made homemade pizza.  And yesterday mom and I went to the fabric store, and then dad and I went to the Apple store.  Wes got home from his shift yesterday in time to join us for chicken and potato salad but had to spend most of the evening in our room doing charts from his shift.  We did a lot of playing with Oliver and some work around the house, but mostly it was just visiting.  And it's so nice to be able to do so.  Especially now that Ollie's around, I love getting to see my family more often than once or twice a year.  He doesn't necessarily remember my parents as soon as he sees them, but he warms up very quickly and for the rest of the visit knows what they're there for (like throwing the ball with my dad).  Mom got some snuggle time with Ollie yesterday; his nap schedule was off and he conked out in her arms for about thirty minutes before lunch time. 

I knew it was time for them to go home this morning (especially since I had lots of schoolwork to get done that had been put off to enjoy time with them), but it was still hard to say goodbye.  They had already said their farewells, but my mom popped back in to return something they'd borrowed.  Oliver heard the back door open and my mom's voice and squealed with delight to run and see her.  It was so sad to watch.  It would be nice if he were able to enjoy their company more often.  The one solace in their leaving is knowing that it need not be long before we see them again, and summer (when my school schedule is much lighter) will provide ample opportunity for us to go down for a weekend to visit.