While We Were Gone...

Trip, originally uploaded by Mellahoney.

The drive was long. Farmland whipping by our windows, bugs splattering windshield, pit-stop style eating in greasy highway restaurants, feet cramping, legs sleeping, babies not - until finally, we arrived. Southern Illinois, or as we have affectionately dubbed it, Illatucky. My sister-in-law and her brood live on three acres of grassy hills and trees and brush, in a 1970's style maze-house that takes you up and down three floors in a circular pattern. We left with snow in our yard, and arrived at their doorstep with children running barefoot in shorts, dirty from playing outside. It was like driving through seasons, even through a snowstorm, and finding summer. Sun. 70's. 80's. Shorts and t-shirts. Lemonade and ice cream sundaes.

We hiked in the Crab Orchard Refuge, spent a day at a the St. Louis Zoo, played in castle themed parks while the kids got dirt under their nails and bruises, well, everywhere. By the end of the trip, The Boss was officially a boy - banged and bruised, he took his lumps and kept right on playing.

He ran away multiple times, giving me several heart-in-throat moments as I ran towards his screaming, not knowing where (or how) I would find him. But he was always fine - twice barefoot along gravel roads, opening (and closing) doors and running down stairs and through backyards. I'm seriously considering slapping a GPS tracker on him. Or putting him in an invisible fenced area. At the very least, bells or a harness.

We met our newest niece, just two weeks old and petite with slender features and long limbs (waif models everywhere would be jealous.) And today we're going to meet our newest nephew - who arrived while we were miles and miles away, Monday night (against my explicit instructions for him to stay put 'till I got home...)

And, while away - my thesis returned to me, ready to be revised (ugh) - and so while I'm back, I'm not quite yet. Even though I have things I'd like to write and post, for the next week I'll need to be revision-focused...and blogging will come in bits. Like this.