Back Again

The children and I have made our way back to Alabama for another long visit, leaving the Mister to finish up the tail end of this loooooong, haaaaaard pre-trial/in trial/post-trial time.  He's working until 2:30 in the morning and we're enjoying tea time hot chocolates, with milk pours and marshmallow distributions made to the individual satisfaction level of each child in the room.  But when he joins us in a couple weeks, he will be done-done-done with all of this for at least a few months.  He's promised me a family getaway and I only remind him of it about twice a week.

Where's Buddy Boy?  He was here just a minute ago.

On my night flight down from DC, there were these three children who screamed bloody murder most of the way.  The older two were fighting over who got to lay his head in their mother's lap, and neither could be quieted with just one leg's worth of lap space.  The smallest one was having a really hard time falling asleep and every time she would begin to quiet down, her brother would rip her pacifier out of her mouth and get her all revved up again.  At one point, that very same brother stood up in his seat and launched his own pacifier several rows back, hitting another passenger in the head.  Shockingly, no one  was particularly interested in searching the airplane floor for his small, slobbery air weapon, so he spent the rest of the flight crying about the loss of his sleep crutch.  His mother stuffed his mouth with all the fruit snacks she'd brought aboard, but that only lent a very berry aroma to his wailing exhales.  A desperate woman one row back gave up her iPad for the good of all humanity, but within minutes it was evident that the presence of one iPad and two brothers was going to end in bloodshed and a hefty bill, so it had to be returned.  All the other passenger's best sighs, harumphs, craned necks and death stares seemed to be lost on these children.  I don't know how on earth they ended up in my row, but I sure hope their mother never books another flight for after bedtime.

5 of the 6, soon to be 7, grandchildren. 

She's a hair puller, this girl.

Learning from the best.  All these blurry, grainy, indoors in wintertime pictures are making me wish I had put that flash on my Christmas list!

This post-Christmas visit meant I got to be here for Daddy's birthday, which I almost always miss.  So that was really nice.  Daddy always requests Sara Lee pound cake, served frozen, for his birthday dessert.  Mama always tries to dissuade him.  He always stands firm.

We went with my brothers' families to an inflatable jumpy place.  Had a blast.

Uncle had to rescue Buddy Boy from the innards of the obstacle course, and came sailing out at the end.  It was highly amusing.

This beautiful baby is getting baptized next weekend, and the Mister and I are going to be her godparents.  We are so honored!

That's all for now...gotta get some sleep.  The children all have stuffy noses, so I have a feeling I'll be hearing from them in the night!