Gifts

My parents finally made it home from Spain. They stayed about a week longer than I did and then had a marathon trip home which included 2 extra nights in airport hotels, cancelled flights, boarding passes to flights that didn't exist, lost luggage and hours spent in airports. A couple of days ago they did arrive back in Portland and I sent Peter to surprise them at the airport by picking them up. My mom called him her "knight in shining armor".

Today she made it over to our place to give the kids the presents she got them in Spain and to see them since it's been over a month since they have been together. The kids were thrilled. Miss E and I came home from our mother/daughter podiatrist appointments this afternoon (does everyone have all 4 members of their family see a podiatrist?) and Nana was here! There were dresses and spanish candy and toys and art supplies and the kids got to show her all the things they have been up to since she left. And then Mr. T got her to read a few pages of his (extremely painful for adults to read) Batman book while I was cooking dinner.

I'm so glad we decided to move back to Portland. There were many factors in our decision but for me a main one was that when we started a family I wanted to be close to my parents and I have never truly regretted that decision. There have been a few times where Peter and I have wondered what our life would have been like if we moved someplace new, a new state or country and started a fresh life together there but our families are so entwined in who we are and so important to us that I can't imagine doing that. Now that we have kids I know we could never move them away from their grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. They enrich our life so much and we are so blessed to have them.