After such a good weekend, it was time to pack it in on Monday and head home. Stacey and family hung out with us for a bit on Sunday morning before they made their departure. So by the next day, we'd had plenty of time to play a bit more in the kiddie pool, eat as many ice pops as Grandma had in the freezer, and maybe get to bed a little earlier than the previous nights. Waking up to gray skies, I slowly started to pack up and round up the snacks and toys. The gentle rain and rolling thunder seemed a fitting signal to tell us it was time to leave. The sunshine had said good bye. Of course, that also meant some tricky travel scenarios, so I spent most of the morning watching the flight delays for cancellations (of which there were none, thankfully). By 1:30 p.m., we made the decision to give the last flight of the day a shot and headed towards Wilmington in a steady downpour. Mom wasn't feeling well and stayed home, but she got a tearful goodbye from Elisa before we backed out of the driveway. Seeing my girl so upset was sweet and a little painful. It's hard when you can't make the distance any less, and you know these visits are too rare. As much as we love where we live, not having family nearby is probably the biggest downside. It makes these kind of brief, but intense, trips necessary, and again, I'm thankful that we have the time and the opportunity to make them.
I don't know what the fall will bring when we deal with Elisa being in school full time, but somehow this feels like our last few months of freedom. With Kindergarten, we begin the slow march toward the academic calendar that will rule our lives for the foreseeable future. Not to say that I'm dreading it, or that there won't be chances to travel again--there will be. But in many ways, our family life has been unfettered up til now, and I'm just starting to realize that we can't always stay in this little bubble. Soon, Elisa will have her school life and things will shift slightly. Even if I'm not back to work by fall, it won't be long. Carolina is growing too and she will need more interactions and have her own life apart from that which I provide. It's part of growing up and as happy as I am to see them grow, it means having to embrace the change that is life. Nothing stays the same. But for now, we are going to make the most of this summer weather and count down the weeks until we get to see the other side of the family in Spain. After two awesome plane rides this weekend, I'm actually not completely dreading the trip overseas. Everything gets better with time, and after several strangers complimented the girls on their travel behavior (including our very sweet cabbie), I might actually take some pride in that. The girls were home and fed and ready to sleep by 8:15 p.m. It was the earliest night of the bunch, and well timed because I needed it too. Traveling requires so much energy and patience, but I know Mom and Dad appreciated the effort. And that alone made it worthwhile.
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