Mom & Dad's House

Joshua and I are at my mom and dad's house today. It has now become better known as MiMi and PaPa's house. But we are here because Joshua wanted to tell MiMi he would miss her when we head to Leesburg tomorrow to visit friends. And really, I will use just about any excuse to come and visit my parents.

Even though this is not the house I grew up in, I always feel right at home. Not that I am not relaxed and happy in my own home, but I guess because I have always had a close relationship with my parents, there is just something about coming "home" to my mom and dad that feels right and good. I recognize that not everybody gets to experience that feeling, so I count myself very lucky.

Joshua and I usually try to find an excuse to come once a week. I am a little sad because when preschool starts again in September, we won't be able to do that anymore. Joshua will be going to school five days a week and I will hopefully be substituting there as often as I can. We came almost every Thursday this past year while he was in preschool three days a week. So I will miss that weekly visit with my mom and dad starting in the fall.

I think I partially find it a bit relaxing because Joshua finds PaPa to be one of his best playmates ever. I am amazed at how good a sport my dad is with Joshua. He gets down on the floor with him and plays "car lot" for hours and hours with Joshua. It gives me and my mom time to run out and run a few errands here and there, and even when we return Joshua wants nothing to do with either of us. It's all about PaPa these days. We will try to go into the room where they are playing and Joshua will let us in there for a minute or two and then he'll say, "OK you can leave now." And we leave laughing (and I feel a smidgen of hurt too) ;o) But I am so glad that Joshua loves playing with his PaPa and I hope he remembers it forever.

Jamey occasionally will have a "Daddy weekend" and I get to come here to my mom and dad's home for "Mommy weekend". I think we all like these weekends (Well Jamey, Joshua and I do anyway!). Jamey gets to be Joshua's whole world for an entire weekend. And I get to come home and be two things - 1. a kid again. And 2. I get to be Carolyn.

It's a similar feeling to when I am writing on this blog. I get to think about stuff other than what to have for dinner, and did I brush Joshua's teeth this morning, and is he sniffling today, and I think I forgot to get his favorite yogurt at the grocery store, and what am I going to do to entertain him today??? I get to get up when I want. I get to drink coffee while it is still hot (or before the ice melts in the summer). I get to run if I want. My mom will either make me a nice homemade meal, or since she has gotten so good at eating out, will take me out for a nice meal. I get to think about nothing else but me for a little while. All moms need that I think. I think my mom could make a killing doing that as a business. A little getaway time for moms. . .

But I really do love coming here. I realize now as I've gotten older that my tactic of not keeping track of how old my parents are is not working like it used to (I have thought they were both 40 for the last 20 years - total denial) and that just as I am getting older, so are they. And that really stinks. But it's also life. So I will come here as many times as they will let me because I love them very much and I want to soak up every little bit of them that I can while they are here.