Ah-h-h-h-h-h

I have seen the sights of London
I have seen the sights of Rome
But there's nothing like the tail lights
of my grandkids going home!

I really shouldn't blame that ah-h-h-h-h-h on my grandkids.  They just happened to be the last ones to leave Saturday afternoon.  Morgan came and hugged me goodbye at least four times.  She didn't want to leave but at the same time was anxious to get home to her Christmas presents, toys and her own bed.

We have gone non-stop since the end of October.  First there was the three week trip, followed by company for a week (however, they were SO HELPFUL in getting the house decorated) and we had a ball.  Then the parties started in earnest.  I had my 12 neighbors for lunch here, a dinner for Terry & Carol's friend Judy, Christmas dinner for 8 and company for 11 straight days from the day after Christmas until January 5.  Whew! 

BUT ... everyone pitched in and right now everything is put away from Christmas.  The garage and several drawers, cabinets and closets are cleaned out and organized.  My oven is fixed, a small gas leak in our water heater is repaired, our alarm on the door has been reseated and the flapper on the toilet cleaned and reset.  Thank you, Bill.  I seriously considered sending Ted back to Detroit and keeping Bill but no one was in favor of that but me!

Tuesday was spent settling in, getting the oven repaired and playing Mexican Train.

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The Children's Museum of Houston was our outing on Wednesday. It has been voted the best children's museum in the country by Parents' Magazine and they deserve it. This place is awesome. The entry hall was filled with pedal cars going back to the early 1900s. We grownups all remember having such a toy.

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Morgan and Sam (as well as the rest of us) had a great time playing with all the hands on exhibits that are available.

For dinner we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and even the kids gave it their seal of approval.

Thursday we drove to Brenham to visit the Blue Bell factory. If I ever need a job, I think I could give this tour as well as the folks that do it now. But it does give me a chance to try one more flavor of Blue Bell. That evening Terry & Carol treated us all to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. We had a nice long visit and the kids were very good reading their books while the adults lingered.

Friday I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and everyone at home was taking down Christmas decorations, marking the boxes and stacking them in the garage in the space created by Keith. Ted, Kara and Bill went shopping in the afternoon and I stayed with the kids. Morgan, Bill and I had all been working on her American Doll raccoon that needed to be sewn and stuffed.

All too soon Saturday arrived and it was one last trip to the airport. But we know we will see them again in June at the family reunion in Kentucky. This has been a wonderful Christmas season. As the years pass, the memories created become more meaningful. It is not the gifts, the food, the parties that are important. It is the peace within our families, the love we share and the precious time we spend together.