fam. bam.

My sister, her husband and their three daughters flew over 5,000 miles and spent six days in this city. There was much driving and shopping and post office runs and perusing grocery store aisles one by one and then interrogating me why I hadn’t told them about the magic that is Safeway brand mushroom risotto. I promised to fall on my sword for that error, but only after they left because who would drive them to the mall if I committed seppuku?

brissa and TJ

TJ was especially fond of all the attention. Many mornings he would be surrounded by family–his aunt, uncle and three cousins necklaced around him like they were in Avatar and summoning the powers of Eywa to get this three-month-old to walk.

weeee

Nathan had a great time, too, even though he had many tantrums and meltdowns and loud displays of LOOK AT ME! I will make this standing in line business very difficult for you, mother! Still, in the right environment, namely a rickety boat ride with his cousin Brianna, he was in heaven.

auntie bobbie & TJ from mona on Vimeo.

I’m very glad my sister is TJ’s godmother. She’s great at the whole sending-gifts-thing, unlike the time my mom ordered a pink flamingo carpet and I kept it for a year before sending it to her. Sorry mom! Also, TJ immediately took to my sister’s nom-nom-noming, evidenced above.

girls

I’m still in a post-family funk which I knew would set in immediately after they left. At the airport, it started to sink in how much I miss them, how much it sucks that they live so far away, that to see them it takes thousands of dollars and a layover in Japan. I waddled with them at the security gate until I couldn’t walk with the group any longer then we all hugged and I had to remove my glasses to wipe off the big sloppy waterworks rushing down my face. Nathan, TJ and I remained stationed against a wall, watching them make their way through security, waving again and again until all their heads ducked under the metal-detecting arch and they were out of eyesight and continuing on the long journey home.