Home Again, Home Again

Winding up our first full day back at home in Torreon. It is weird and normal all at the same time. We've pretty much stepped back into life. Everything is familiar and routine. Which is good and bad. This is our home after all, and there is a certain comfort to being home. But we MISS our loved ones! And spending the whole day together as a family unit, every day. We sure miss Andrew when he's at work.

This trip to Canada was exceptionally rich. We really focused on spending our time with people, and were so blessed by that decision! We have so many extraordinary people in our lives. Thank you to everyone who carved out time for us. We felt very very loved. (And sorry to those of you we didn't get a chance to see. Vacations are always too short!)

I think I can speak for Andrew when I say that a huge highlight (among very many) was seeing our kids with their cousins. Even at such a young age, the kids just know there's something special and different about family. And it shows in their play and comments. That special bond is so tangible.

You could see that the kids recognized that there was something different about all the loved ones we spent time with, and adjusted their behaviour accordingly to be much more open and comfortable than they are with people we are not as close with.

While we did focus on people, we managed to squeeze in some shopping, and came home with most of the things we needed, including: a new maternity swimsuit for me! Goodbye Ursula the Sea Witch swimsuit, hello much more flattering and form fitting swim dress (not even maternity, but it works). I also bought a boatload of new cloth diapers, and was gifted a boatload of used cloth diapers. Thank you so much Louise and Melissa!!!! I am super excited about my foray into cloth diapering. Ridiculously excited, some might say. I am actually saving the washing and organizing of said diapers as a reward for completing my 'coming home to-do list'.

I could devote a whole post to how much I love and appreciate my bed. We bought it right before we moved here. It has been worth EVERY PENNY. Seriously, almost every night we comment to each other about how much we appreciate that bed. We give thanks to God for that bed. It's worth it to spend a little extra on something you spend 1/3 of your life using.

It's hot here. I don't know why I feel I have to comment on that. Of course it's hot here. It's the middle of summer and we live in the desert. So far though, I'm holding up well.

I'm feeling quite nesty. Have the energy to go that extra mile around the house. Like, if I see something out of place or dirty, to do something about it. Hopefully that lasts for a little while. It is nice to hang around in a neat and clean home.

Our yard is amazingly overgrown. I hope our gardener can come tomorrow.

My van is amazingly coated in dust. I hope I get around to washing it tomorrow.

My ficus tree is still alive!!! Whoohoo!! Last summer all my house plants bit it while I was gone.

Maybe I'll even buy a few more house plants now that our annual lengthy absence has passed. Good to have that extra oxygen in the house. Anybody have suggestions of VERY hearty houseplants that tolerate dry conditions and neglect?