Family Matters

Over the weekend my uncle, aunt and cousin came to visit. Max is five, and it was when he was born that I realized I was ready to have a baby of my own. Enter Sam one year and four months later! My uncle is a super smart and super cool guy who gets along with SOB like gangbusters, and my aunt is also of the awesome variety.

Having them here was wonderful on so many levels. The kids played until they passed out, and Sam couldn't stop talking about how much he missed his cousin Max once they left. Lucy was in her element, because with the boys distracted with each other she often got to be the center of attention. Us grown folks ate cheese steaks (which is something we only ever do when we have out of towners here) drank some home brew and watched Pitt beat Notre Dame.

And then they left on Sunday, and I almost cried. Just like when my parents left after their visit a few weeks ago. I'm sure that it's partially hormonal, but I'm really missing my family recently. My grandmother is sick, and I haven't seen her since July. My kids are growing up and their cousins are growing up hundreds of miles away. When I was a kid sleep-overs were a regular thing with my cousins. For Sam, Lucy and Maggie they're only going to be an annual or semi-annual thing. They'll miss birthday parties and holiday celebrations. They'll miss home cooked meals by their great-grandmothers.

I guess it's not that I'm upset about missing my family. I'm more upset about the missing out.