Funcle Matt and Miss Jane

Well, we finally made it to Virginia after nearly missing our flight. Our bags came on the flight after ours (that’s a whole other story...) but the fact that we weren’t delayed an extra four hours was a great relief. Unfortunately, our camera was packed in the bags that were delayed those extra hours, so I didn’t get any fun pictures of our greetings with Grandma and Grandpa, or our (not-so-brief) stay at Chik-Fil-A (I spend way too much time there). Grandma met us in the airport with big hugs and lots of smiles, and Grandpa picked us up after he picked up a car seat we borrowed (mine was on the way, part of that “other story”...) for the day. We headed to everyone’s favorite chicken restaurant and got lunch. My brother met us there along with a couple of other friends from my home town. My brother...Funcle Matt. You see, he’s a “fun uncle.” Saturday we prepared for a dinner with Matt and his girlfriend, Jane. We got food ready, set the table, and cleaned up our mess (it looked like a tornado hit my parents’ living room with our stuff everywhere). Michaela loves to do this kind of thing, and appreciates the aesthetic element of having company over. Christian also loves to help; Grandma gave him a job... Eliana was also very busy. It wasn’t all work for everyone else and fun and games for Eliana... The anticipation rose as the time for Uncle Matt to arrive got nearer. The kids couldn’t wait for him to get there. Even Eliana was there, waiting to see who was going to come in through the door. And Jane is with him... One of the first things Matt noticed was this... He said,“Is that for Jane and me?” He’s so silly. He’s not quite the right size... He is quite a storyteller, and the kids are always a captive audience. He saw a book on the couch, The Wizard of Oz, and told the kids how Frank Baum came up with the name for his famous city. They were entranced. I have to say, so was I. Matthew isn’t the only one who can captivate an audience, though. Michaela did a little entertaining too. And captivated audience... Uncle Matt can get Christian really crazy. He likes to do so right before he walks out of the door and goes home. But this time I gave them permission to do the “silly face” before the “good picture.” That’s nice, isn’t it? While the boys were being silly, the girls were having some serious discussion on, well, it’s a secret. And Eliana continued to entertain herself. She went from snowman, to Grandpa, to exploring these new surroundings. It’s always nice to see something familiar when you’re far from familiar... We were so glad to see Funcle Matt and Miss Jane. The kids had a great time, dinner was wonderful (thanks, Mom), and everyone was exhausted by bedtime! I wish we could see Matt more often, but I’m so grateful for the time that we get to spend with him when we do visit. Distance is a hard thing but somehow our family has a bond that overcomes that obstacle. So, even when we are far from home, we’re still home.