I used to babysit for someone who would often say that family time was “miserable fun”. Sometimes this can be true, but then there are the times when it’s the complete opposite. R and I’s “family” (don’t tell us they’re not really our family, because everyone involved will argue that to the death) made the long drive up to visit us during their spring break this week! We had so much fun, and it was so great to see some familiar faces from our life in Alabama. Baby D is no longer a baby, he’s gone from a sweet baby in a fancy outfit being our “ring bear” to a full grown Boy, growling (lovingly and playfully of course) in my face and yelling “Yee-Haw!” on the carousel on the mall. Baby W is definitely still a baby, but definitely a big one. And the great news is it only took him about 5 minutes to remember that he knew us, his God-parents. Thank you Skype. And the teenager is well, a teenager. But she’s the most pleasant teenager I’ve been around in a good long while! (and technically she’s still 12.) Those are the things that have changed in the almost 3 full months since we’ve been gone. Here are some things that haven’t.

1) The woman who I wasn’t sure would like me when we first met is still and always will be my best friend. She would definitely still tell me to “stop being a baby” if she needed to, and I would thank her for that.

2) Baby D (yes I’m going to keep calling him a baby) will still crawl up in my arms when he has “a little scramp” and let me kiss his boo-boo and make him feel better.

3) W still has the craziest hair around, and it is completely glorious.

4) Baby D is still completely convinced that my mother drives a helicopter around, and RAN to show her that her helicopter was flying around outside her house during dinner.

5) K and I will probably always shed tears when it’s time to leave. Visits are never long enough.

Moving and leaving people you love is hard. There are days when it’s really hard. But when family visits happen and everything still feels so normal in the time you’re together, it feels so good. Distance is terrible, but not impossible. And it makes it better that we fully believe that we will be living in the same place again within a matter of a few short years. Miles apart are only temporary, but family is forever. Thank goodness.