They’re back!
My eldest daughter and her family, that little nomadic tribe of mine, left their jobs and their home in late July, 2024 to travel the globe. Their grand adventure became mine—Nova Scotia, Costa Rica, and Argentina—as I caught up with them throughout the year.
Nine months later, they are home.
But this is my story, not theirs.
I flew to Pennsylvania to reunite with them at my son-in-law’s family home in Lancaster County. My grandchildren, aged three (“I’m almost four!”) and 21 months, ran to me when I emerged from the car, excited to see me and to show me their new toys. It had only been a couple of months since I had last seen them, but this reunion felt different now that they were back on US soil, a permanent return.
While there, I got to experience the lovely hospitality of my son-in-law’s parents, immerse myself in the beautiful rolling countryside at the height of their spring, and even witness an Amish farmer plow his field with a team of six enormous horses.
But of course, the highlight of Pennsylvania was the reunion—reading to and playing with the grands as well as catching up with my daughter and her husband as they reflected on what take-aways they will carry with them from this adventure.
After a few days in Pennsylvania, I joined the nomads on their drive back to Birmingham in their filled-to-the-ceiling minivan. Our first stop, for a wedding in Greenville, South Carolina, took 12 long hours. We adults took turns sitting between the siblings on the backseat, alternating between entertaining them and feeding them. After a couple of days in Greenville, we made the almost five-hour drive to Birmingham—easy peasy after that first leg!
My daughter’s family had been renting their house while they were traveling, and the renter was due to vacate by the first of May. That meant that they got to live with me for a few days in my finished basement that perfectly accommodated them.
I like to think that I am fit, and I try to live an active lifestyle, but my goodness, living with toddlers is exhausting, even when there are two other adults in the house. But it’s also loads of fun! I had forgotten how short a young child’s attention span is. I suffered mental whiplash alternating between playing hide-and-seek, reading books, drawing and glueing, and rough-housing in rapid succession. I found myself telling the grands that NayNay needed to take a break for a little while as I stretched out on the sofa.
And now they’re gone. My house has returned to its quiet. Chaos reigns no more. Everything is in its place and tidied. My daily routine has resurfaced as if it hadn’t been interrupted for two weeks. I can sit in my quiet spot and drink coffee without demands for my attention. There are no more diapers in my trashcan. No random crayons rolling under the sofa. No picture-books scattered across the floor. No more squeals of, “Ready not, I come!” No more galloping around my house with a child on my back.
All that remains are the chalk drawings on my sheltered front porch that the rain can’t wash away.