Empty House

It was a very quiet weekend indeed around our house. George and I took the children to his sister's house in Beulaville on Friday after he got home from work. Our niece, Leslie-Grace, was having a jewelry party, and our nephew, Mack, had a baseball game that evening. Here is a picture of them. LG is six months older than Skylar, and Mack is five months older than Bart. Aren't they cute?
Anyway, George's sister, Mindy, offered to keep Skylar, Bart, and Drake over the weekend - two whole nights of no children! Great, right? Yeah, sort of. It was nice to be able to sleep in until 10am on Saturday morning, then get up, shower, and go eat a leisurely brunch at Waffle House (for under $20!!!), all with no whining, fighting, or tears. We hung pictures in the house, vacuumed, did laundry, installed a new light in the kitchen, all with no whining, no fighting, and no tears from any children. So what did we do? We ended up starting an argument with one another which climaxed in - you guessed it - whining, fighting, and tears. Well, we eventually made up and made dinner together. Then I headed for the Young Women's broadcast at church and George went to a work buddy's house for poker. When I got home, I was kind of lost at not having anyone to tuck into bed or give night-night snack to. So I pigged out on Doritos while I simultaneously watched TV and read a book. I know I'm not the only one who does that, by the way!
This morning, George & I got up for church and actually made it there basically on time. We actually got to sit in a pew, not one of the folding chairs or out in the lobby. We actually got to sit there and listen in Sacrament meeting without having to take anyone to the bathroom, divvy out snacks, or mediate any toy or coloring book disputes. It was...strangely lonely. After church, we once again came home to a quiet house, ate lunch, and prepared dinner. Mindy and George's mom arrived around dinner time with our babies in tow, no worse for the wear, and a good deal cleaner than when we left them on Friday. They had all had baths and Skylar didn't have a single trace of homemade ink on her. There were lots of hugs, kisses, and yes, whining, fighting, and a few tears. But I don't think either of us minded one bit.