Eee, Vee, and Kee flew in late last night (Sun night) and I debated over whether or not to hire a babysitter for the little ones or just take them with me and consider it a big adventure. I opted for the chance for Jee and Aee to see what it's like to stay up late.
It was such a blast! We hung around at The Tech until it closed, went out to dinner, and explored the parts of the city that were being lit up by new Christmas lights.
Both Aee and Jee fell asleep in the car on the way home, but were able to walk inside and climb into their beds and zzz.
This morning, I was *sure* that they would be late for school and I figured I would let them sleep until they woke up naturally.
Sure enough, 5 minutes before school, Aee and Jee both woke up, stumbled out to the kitchen and asked for breakfast. They snarfed down a little breakfast, grabbed their lunches, homework and backpacks and waited at the door for me.
They literally rolled out of bed ready to go. They looked pretty good too. (They had changed their clothes right before going to the airport! Their outfits hadn't been worn for a "full day" yet!)
As we walked to school this morning, I was -->beaming<-- with pride. My little well-traveled, rugged road warrior children flopsing their way to school. (It's not really walking, not really wandering, but more of a explore-the-world-as-you-walk type of walk.) I love it. I love it all.
It reminded me of an essay I love: Little Nomad by Naomi Shihab in an anthology titled "Between Mothers and Sons"
