long time gone

Today, Blake woke up and bypassed me to go straight into Grammie & Papaw's room, waking them up. He proceeded to stand on Grammie's side of the bed and tell her, with very stale breath: "Um, I just...I just...I just need to go home now."

I walked in during a repeat performance (he tends to really make sure you heard him, if not the first time, then for sure by the fifth time...I don't know where gets that....no really - I don't), and his tone was so sweetly apologetic, as though Grammie and Papaw thought that he was rushing off after two full weeks with them. It also made my heart pine for home...we have not over-stayed our welcome (is that possible with my parents?), but both Blake and I are ready to be back in our own beds.

The reason we are in Billings so long is that I have plans here on New Year's Eve, and I thought I wouldn't want to come for Christmas, head home, then come back for a day and a half. That's a lot of driving, and I didn't want the hassle. Well, staying here a full week (for me - Blake's now been here two) has stretched me just far enough to be tired and homesick. Also, after having pawned him off that first week, I don't want to just flit out every day to do my own thing, leaving Blake with my poor mother. She can only be SO amazing, and I don't want her to feel taken advantage of...so I haven't been the social butterfly I would normally try to be while here. Also, some key players I would want to see are conveniently OUT OF TOWN.

Anyway, we are ready to load up and move on out. I want to make sure my home is intact (no burst pipes), nothing has died (nor a Christmas tree fallen over and caught fire), and no one has broken in and helped themselves to ALL THE FREAKIN' TOYS! I think the value of all the toys and/or toddler paraphernalia exceeds that of, say, my car. I could sell it all and upgrade to a REAL Hummer, not that little fake thing Blake vrooms around. I wonder if he would think it was supremely cool, or if he would resent me for replacing his fun with my own. I wonder if I would even care, since I would be so callous as to buy a Hummer in the first place and would clearly have had to sell my soul along with the toys.