Mom's Coming to Town!

Tomorrow evening we'll head up to the airport to pick up my mom, who is flying in from Washington (state) to be with us for the holidays! We are all so excited!

The boys love it when Grandma comes to town. First off, she brings one suitcase that is practically loaded with surprises, no matter what time of year it happens to be. But their excitement goes a bit deeper than the haul they will likely take on opening her luggage. There are many little traditions that have evolved over the years, all of which makes the boys very close to her, even though we are so far away most of the year.

One such tradition is the Baking of the Bread. My mom, herself the daughter of a baker, makes the best homemade bread. The recipe, given to her by her dad over 50 years ago, is not even written down. She has it in her head only, but it produces five beautiful white yeasty loaves every time. She keeps saying she's going to write it down, and she should. As much as my boys enjoy helping, kneading, tasting, they might just want it when they're old enough to bake themselves. We all know that within days of her arrival, our house will smell like it only does on bread-baking day. Mmmmmm.

The boys also know Grandma is pretty willing to do just about anything with them, whether it's playing a game, putting together a puzzle, reading, or playing outside (in warmer months, that is). And then there are the fun little songs that only Grandma sings to them... even if it began when they were babies, and at 8 and 9 they're getting a little 'old' for it, somehow it's still ok, because it's Grandma.

Of course my husband and I are looking forward to her arrival too! Mom and I have always been very close, so when she comes in we spend hours upon hours 'catching up', as if it would be possible to ever be caught up. She and I will enjoy decorating for Christmas, spending time in the kitchen cooking and baking sweet treats, watching our old favorite Christmas shows that we watched together in years gone by.

She'll be here for a month, a nice long visit that will fly by in a wink. It will be the first Christmas without Dad, so I think her time here with us over the holidays will be as good for her as it will be for us.

We'll cherish every moment. Truly, there is no one I'd rather share 'my morning cup' with!