Warm Hugs and Slobbery Kisses

We arrived in Boston exhausted. I sent off a text to Cam that we'd arrived and would be outside the baggage claim area just as my cell phone battery finally sputtered and gave up the ghost.

Thankfully, she got the message and rolled up in her red minivan, fully loaded with boosters and car seats. She gave me a warm hug and met my children while I experienced that weird and disconnected feeling that bloggy friends often have.

How can this woman who is such a dear friend and major part of my life, a woman who has coached me through potty training issues, listened while I moaned about bed time, celebrated birthdays and milestones, how can this woman need an introduction to my children? She already knows them so well.

The kids settled in, Joseph giving his usual explanation that he and Elizabeth would only be shy for a few minutes and then belying even that statement with a running commentary of punchy observations.

We arrived to the Garriepy home long after Felix had gone to bed. We stood in the living room having a whispered conversation and then moved into the kitchen where an omission in my description of their home and family was made apparent.

"They have dogs!" Joseph's eyes lit up while he tried to maintain his "big boy" cool.

"They have a baby dog!" Elizabeth nearly scrambled to get to the canines begging for attention. While both kids love animals, Elizabeth's devotion borders on the sort of love a teenage girl has for One Direction.

"He's not a baby dog. He's a pug." I might as well have been speaking to the wind. From that moment on, Maurice - poor, old Maurice - was a baby puppy in need of constant love and pets and kisses.

Maurice, who if he could talk would have a raspy Boston accent and most likely be speaking with a cigar hanging out the side of his mouth, thought he was in heaven. Until, of course, the novelty of being called a baby puppy and hunted down by a loving four-year-old wore off. Amalie, who is a truly sweet girl, patiently endured Elizabeth's love and snuggles our entire visit. She gave Elizabeth more than a few sloppy kisses which sent my love into smiles and giggles.

After a glass of water, we made our way to the guest room and collapsed into bed and oblivion.

We woke up late the next morning and I learned the first rule of traveling with kids:

Toss your schedule.

While I would have been happy to get up and jump into all sorts of touristy trouble, pushing my body to the brink of exhaustion and then supplementing with caffeine, the kids needed some time and space to learn about their new friends, new environment, and new schedule. We did a little grocery shopping, played with Legos, and feasted on grilled chicken and corn on the cob.

Before bedtime was story time and I watched my children sit enthralled by Cam's reading of the adventures of Hiccup and Toothless. Her voice wove the words until I too was mesmerized. She has a reading voice that never stammers, never stumbles. The words flow effortlessly, slowing during scary moments, speeding up through adventure. She read on long past when I would have made an excuse about the chapter ending. She read until Elizabeth's eyes drooped and exhaustion was visible in the purple under Joseph's eyes. Then, with a close of the book, the kids went to bed.

All the better to be rested for Sunday.