Return of the Shane

Shane came back today!

With a few extras (Of course!).

Some of the swag came from Kathleen and Stu this time. I much prefer the bat fort to the barking electronic thrift store dog that can't walk.

Everyone unloaded quickly to stretch their legs. Cole and Shane charged in to look at Shane's toys.

Indy got tied up on the porch (Cats.).

Patrick drove over from Staunton to meet everyone. Ka hadn't seen much of him for a long time.

The weather was beautiful, so the kids all hung out and played on the porch.

Patrick could only stay for a little while before he had to back-track all the way to Harrisonburg for work.

I don't think that car will get you there in time, Patrick.

Also, don't tell Carrie but I didn't clean up everything before company arrived. It's summer.

We all talked and played until Patrick had to take his leave.

Then we went downtown for Pizza.

Nana liked Cristian's Pizza the last time she visited. As you may know, she's a food loyalist.

So we found ourselves there again!

It helped that the downtown walking mall is dog friendly. Nana and Pop had to bring Indy with them this time, because Ka and Stu weren't around to take care of her. There was a little drama with "the copy game" between Peat and Repeat and Indy shivering under a chair, but nothing worth more than a sentence! I love when my family is around.

Cole cried when he realized it was time for goodbyes. Shane mostly held it together until we got to the cars. He bawled the whole way home.

I kept the radio off and we talked quietly in between sobs. I didn't want to feed drama, but sad is allowed. It's expected. Eventually, I hope he can focus on the positive memories and let the sadness of "farewell" highlight the sweet that made the parting worth mourning. He's not that mature yet.

Thank God, Shane is so Absolutely Damn Hyper Distractible. "Look, Shane. Our new neighbors, Ryan and Casey pulled up. Do you want to show them your new batman toy?"

Riley came outside a second later. Her family normally stays inside so we've only seen them a handful of times all year.

Who knew they had toy snowballs?!

Carrie came home in time to dodge a few. I stayed downhill to help corral/contain the fun.

When Riley went inside, Henry came home! Another wonderful distraction! I could see some trip-fatigue, though. Shane's temper was shorter than it was earlier.

That was okay, too. It's only to be expected. We went inside and watched some TV with Mommy.

Carrie decided to introduce him the brand new re-make of Voltron. It was a big hit (My opinion is a lot more complicated, but I'll spare you from that here!).

All is right in our little world. Shane is home and we're happy to have him back.