Hide-and-Hug

There aren't any words to describe how happy having my parents in town over the holidays makes me.  It makes me whole in a place I have to spend all year studiously ignoring so I won't feel how much the emptiness hurts.  And because of the miracle of Skype, my daughter knows my parents; knows them so well that when she sees their faces in front of her, they are not strangers at all. 

When my parents came out of the guest room in the morning and Maeve saw them for the first time in six months, she was just naturally delighted to have extra playmates and people for whom to show off.  That same day, minutes later, she was dragging my dad around by his finger, twisting him this way and that, to show him everything he needed to know.  It was so easy, and all of us were so grateful for how easy it was.

Maeve and Grandma played hide and seek, such as Maeve understands it, close to the end of their visit.  She would run and hide in the cupboard while Grandma was counting, then as soon as she finished counting and asked, "Where's Maeve?" Maeve would immediately pop out of her hiding spot to proclaim "Here I am!" and run wildly at Grandma for a hug.  I managed to capture a bit of it:

Step 1: Consult Grandma on procedure

Step 2: Grandma is informed to cover her eyes and count

Step 3: Emerge from hiding place and careen towards Grandma

Step 4: Giant collision-hug!

 You can see, maybe, why words just don't really cover how it felt to have them back.  But it was glorious, and I look forward with excitement to sometimes later this year when we can have them back for another visit.  Having a guest room accounts for so great a wealth!