saying goodbye again

I hate goodbyes. I've never been very good at them and even though I've had some serious practice at wishing people farewell over the last year my skills have not improved. Saying goodbye to Tommy this morning was slightly easier knowing that there was some hope of seeing him in the future. We'd like to visit him in Shenzhen; he wants to visit us in Viet Nam. I'm hopeful that at least one will happen and that seemed to ease the feeling of pointless attachment. He was a great addition to our family; the boys got along well and Audrey loved having another brother (especially one who didn't argue with her!). Really I couldn't have asked for a better kid to host. His parents should be proud.

Summer is flying right along and school will be starting before we know it. In a way, I will be glad as it tends to lend some stability to our lives and allows me some time to get things accomplished without kids fighting over game systems ("I want to play Yoshi on the N64!" "But I want to play Kingdom Hearts 2 on the PlayStation!") or lunch choices ("Ham sandwich!" "No! I want soup!") or any of the numerous other things that kids can find to argue about. I will miss the time together though. I do love being with my kids and even though I complain, I truly enjoy their company. So, I will deal with our separation during the day by knowing that by the end of December I will have completely given up any time alone. That will be an adjustment in itself.