The Stage of Kids Coming Home. (And Conference. And a Birthday. And a Fence.)

We’ve passed beyond the stage of children all living at home. And no longer can we even really consider ourselves at the very beginning of children leaving home (though, thanks to our large number of children, closer to the beginning than the end of that phase—thank goodness).

Sad though it is to have them “leave the nest”, there is a simultaneously occurring (and somewhat compensatory) stage of children coming home.

Every approaching weekend or holiday, there’s a chorus of:

“Are Goldie and Wyatt coming to dinner tonight?”

“Is Daisy going to be home this weekend?”

“Will Abe and Kenya get here before I have to go to bed?”

It’s not quite the same feeling of security that accompanies all your children safe in your constant care, but there is a deep parental contentment that comes from everyone gathering, of their own choice, back to us and back to each other. It’s busy, full, and wild, but I don’t know that I ever feel quite so satisfied with life as when my children have all come home.

And this past weekend—with siblings up late drawing signs for Anders’ birthday, Daisy decorating a cake, Abe and Kenya out early to run our College Ward roads before conference, Penny taking kids to the pumpkin festival while others stayed to help move animals to a different grazing pasture (and to help right its tipping westward fence), Goldie passing around a fussing Isaac to everyone eager to comfort him (you may never see a picture of Goldie holding her baby here--as he is in far too much demand the second he arrives), and kids sprawled throughout the living room while listening to our prophet and apostles—was no exception.

We didn't need a tv in the main family room. We have one upstairs in the loft after all, and I don't particularly love the look of a big tv on the wall but do you know the main reason I felt I needed to have one down here? It was this. General conference. It was my main consideration in having a tv here. I wanted to work on dinner or tidy up breakfast and still see all of my kids watching general conference. 

You can spy Anders' birthday signs posted all over the cabinets behind him.

Anders turned 15 on conference Saturday. I'd like to say I can't believe he's that old, but part of me thinks he's already closer to 16.

Jesse settled Isaac into his most contented state that evening.

Anders, having developed his own strong musical preferences and tastes and having attended several concerts this year, has become quite a fan of records. (Abbey Road was from Abe and Kenya. Mike and I gave him a Mt. Joy one.)

Unfortunately, conference naps are some of the easiest naps to slip into of all. I'm sure they were all absorbing the words as they slept though. ...

We hadn't quite finished moving animals and fixing fences when the second Saturday session started so we turned it on a rather fuzzy radio that I'm sure nobody could hear overly well. Still, Kenya, good-natured girl that she is, said it was the most wholesome way she'd ever listened to conference. :) At least we weren't sleeping, so there's that.

Anyway, a very happy weekend. The end.