Thanksgiving Vacation Over the Rainbow

We got back from our Thanksgiving trip yesterday afternoon.  We had a great time, but now it is so hard to get back into the swing of things. 

My sister and her family always take good care of us and this time was no exception.  My sister enjoys cooking and prepares awesome meals when we visit.  My wife loves the break from cooking herself, while I just love to eat all the yummy food.

In addition to all the eating, we had other regular activities. One of Kai’s favorites was walking on the nature trail every day, usually with Emi, the family’s Border Collie.  Kai doesn’t exactly play with her, but he does seem to enjoy being around her.  He did play a lot with his cousins and aunt and uncle.  As he usually doesn’t get much of a chance to play with other relatives at home, it was really nice for him to have that opportunity last week.  He was often laughing and laughing as we played games, watched movies together, or just goofed around.

Sometimes, though, I wondered if he lost his hearing.  There is the philosophical question, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”  Well, I ask, “If a dad tells his son to do something, and he does not respond, does the dad really exist?”  I had thought that my son’s listening skills were improving, but you couldn’t tell on this trip.  “Don’t tease the dog.”  “Don’t jump on the couch.”  “Come back to the table and eat your dinner.” I repeated these over and over.  I’m not sure if it was because he was more excited than usual, or if I was just more sensitive to all the bad behavior because we were in my sister’s house, but it sure felt like he did not want to do a thing I said to him.  Still, that was just a minor irritation in the big scheme of things.

On our last night there, my brother-in-law put The Wizard of Oz on the vcr.  We all enjoyed it and, coincidentally, it was on the next night when we turned on the television in our motel on the way home.  I feel like being on this vacation was somewhat akin to traveling to Oz.  It was a fun, colorful, unforgettable time spent with people you love, along with a few wicked moments from my son to keep things interesting.  Now, we’re back to our black-and-white real world lives.  I’m going to try to keep in mind the lesson that Dorothy learned that “there’s no place like home.”  But, I think I’ll need a nap first before I click my heels about it.