A special visit

My oldest brother Chris lives in California. He moved there when I was probably in 2nd grade and has been there ever since. It is always such a special treat when he comes to visit. We typically see him 1-2 x's a year -- the past few years he has been in Indiana, we bribe him to come to Ohio to see us and the Berry's. I think he comes because we always guarantee him a birthday party! His b-day is on December 24th... we tell him we'll actually separate it from Christmas and we'll even buy him gifts :) It has become a fun tradition. We love having him. This was the first year that Henry really got to know him better. Chris always spends time with the kiddos which means more to us than he probably knows. I love that Henry already has memories with his "Uncle Chris from California."

The day Chris left, I was reminding Henry he had to drive all the way back to CA. I showed him on the map how far it was and explained to him that it was kind of like FL in the fact that it is warm a lot. Henry looked at me and said, "does he get to wear shorts all the time?" I smiled and said yes and told Henry that maybe he'd be a good candidate for living in CA :) Henry wears shorts everyday if we're not leaving the house. It's something that other older women have counseled me to not pick a battle on... and I have found we are much happier letting him wear shorts and teaching him how to put them away when he needs to put his pants on.
My mom also let me in on a little secret. She can play the piano. She told me she couldn't, but then she did remind me she could read music b/c she played the accordian like 50 years ago. Apparently she has a very good memory :) I know she has always been more musically inclined, but I was amazed at how fast she sat down and picked out songs and then played two hands at once (something that I know is probably simple but amazes me! I can hardly wait to learn!). It was so great. She began to get a little obsessive and I could tell she had that urge to conquer it!! I loved it. It was a very special time and I can't wait until she comes back so I can show her what I've learned. I was so grateful for the piano. Hearing her play was so fun and I love the sound of it floating through the house.