LAST WEEK WITH MY PARENTS

This has been an odd sort of week for several reasons I won't share here, but as a result I feel both full of loss and full of gratitude.  

I have had an almost cold all this week. I feel groggy with a scratchy throat and congested face in the mornings and evenings, but during the day I am fine and make it through. I am going to attribute the survival to this tea by Traditional Medicinals called Gypsy Cold Care. It has yarrow root  and elderflower in it and it works wonders; to either stave off of the oncoming cold entirely, or by mitigating symptoms so that you can get through the day. I have employed this tea several times since I learned about it from my coworker, and now I press it into the hands of anyone that needs it. 

My parents are here, but not here. They are here in the States and have been keeping themselves very busy, going up the East Coast to visit my sisters and currently they are at a conference in Michigan, and then after New York they are going to come back to Richmond for a few days before they have to fly back to Korea. These photos are from a couple of weeks back when they first came to stay with us. We were all thrilled to pieces about it. Just one day after they left, Sloane said, "Are they coming back yet? They have been gone for soooooo long."

My mom always brings the girls such wonderful books over from Korea. My mom is a children's book aficionado and is an avid appreciator of art and beautiful things, so we all get to be influenced by that. Sloane so looks forward to this time of discovering new Korean books and reading with my mom. 

My dad loves getting silly with the girls, and the girls love it right back. In regards to raising kids, my dad (part jokingly, but mostly seriously) has given me the advice that it is good to surprise them with silliness, enthusiasm, and humor once in a while to catch them off guard. He says it keeps them on their toes and keeps them excited about life. 

This is my dad and Sloane making faces and being silly together.  

It is so sweet to have them pitter pattering around the house, and having my girls throw up their arms for a hug every time they spot their grandparents. 

On Saturday, we drove up to visit my sister and brother-in-law, and I got to see their new place for the first time. We all have moved around so much throughout the years and so it always feels like a necessary milestone to visit each new place.

Here are a few more photos of our afternoon together.