And Then They Left

As eventually happens with all guests...Grandpa, Grandma and the Uncles had to leave for their own homes and real lives. We were very sad to see them go. As Uncle Brettskis had an early flight out of Boise on Sunday morning, they all packed up and headed out Saturday evening.
Oh yes, a picture of the finished Thanksgiving study. There are a few blank spots to show the unfinished projects and charts we never got around to. What can I say, pie baking and snack making got in the way : )

The gingerbread house the kids and I made with lots of help from Grandma. I had plans of making the gingerbread myself. Then reality gave me a good look in the eye and I called Tadd and asked him to add "gingerbread house kit" to his last minute Costco list. They really do go together much easier this way. Another added bonus--I didn't have to buy 12 different bags of candy which I promptly would have finished off. I think the kit ends up being cheaper along with easier. Last time I made the gingerbread, I couldn't make the icing stiff enough to hold it together and Tadd and Alan had to kick in their engineering skills and use some skewers to hold the houses together. We didn't want a repeat of that event.
Before the Tractors left we met some good friends at a Mexican food joint in town. These friends just so happen to be the Missing Uncle's in-laws. They had been out of town all week and so this dinner was their only opportunity to say hi to the Tractors.
Caroline (literally) squeezing in some last moments with her boys.
And Ezra managed to fit in between two of his favorite friends.
Eventually we had to say our good byes.
No one was overly happy about it.
Caroline took one look at the suit cases waiting to be loaded and packed up her own.

She even went so far as to load them onto the back of the pick up. She really thought she was going home with them. So did Ezra. Grandma reminded him that his mommy wouldn't be there at bed time and then whose hair would he play with while he fell asleep? That was enough to convince him. Not Caroline. She didn't so much care whether I would be there or not. But the stop for dinner made her forget and she came home in the van with her own mommy and daddy without too many complaints.
Thank you for driving all this way Grandpa and Grandma and Brett and Jeff! We sure had fun with you here.