It's nearly midnight, and the house is pitch black as we drive up and
unload the luggage from the back of the car.  Fumbling the keys in the
lock makes more noise than usual, since we are both dead tired after 5
days of vacation.  Finally, we get the door open, and reach in to turn on
the light.  It's safe, there are no fuzzies waiting to make their escape
into the cold, dark night, so we haul the bags in and shut the door.  I
walk down the hallway, flip on the light, and look into the kid's room.
Just on the other side of the plexi wall that keeps them safely in their
room, four little faces are waiting, staring up to say "Hi, Mom and Dad!
We missed you!  Can we have some treats now?".  Just behind them, in the
other half of the room, three more fuzzy kids are standing and waiting
impatiently to greet us.  I climb over the wall, pick up each of the kids
to get kisses and give them hugs, while my husband lifts the plexi out of
it's track to give the "big boys" a chance to run around the house.  Once
everyone has been greeted, and treats have been handed out, we do the
usual get home from a trip stuff.  Empty the suitcase, separate the dirty
laundry from the clean stuff, put all of the non- laundry stuff away, and
sort the mail that my parents have brought in while they were here to
take care of the kids.
 
Time to change groups.  We gather the "big boys" and put them back behind
the plexi barrier, then let the "little boys" out while we get ready to
finally get to bed.  The little guys can stay out all night, they never
get into any trouble, and at least one of them will usually curl up in
bed with us and keep our toes warm.  I surrender to the inevitable first,
kiss my husband goodnight, and head off to bed.  Turn off the light,
snuggle under the comforter a breathe a sigh of contentment to be back
home in my own bed.  Just as I'm about to drift off, I hear the familiar
rustling that tells me that one of the kids is climbing up the side of
the bed.  I wait, expecting to have a warm lump slither down my leg and
curl up behind my knee, and have the wonderful surprise of a cool nose
gently sniff my face, then give my closed eyelids whiskery kisses as I
drift off to sleep.  It's so good to be back home...
[Posted in FML issue 5183]