I am one happy and eager Momma today... Claire has spent the WHOLE WEEK with her grandmother (aka Meemaw) over spring break and today she's finally coming home! Home! Home!

I was wondering if she would ever come home-- as of the other day she was asking if she could stay until SUNDAY! (No!) Thankfully, today she said she was glad she was coming home.

I must say, I truly understand why it must be a lot of fun, from her perspective as the oldest of three, getting to be the only kid in the house, the center of attention, for a few (SIX!!) days. Plus her three cousins live nearby so they all had a big time together.

And admittedly it has been rather nice, and much easier, and exponentially quieter, managing two instead of three.

But six days?! This is the child who, only last fall, would not spend the night with these same cousins while Matt and I stayed at his mom's a mile away because she missed her mommy! Oh how things change in just a few short months.

I was so sad dropping her off last Sunday... and she didn't have a moment's hesitation. The week before she left, she kept telling everyone she was going, wanted to start packing on Tuesday. How could she leave her mother?!

Until this week the longest I've ever been away from her in one stretch is two days... two days! And I can count those occasions on one hand. With a couple fingers left over. I mean, I passed on a trip to Hawaii when I was pregnant with Bennett because I didn't want to leave the girls for that long!! And it was only going to be 4 days. And this is the thanks I get?!

Harumph.

I know, I know... this is what I'm raising her to do... go out and fly fly fly. But she's only 7!

Don't remind me... this is the first of a million times she's going to gleefully go. But I'll always be waiting, a million times... to gleefully welcome her home.