Rob's Home!

The New York trip was an unqualified success!  Rob and K arrived home last night a little before 11 p.m.  Tired but happy.  The littles had made a welcome home poster that was hanging on the front door waiting for them.  I was still up to welcome them home as I can't sleep when some of my family are due in. 

They did soooo much stuff in the city. They visited Battery Park and took great pics of the Statue of Liberty. They were in the Financial District, in Soho, ate in Chinatown, walked through Central Park, visited Ground Zero. Rob was part of a contingent that visited MoMA and I can tell from his pictures that he loved it there. Saw the Addams Family on Broadway.  And they shopped.  Rob came home with new duds that he purchased.  Though one pair of pants don't look like he can breathe when he wears them, I am saying nothing. LOL 

Oddly enough he remembered to buy a gift for me but forgot to get anything for the kids. I know he didn't forget me because I got this really great Bob Marley shirt.  My love of reggae is legendary and it isn't a love Rob really shares (laughing) It is a really cool T shirt and it is the right size (a huge bonus since I couldn't exactly exchange it!)  But somehome the littles and Chet fell off his radar. 

I will confess that there is a long standing family rule that when one goes away one returns with a "remembrance" for the sibs left behind.  It can be small (frankly a postcard is sufficient).  It is all about showing that we remember each other even when we are apart.  I think for Rob, despite having a bunch of years where he has had good experiences, there is still a componet that harkens back to the times when there wasn't enough.  Enough love. Enough money. Enough care. Just enough.  So when he gets to do something the first time, it becomes All About Rob.  And I think there is part of him that doesn't fully wrap his mind about how important he is in all our lives, and most especially in the lives of KC and Lissa who are sure he is one step down from god.

I decided that I would just act like I was sure he had remembered his siblings even though K has told me privately that he hadn't.  He decided on his own that he had of course remembered them, and a belt appeared for Chet, a very large blingy watch showed up for KC and Lissa now sports the hat Rob is wearing in the picture above.  In no way did this strip him of too many articles he purchased during his trip.  He still has several new hats, 2 new pairs of pants, a new backpack etc.  I ignored the fact that the watch is too big for KC as is Lissa's hat.  I exclaimed over them, as did the littles who were predictably just thrilled to be remembered.  As this happened, I saw Rob glow too, and I hope that there will next time be that memory of the joy of sharing a bit of reflected happiness in this way.