the relatives came*

*Text adapted from Cynthia Rylant and Stephen Gammel's delightful children's book with the same title.

It was the 3^rd day of August when the relatives came.

They came from South Dakota in a motor home, and they packed its refrigerator with soda pop and Goldfish crackers and some ham sandwiches and they came from South Dakota.

They drove all day long, and while they traveled along they looked at the strange houses and the mountains and they thought about Molly back at Grandma’s.  But they thought about us, too.  Waiting for them.

So they drank up all their pop and ate up all their crackers and traveled up all those miles until finally they pulled into our yard.

Then it was huggin’ time and into the house, and so much laughing and shining faces and children in the doorways.  You had to climb over at least four children to get from the kitchen to the front room.  Oh, those relatives!

One night after a big supper and a bunch of baths there was quiet talk on the patio behind the house.

The relatives weren’t particular about beds, which was good, because they slept in the motor home which they parked on our driveway.

The relatives stayed for several days.

We played dress up, and went bike riding and fishing.

 

 We rode the train with our dads at North Lake Park

 ate our lunches outside

 and scavenger hunted

 and geo-cached.

 We celebrated Jenna's birthday

 and ate up all the ice cream cake

 and hiked

 and picnicked in the mountains.

And then the relatives packed up their motor home and headed back to South Dakota at six in the morning.  We were asleep in our beds when they disappeared down the road, and when we woke up, the house felt too big and too quiet. 

The relatives drove all day and into the evening.  And while they traveled along they looked at the strange houses and the mountains, and they thought about Molly and Grandma waiting for them.  But they thought about us, too.  Missing them.  And they missed us.

And when they were finally home in South Dakota, they crawled into their own soft beds…

...and dreamed about Christmas.