My mom picked up the kids yesterday and dropped them off at home with my husband, so I worked a little late, no big deal….or so I thought. But when I walked in the house at 7:30 pm, both of my kiddos came running for me and latched onto me like they hadn’t seen me in years.
Of course I had walked in with my arms full of junk I was carrying in that has been sitting in my car, including 3 old coffee cups, so when my daughter latched onto my waist and started hugging me with all her strength, and my son grabbed a hold of my leg…I was a little overwhelmed. My kiddos have a lot of strengths and one of them is very strong muscles. That little baby of mine can sure put you in a “choke hold” kind of hug when he’s excited to see you.
If I had been carrying anything else I would have just dropped in and embraced both of their hugs right away, but with so many breakable coffee cups in my clumsy hands and two kids pulling me in different directions, it was quite a challenge to get to the kitchen where I could set down all the stuff I carried in.
My 9 year old little girl was in front of me fighting for my attention, hugging me as tight as she possibly could, hopping backwards while I tried to walk forward. She was in good competition with her 28-pound baby brother who was hanging onto my left leg and sitting with all his weight on my foot, so I shuffled my feet towards the table as best I could. Finally I was able to set all the things down and pick the kiddos up for a real hug.
Big sister won the first hug, while brother hopped up and down behind her smiling at me over sissy’s shoulder chanting “Mama, mama, mama!” He was just so excited and happy I was home, as was sissy.
I was grateful for the crazy homecoming, but “What’s the matter?” I asked my daughter, who wouldn’t let go of me.
“Nothing,” she replied with a smile, “You just never come home this late.”
Goodness gracious, I thought, it was only 7:30.
I was a little frazzled this evening, but I tried to laugh and just soak up all that love when they jumped and hung all over me because I know that a few years from now I will be wishing for one of Delly Doodle’s and Baby Tucky’s choke hold hugs! They’ve got so much love!