Tearful Departure

Caleb and I woke up early yesterday morning to send Neal back to Texas. We drove to the airport and when we checked Neal's bags in, the airline asked us for my identification so we could all go to the gate together. In SC, they treated me like a terrorist when we asked if Neal could come to the gate with me. Oh well...
When we got to the security line, an airport employee ushered us to the front of the maze and sent us through quickly. Must've been the uniform Neal was wearing!
We only had a short wait until Neal's group was asked to board, and then the screaming began. We were all hugging/kissing/crying goodbye, and Caleb started yelling for his daddy. It was so sad. The last time Neal left, Caleb didn't really understand that his daddy was gone, but he sure did this time. As we were walking back through the airport to our car I received several stares. I am sure that people thought I was trying to steal a baby. Even in the parking garage someone walked around several cars to get a better look at the two of us. Maybe my tears let them know I wasn't taking him away, but that we were sending the love of our lives away for a few months. We will sure miss Neal while he is away.
To get Caleb's mind off of the departure we tried to buy bread at Great Harvest, but we were too early for bread sales. So we went to the carwash instead. Caleb loves to do that! Then we ate muffins at Paradise Bakery and came home.
In the afternoon I got on another cleaning the house mood and sent my new roomba (a.k.a. Rosie) to work. Then I decided to mop (my least favorite chore) and Caleb decided to help. He wouldn't let me touch the broom or mop. Let's just say it took us about 2 hours to get the job done. What fun...! Speaking of Rosie, my brother David gave it to us for Christmas. I don't know how I ever lived without it. My family is kind of silly and we have to name most of our possessions. After I opened the box, David told me that he had already thought of a name, and it should be Rosie (after the Jetson's robot Rosie). How funny, I was already thinking the same thing! I think that I am having more fun watching Dezi run away from the self- cleaning vacuum than anything else. Caleb keeps going to the closet and getting little treats to feed her while she is working. What a goof!