I love fathers and fathers-in-law.

Since he has been here for Christmas vacation, my father-in-law has hung new blinds in my living room and bedroom, caulked my bathroom and filled a hole in the wall that was created when my son threw a block at it more than a year ago.

That’s just a bonus, though. The best part of my father-in-law’s visit is seeing the smile that brightens Maya’s face each morning when she sees him.

“Big Papa,” she squeals and runs to give him a hug. Guillermo is equally enamored but plays it low key as any nearly any 5-year-old boy would. He’s excited, though, that there is another person in the house with whom he can play soccer or Star Wars or Legos.

My father-in-law (and sister-in-law, who is wonderful, too) leaves Monday to fly back home and my children are going to be so sad. Well, Guillermo will be. Maya, at 2, probably won’t understand that it may be some time before we see him again since he lives so far away.

(My 5-year-old niece cried after she, my sister, and my 2-year-old nephew dropped my parents off at the Denver airport last week. My nephew, Tony, tried to console Lily, the 5-year-old. “Don’t be sad, Lily. We’ll see them next week,” he said, oblivious to the concept of time or the distance between Colorado and Illinois, where my parents live.)

I love Carrboro and North Carolina, but I hate living so far from family. My in-laws settled in Phoenix eight years ago and now my father-in-law, who lived many years in New York and St. Louis, claims he can’t handle cold weather.

My parents are close to retirement and I’m trying to convince them to move here when they stop working, though I’m sure my sister also is trying to lure them to Denver. It doesn’t seem like either of us are going to win in our endeavor any time soon.

That means we settle, happily, for their visits. And, while I’ll be sad when my father- and sister-in-law leave, I’m eagerly anticipating my parent’s visit in a few weeks.

I’m also putting together a list of chores for my father to do.

Natalie appears Sundays on TriangleMom2Mom. Read more about Natalie at her blog A Day at the Park.