Welcome Home, Bubba-Dylan - New Project

It was a Saturday, and the driveway was full.

Go-Diddy was grilling. Mom was setting out the long table. Grandpa Malcuit had moved his chair from the motorhome to the yard so he wouldn’t miss anything.

Bitty and Dassah were at the window, bouncing.

“They’re here!” Bitty yelled.

“They’re here!” Dassah yelled louder.

A dusty SUV with Fairbanks plates pulled in. The back doors flew open.

Out came Dylan — Bubba-Dylan, 5 — running full speed with a backpack bouncing. Then Aurora — Roara, 3 — with her curls flying. Then Memory, carrying Ember, 1, on her hip.

Memory is Bitty and Dassah’s oldest sister. She’s 26, turning 27 on June 9th — just two days away.

Normally they all live in Wasilla, but they’d spent the summer up in Fairbanks to stay near their dad, who was working hard for the family up there.

Now they were home.

Bitty hit the grass first. She scooped up Roara. “Roara!”

Dassah went straight for Bubba-Dylan. “Bubba!”

Bubba-Dylan picked her up and spun her. “Aunt Dassah! Aunt Bitty! I missed you!”

It’s funny — Bitty is 6 and Dassah is 4, but they’re aunts. That’s how big families work.

Ember reached for Mom. Mom took her and kissed her cheeks. “There’s my grandbaby.”

Memory hugged Go-Diddy who she calls, "Pops", then Mom "O'Lady", then everyone else. “It’s good to be home,” she said. “Fairbanks was long.”

Dad — Go-Diddy — put his arm around her. “Your husband’s still up there finishing the job?”

Memory nodded. “Two more weeks. Then he’s home for good. He sent videos every night.”

Psalm brought out a cake with “Welcome Home” on it. Nation, Ocean, and Harbor set up the sprinkler.

While the burgers cooked, the kids took over the backyard.

Bubba-Dylan was in charge of the sprinkler. Roara was in charge of screaming every time she got wet. Ember was in charge of splashing in her little pool.

Bitty sat down in the grass with Bubba-Dylan.

“You’re the big brother now,” she said. “That means you need the Lovely Laws.”

Bubba-Dylan sat up straight. “What are they?”

Dassah held up one finger. “Lovely Law #1: love others as yourself.”

“That means,” Bitty explained, “you take care of Roara and Ember. You help them. You share. Even when you want the truck first.”

Bubba-Dylan thought about it. Then he handed his red truck to Roara. “Here, Roara. You can have first turn.”

Roara gasped. “Thank you, Bubba!”

Dassah clapped. “You did it!”

Ocean, who calls Dad Go-Diddy, was filming the whole thing on his phone for “science.” Harbor was trying to teach Ember how to high-five. She just ate his finger instead.

Later, everyone sat around the picnic table. Memory had Ember in her lap, feeding her bits of hot dog.

“Mom,” Bitty said, “Memory’s birthday is June 9th. That’s in two days!”

Mom smiled. “I know. 27 years old. My oldest girl.”

Go-Diddy raised his soda. “To Memory. AKA Mebree Boy, who drove to Fairbanks and back, kept three kids alive, and still came home smiling.”

Everyone cheered. “To Memory!”

Memory laughed and wiped her eyes. “I’m just glad to be back in Wasilla. I missed my sisters.” She looked at Bitty and Dassah. “My little lovelies. You got so big.”

Bitty crawled into her lap next to Ember. “We missed you. We prayed for you every night.”

Dassah crawled in too. “We lub you.”

As the sun went down — which in June in Alaska takes forever — Go-Diddy built a fire. Grandpa Malcuit told the story about the time he tried to drive to Fairbanks in January and got stuck.

Bubba-Dylan fell asleep on Nation’s shoulder. Roara fell asleep on Psalm’s lap. Ember fell asleep on Memory’s chest.

Bitty and Dassah sat between Mom and Dad, wrapped in a blanket.

Dad looked at his crew — his daughters, his grandkids, his lovely ladies, his boogers — all together again.

“You know what I love most?” he said quietly.

“What?” Bitty whispered.

“That no matter where we go — Fairbanks, South Carolina, or just the backyard — we always come home to each other.”

Mom leaned her head on his shoulder. “That’s the Lovely Law.”

And in Wasilla, with the fire crackling and family home from the north, the Little Lovelies learned again that love travels — but it always knows the way back.