There and Back Again

Sorry for the long absence- I think it may have been my longest since I started blogging 3.5 years ago, but we've been escaping the Texas heat wave in Siren, Wisconsin, which was of course experiencing its own heat wave. The upside was that Wisconsin's kind of heat wave involves temperatures in the low 90's as opposed to the 100's. The downside was that my grandparents' cabin doesn't have a/c.

I have a lot to say about our trip, but I have 6 suitcases that need unpacking and I have never failed to fully unpack from a trip within a few hours of coming home. I've never had to deal with more than 2 suitcases before, but I like a challenge. So until I can spend a bit more time with my laptop soaking up its big screen and fast internet connection (I've subsisted on blackberry-only internet for the past 7 days, the withdrawal was harsh), I will just write a quick note and leave you with a few unedited pictures.

In sum, the lake was beautiful and the family time was absolutely fantastic. I spent less than one waking hour away from my children and I missed them the whole time (I was doing laundry in town, washing all the sheets we slept on so my 80-year-old grandma wouldn't have to do it after we left; also I secretly enjoy the novelty of the small town laundromat). Our seven days reinforced why family vacations are so important and even though it was financially irresponsible to take this one, I don't regret it one bit.

I was worried about the travel beforehand- two kids and the long itineraries seemed like a potential disaster, but it all went perfectly (well, except for a nearly lost suitcase on the way there and a really lost suitcase on the way back- I should have worried more about my luggage than my children). Last Friday involved leaving the house at 5:00 am (and waking Landon up 3 hours early to do so), a shuttle ride from off-site parking, 2 plane rides, a 2-hour layover in Denver, a 2-hour drive to Minneapolis, and no nap, and he was perfect. Not one tear or even a frown- he was excited and cute and perfectly behaved. He remained uninterested in the DVDs I had so hopefully packed, but he happily passed the time coloring pictures, "reading" books, and trying to show Claire everything on the plane and out the window. He was most concerned that she enjoy her trip.

Today's trip back home involved much of the same- a super early morning, 2 plane rides, a shorter layover, another shuttle ride, and a drive home that took him 3 hours past nap time. He was wonderful yet again and this time we even got him to watch 45 minutes of a DVD, so for the first time since I became a mom, I got to read on a family plane ride! Claire did great too- no crying, just lots of sleeping and smiling, and she slept 8-9 hours every night at the cabin! (But NOT in the hotel room in Minneapolis last night, though it really wasn't her fault.) It was a wonderful, relaxing week, and while Claire is the reason my eyes are bleeding today, I forgave her when I saw this picture transferred to my laptop from my (now broken) camera:

Clairebear, stuffed like a sausage into her ballerina bathing suit

It makes me smile every time I see it, but now it's back to unpacking and catching up on So You Think You Can Dance before the finale tonight. I can't wait to write more- I have missed this blog and you all so much!