Back to Life, Back to Reality

We’re recovering from our trip down south! We had a lovely time visiting with the other set of grand folk. All three of us were spoiled rotten so we’re slowly coming to terms with reality back here.

Before I continue, here's a cute creation I made while editing pictures from the weekend...

The drive home was utterly stressful. After we dropped Courtney off at school and took a quick break the kids were done. They’d reached their quota. Unfortunately, we had 3 hours remaining. Lincoln, especially, did not want to be in the car any longer. He wasn’t too upset at first, just whining himself to sleep. Then, all it once, the realization that we’re going home seemed to hit Ava. She had a total heartbreaking meltdown. She was screaming and sobbing for Ninny. It was terrible. I knew it was a combination of being exhausted and homesick for Ninny but there was nothing I could do to comfort her. We were on a patch of the drive with minimal exits so there was little I could do while driving 70 mph. As soon as Ava started wailing Lincoln’s whining quickly escalated and soon enough I had trouble hearing my own thoughts! I tried everything – singing, clapping, snapping, radio, windows, sunroof, dancing, snack offerings, books, toys, etc. It was all useless because no one could hear anyone over the insane crying. I took the opportunity to call Chris and gain sympathy. The cry-fest went on for about 45 minutes before they both passed out at the same time. Linc was in and out of a sporadic sleep and I knew we wouldn’t make it home without needing to stop. Sure enough, 20 minutes from home I finally had to stop to feed Linc. There was no way I could handle 20 more minutes of tears. After our brief stop everyone was in much better shape. Ava woke up from a two-hour nap in a much better mood and with the renewed ability to control her overwhelming feelings. Much to my relief, we were able to end the trip on a good note.

I knew Chris had been keeping busy with his self-made “Honey Do” list while we were away, but I had no idea the extent of his accomplishments until I walked in the door. I cannot possibly describe the relief I felt after a long and stressful drive when I walked into a clean and organized house. He did every oddball chore that had been sitting in the wings for too long. As if that wasn’t enough, there were brownies in the oven and dinner on the stove! He made a delicious pasta dish with endive and tomatoes and it was exactly what I needed. Thank you, dear, for all that you do on a regular basis and all that you did while we were away! Unfortunately for Chris, the kids and I destroyed much of his work when we returned with luggage, laundry and toys. C’est la vie!

Here's a picture of the delicious dinner (pic doesn't do it justice b/c I had to use the flash, but still...)

The kids have done well transitioning back to our life. Ava had an exciting surprise in school today. Two of their captive caterpillars morphed into butterflies and they got to release one this morning.

Here's a photo of the great release...

This led to an interesting lunch conversation for us today...

Ava: “Mom, butterflies have long tongues just like frogs.”
Me: “They do?”
Ava: “Yes, to drink nectar from flowers.”

I had no idea. I Googled it just to be sure. She’s so smart.

She also told me to, “Google it online” tonight.

And a picture of Ava playing at school...

There you have it. We're back to life. Back to reality.