Buy That Girl Some New Clothes

editorial note:

she does NOT need new clothes

she has oodles of clothes in her size

Recovering from the Weekend

When picturing the aftermath of our Vegas trip, I imagined Ryan and I would need a few days to recover from all of the fun.  Vegas, after all, is a city where sleeping is an afterthought, maybe done in brief naps in the afternoon or snoozes by the pool.

Plus, let's be honest, Ryan and I haven't exactly been breaking any curfews lately, unless you count late night studying and blogging.

I guess my late nights sleeping on the couch with the worst teether in the entire world Dylan prepared my body for a lack of sleep, and our daily dance parties prepared me to sing out of tune and make a fool of myself on the dance floor, because days after our return, I'm feeling fine.

Other people in the family weren't so well-prepared for a weekend away.

Grandma and Grandpa have some explaining to do.  They obviously run a party establishment that rivals anything found on the Vegas strip.

after lunch the other day, I ran upstairs to pick up a few things

less than five minutes later, I returned to find this 

we went to Costco the other morning

he fell asleep in the car, so I put him on the couch

he always wakes up within minutes of a car nap

this time it took about 120 minutes

The Countdown is On

In four weeks, Ryan and I will board a plane to Las Vegas while my parents tuck the kids into bed and get ready for a few fun-filled (hopefully) days of grandparents-grandkids time. 

Talk of this trip started so very long ago, and thankfully it was booked a while ago as well, because the fabulous deal we got is long gone in the mire of rising flight costs.  At one time, it seemed so far away, and now a month from our departure date I am worrying about a laundry list of things, some significant and some absolutely shallow:

- Most of my warm weather (ok, all weather) clothes are mom-casual: cotton sundresses, casual skirts and t-shirts, fit flops (which aren't really cutting it in the tush-toning department, by the way).  How am I supposed to translate that wardrobe into the world of sequined Elvises and ultralounges?

- I am leaving my babies for four nights.  Abbey and I have been apart for two nights and Dylan and I have only ever been apart for one.  My heart hurts when I think about missing four bedtimes and all of those sweet snuggles and kisses and smiles.

- I am leaving my babies for three days.  My mind is boggled by the idea of laying by a pool and reading a book for as long as I want, or (gasp!) having a cocktail and then taking a nap in the middle of the day.  Will I even remember how to do those things?

- This is the first vacation Ryan and I have taken on our own in years.  I am all giddy excited, in a giggly, goofy kind of way.

- My packing list has already been started and revised.  Spirit charges for all bags (carry-on and checked).  We need to use our space wisely, and that's a foreign language for a card-carrying member of Overpackers Anonymous.  Does Mandalay Bay have decent toiletries?  A serviceable blowdryer?  These are pressing questions, because I need room for my shoes.

- I love shoes.

- There is a pool at Mandalay Bay.  And an actual beach.  That means I'm going to be donning a bathing suit, and not in a jump in the pool quickly and hide under the child float kind of way.  I am perpetually pale and still need to come to terms with my post-baby body.  Sigh.

- I am leaving my kids.  Gulp.

 

Vegas circa 2006

to be young and not self-conscious in a bathing suit...

(aka gratuitous cute kid pictures)

"Sometimes Little Boys Get Mad"

I stole a moment this morning to upload some pictures to our PC, because our laptop is in dire condition.

But I'll think about that tomorrow.

Abbey saw this picture and immediately said, "Sometimes little boys get mad!"

She's absolutely right and summed up the last few days with one little statement, because if one of my kids is smiling this week, the other seems to be in or near tears.  To paraphrase Dickens: It was a happy day; it was a sad day.  We've had some exceptionally fun times this week, but they've been interspersed with tears and tantrums and a lot of "life" that is beautiful in its own way but makes for an exhausted mom by the end of the day!

Throw in extra errands and obligations (hello taxes) and training for the half marathon and I feel like I'm the Energizer bunny from 6:00 - midnight, until we hit the night shift, where someone needs water or someone is coughing or someone just needs a hug.

Where's the pause button on this remote??