Crash Landing

Well, we got home on Friday and are now saddled with laundry, dishes, work, and cold weather. So much for a smooth transition from our lovely break. I ended up with shoddy wifi for most of the trip and on the nights when I sat down to blog earnestly (those do happen I swear), there was no connection so I wasn't able to update much.

We had a great time on vacation. It wasn't anything spectacular or even overly memorable except for the mere fact that we were together, all at once, for almost a week. Sounds simple enough but with our schedule the past few months, family time has narrowed to exactly one day a week--usually spent running errands and catching up on chores or attending obligatory functions. We spent many hours on the beach in both sunny and cloudy weather, just enjoying the slowness of downtime. Amelia and Justin made many a sand castle and I took walks and read with my toes in the sand. There were lots of snuggles and laughs and shared naps. Such simple, beautiful things.

I found it funny how excited Amelia was. Not just the day we got to the beach, but the whole week, every moment. She was just happy all of the time while we were on vacation. Like I said, it wasn't a busy, fun-filled time, just relaxing at the beach and . . . well, that's it. Perfect for us, but I worried it might be boring for Amelia. Instead, she was giddy for the whole trip. You'd think that a toddler's life is pretty nice just on a regular day, you know? For her to be soooo excited about vacation made me realize that the daily routine of her life requires rest and a break from time to time too. And I think she just revels in the time she gets to spend with both of her parents, which is highly unusual of late. Everything was exciting to her. Everything! It was hilarious and adorable. She even ran to nap time and went right to sleep. Every day. Even excited about that! ha. (heaven knows that didn't last) She never grew tired of the beach or the sunsets or the passing trains. Everything was just exciting.

Here are a few pics from the week.

We didn't make it back to the beach for a nighttime fire with s'mores so we made some in our room. Her first s'mores experience. She was really excited and thought they were yummy, but overall gave up on it because it made her hands too sticky. Put it on the counter and walked to the bathtub. I love her OCD ways.

And my personal favorite. 

There are more pics I'd like to post too. I actually had Justin take a couple of A and I at the beach that turned out not horrible. . . but I'm having trouble with my camera. I can see the pictures on my camera, but they aren't showing up on my computer to transfer. I can seeeeee them right there! And can't get them? Yeah, driving me crazy. Other pics too including a couple pretty sunsets and whatnots. Boo on tricky technology, always making our lives complicated.

Looking at these pics is a real eye-opener. I can't believe how much Amelia's grown since she turned two! When we went to San Clemente last year, I thought she looked so grown up and more like a kid than a baby. . . but this year. Yikes!

What a difference a year makes.

May 2010

April 2011

Good grief! She looks like a childchild more than a babychild. And she's not even three yet. We noticed some other differences too this year. She slept in her own bed rather than a pack-n-play in our room, which was really nice. I may have slept with her a couple nights too just for the heck of it. The whole potty situation was a million times better than last year, when she was still a beginner. She could stay up later and get herself dressed as well. In so many ways, they really do get easier with the passing years. And I'm pretty sure that if any more years pass with us taking beach vacations, she'll never want to leave! As it was, she only wanted to come home to get the dogs to take them back to the beach. And today, after a 3-hour nap struggle and both of us frustrated out of our minds, she declared that she wanted to be at the beach! To which I could only respond honestly. "Me too, sister. Me too."

Now that we're home, everything kicks into high gear.  We are headed into the third trimester (eek), and face 4 family birthdays in the next few weeks. Not to mention closing out the semester, which is always hectic, Mother's Day, and doctor's appointments. Something tells me we won't be relaxing on the beach again any time soon.