What a trip!

Vacation as I've known it, will never be the same. We've been home for a week now, and while recovery is a slow process, we're just taking it one day at a time.* Gone are the days of lounging by the pool, interrupted only to sleep, eat and go on the occasional sightseeing expedition. Apparently, Ben doesn't "do" vacation. Or maybe - since his grasp of the English language is still a work in progress - he defines vacation as reverting to newborn sleep and eating patterns, minus the daytime naps, with a bit more crankiness tossed in!

Lack of sleep and sanity aside, it was so so good for Tyler and me to spend time with him, not to mention everyone else. It had been a year and a half since we'd seen most of the family, and when you're little, a lot changes in that period of time. Babies are little girls now, the big girls have traded in their Disney princesses and Barbies for American Girls (who are decidedly better role models), and the boys, well...boys will be boys. Caleb had spent months counting down the days until he could go fishing with Uncle T, and the event proved to be worth the wait when they caught an actual shark! It just doesn't get cooler than that. Luke was a source of continuous entertainment, from showing off his muscles and break-dancing skills, to helping me in the kitchen, shouting "let's do it!", complete with fist pumps.

Watching and listening to a gaggle of excited kids produces lots of favorites moments like that. Almost 2-year old Cadence was very interested in her younger cousins and loved to say hi to "Nen" over and over. And my favorite quote from the week occurred while I was walking back from the beach with Elena. The kids had all just turned our nice sunset stroll into the kiddie version of ABC's Wipeout. I commented on the sand in her hair, on her legs and probably in her armpits. "Yeah," she said thoughtfully, watching the windsurfers head to shore, "armpits are always warm." True, Elena. So true.

In between beach trips, mealtimes, pool parties, storytimes, and the before and after preparations that are required for all of the above, the adults got a couple of chances to catch up too! We loved every minute of it and are so thankful for the opportunity to make more memories with the fam - they don't come often or last long enough.

* Laundry and cleaning have fallen by the wayside as you've seen that one of the first items on the agenda turned out to be Tyler's surprise blog facelift. When it comes to blogging accessories, I believe, like plastic surgery, there's fine line between tasteful and tacky, and while I agree that it may have needed a little freshening up, I also don't want people to have to buy protective eyewear to be able to read it! So we're working on a compromise. Stay tuned...