Mom Things on Vacation

The Mom Things have been on vacation because, well, this mom has been on vacation.  Vacation of the taking-a-break-from-blogging variety and the literal kind.

But I'm back.  And if no one in the world missed this "feature" of my blog, that's okay.  Because I'm secure like that.  Thank you, Beth Moore and So Long Insecurity.

Enough of all of that though.  On to more important things...

Your "all boy" seven year old opts out of sparklers at your 4th of July celebration in favor of catching frogs in a bucket.

You are never more acutely aware of how well your childrens' voices carry than when you are in a hotel room.

You know that even though your two-year-old has gotten much better about not waking up during the van-to-bedroom transition in the event she falls asleep on the way back from somewhere, she will not sleep through an elevator trip to the fourth floor of your hotel.  This means after a 5-minute nap, you are in for at least an hour of protest before she falls back to sleep again.

After at least an hour of protest from your two-year-old after the 5-minutes of sleep that, to her, counted as a complete nap, you had the satisfaction of seeing her sleep soundly in her pack-n-play inside the bathroom of your hotel room.  And that kind of satisfaction is of the Winning! variety.

When it comes to a Battle of Wills, it's best not to get involved with a two year old.  But then again, these are the times when God teaches you patience and discipline, so maybe you shouldn't skip them all.

If you partake of all-you-can-drink coke floats for lunch and nap through dinner, you're probably on vacation.

When you retrieve the bits and pieces of your cell phone back after a 205 foot fall from the Griffon rollercoaster at Busch Gardens, you're instantaneously relieved that it was your cell phone that experienced the fall, and not your thrill-seeking seven year old instead.

When you planned to stop by the Brick Yard at Colonial Williamsburg and help them stomp the clay, you imagined that all three of your kids would love it.  You were wrong.  Just more evidence that you never know what to expect from a two year old (who couldn't even wait for me to take a picture to get out of the mess). 

 

 "I don't want it!  Out!"

After seeing spa-like accommodations for the clean-up, you wish you would have gotten in the mud and stomped around.  Who knew it would result in a foot rub at the hands of your amazing husband?

Even your kids need some "joe" to keep them going on your vacation escapades.  (Okay, so I confess...it's just milk and O.J., but it's far less likely to spill in the coffee cups with lids.)

After over a week away from home in-each-others'-faces either in the van or in a hotel room, your kids still manage to love on each other.  And that is pretty dang awesome.

 

Especially when it comes in the form of a bedtime story....

That's all, folks!

Have a very blessed week!