August 4, 2010
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We’re Baaaack!
Hi, Xangaland! We’re now back safe and sound. We rolled into SoCal just before dinnertime on Monday, and thanks to my mom fixing dinner for us (and cleaning our house for us before we arrived … what would I do without her??), we were able to get Jack and Derek fed, bathed and in bed by 7:30 p.m., and we also managed to unpack everything we brought home, then put away our duffel bags before sinking into bed, exhausted but happy, at 11 p.m. Not bad for the end of a four-day cross-country drive! I should also mention that my in-laws are shipping back the bulk of our stuff in boxes … my mother-in-law insisted that I had enough to do, so she was kind enough to pack the stuff, too. All Johnny and I had to do was pack the stuff we needed for the trip home. It sure made our last days at the cottage a lot easier!
Anyway, the month at the cottage just flew by, even the part where Johnny was here at home, working. Of course, we all missed him a ton, but the kids and I were all busy, and Johnny had a hectic two weeks at work, what with Comic-Con and all the time that requires. Jack played tennis (I use “played” very loosely) every weekday morning, we went to the beach a lot, Derek soaked up all the extra attention from Nana and Papa, and I was spoiled rotten by my in-laws. Every morning, a freshly made latte awaited me when I came down the stairs, and each evening, I had a yummy meal made with locally grown, organic food, topped off with fine wine and plenty of handmade ice cream. (It’s no wonder that I gained two pounds while I was there … yikes!)
The day after Johnny flew back to Michigan, our friends Will and Shannon, along with their 3-year-old daughter, Audrey, and five-week-old son, Gus, drove up from St. Louis to stay a few days. I really have to hand it to Will and Shannon — not every family would take a 12-hour drive with a newborn. Heck, I drove cross-country with the boys, and I wouldn’t even attempt a 12-hour drive with a newborn! The two of them are always so calm and collected, no matter how many children are swarming around them, and they’re just awesome with kids. Jack ran around with Audrey — the two of them played pretend pirates, totally unprompted by us adults, and even made up little voices as they went around hunting for treasure. Last time they saw each other, Jack was only 16 months old, so there wasn’t a lot of interaction. I loved seeing them converse this time. We all had a blast!
PaPa built Jack a tent, and he told Audrey to “stay out”!
Look at these adorable pics of Jack and Audrey hugging and kissing goodbye!
The drive home went very well. I thank my lucky stars that both drives were so fun. We were very glad to get home, too. Now it’s time to catch up on all the posts I missed!
Comments (3)
Oh my gosh, those pictures are adorable! I can’t believe how big Derek is! I had to do a double take to make sure it was really him and not Jack…wow! The picture with all three of them reminds me of my childhood. I used to play in the tub with all kinds of other kids. I love how innocent it is.
Oh those are adorable!
The boys are growing so fast! I like how the sequence of pictures went from Jack defending his tent fort from girls to a big hug and kiss goodbye. So sweet!
Welcome back! Glad the drive there and back was okay! You are so efficient! I still have a few things in my suitcase sitting in my closet from my trip to LA in Apr….
BTW…You are so lucky to have such awesome in-laws.