Vacay

Today my husband and I are going on vacation. We are going to Maine for a week, which is the longest we've ever been away from our children. The next longest was in November, when we went to NYC for 3 days/2 nights. We really, really need this vacation. I have been under a lot of stress, some of which is caused by others, but most of which just has to do with life. I don't like saying that I need a break from my children, but I'm going to say it. I need a break from my children. My husband has been under a lot of stress, too, some of which is the same stress as me, some of which is due to his demanding job and to the fact that while we are on vacation we are having the floors refinished in our house, and he and 3 teenagers from church had to move all the furniture out. My kids and I were at the beach with my in-laws while Todd took care of all this stuff and as soon as he got here, Ethan got sick. High fever, sore throat, restless sleep. We called the doctor to get antibiotics and he has gotten a little better, but yesterday Micah woke up with a fever. We shlepped the kids to Winter Haven to see the doctor, who said it's probably a virus (oh, and did I mention Ethan puked on the way to the doctor?), then came back to the beach. We talked and talked and argued about whether or not we need to even go to Maine. I said yes, Todd wasn't so sure. We finally agreed we would and let me tell you, I am downright giddy. I haven't slept in months and my throat kind of hurts, but I am so excited to be getting away. Today we are off to Orlando and then we fly to Portland in the morning. I can hardly wait! I know that we will miss our kids and it doesn't help that Ethan had a meltdown right before nap and Micah woke up screaming, but I am still glad we are doing this. We need this. And our kids need us to do this. I am not a fan of Dr. Phil, but I agree with one thing I heard him say: "A good marriage is the best gift you can give your children." I know that we will turn into different people. We will sleep, relax, laugh. I don't care if I spend the whole time in a deck chair reading. I know this trip will do me, and Todd, good. So now, without further ado, GOODBYE!

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

Last night my husband and I did something really cool, something I hope we'll continue to do each year. (Don't worry - I'm not about to get inappropriate.) After we got all the kids' stuff set up, we opened our presents from each other. We knew that today we'd be focused on the kids and that they're too young to notice if we open gifts ourselves, so we took some time to just be together. We turned off the TV and I even put away my computer and iPhone (big deal for me, as I'm obsessed with both). We sat on the couch and took turns giving each other gifts. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it was lovely. The only problem was that I was so keyed up over getting a new set of kitchen knives (sharp German knives!!!) that I could barely sleep. I seriously wanted to go chop up some vegetables. I will probably blog soon about losing a finger, but I'm still excited about them. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging with you all this year and getting to know each one of you a little better. I hope we can continue to share our mothering and other experiences together. God bless you, every one!