Reentry

We're home and sitting around like damp rags.  Exhausted and happy to be here and happy that the sky is blue. 

While I work towards getting back into the swing of things, I wanted to post a little more about our trip...sort of delaying the inevitable unpacking and to do list that is unforgiving after a trip. 

There are some things I want to remember about this trip:

I want to remember the beautiful vistas.

I want to remember my fabulous nieces and nephews.

Isaiah, the toad whisperer, showed me his toad that lived in a "kennel" and tried to attack me.  (Not really, but it made him smile when I said that.)

Marcos is Superman. 

When the Superman DVD my mom ordered arrived, he was jubilant.  "A movie about me!"

Ruben who may or may not have weighed more than the bowling ball is certainly the best person I've ever bowled with.

I don't know how the ball could have moved more slowly down the lane...but he managed three spares.  And he may be the cutest person I've ever bowled with too.

Ruben

Or his sister is.

Liliana

Or my sister is.

that looks like a pumpkin but it's a bowling ball Olivia named Tangerine (not pictured is Watermelon which really was the more preferred ball)

I can't tell.  But I digress.  I was telling you about the brilliance that are my nieces and nephews.

Here's Ammon who can suck on his toes.  He's not doing it in the picture but who can tell a one year old what to do?

Carolina wowed me by putting her toe in her ear.

She's pretty great at hula hooping and jump rope and math and taking care of her Bitty Baby too (at least as far as I could tell).

As Olivia said, we all want our children to better than we are.

Speaking of Olivia,  I want to remember her party.  She invited us all over to celebrate the anniversary of her skirt which she's had for 15 years.  I'll probably never go to another party celebrating the longevity of an article of clothing but I'll never meet a person like Olivia either.

She's unique, that one.

I want to remember morning walks with my mom and Olivia and chatting with them and Marianne.

In addition to charming afternoon chats, Marianne was queen of organizing the play practice car pool.  (I'll have to blog about the play separately...it was big, I'm telling you, big.)

I also loved talking with my parents.  Especially the last night we were there when they gave me encouragement and advice about parenting.

It's a lucky girl who has parents like mine.

One last thing.  Since we were in town every day for play practice, I got to poke around my little hometown a bit (it's the closest thing to a hometown I have since I didn't grow up in a town).  It's a great place.  It is not without its flaws but it's not without its entertainments either.

Did they even try on this sign?

Maybe you can get away with that kind of sign when you have that sky.

Can you believe that blue blue sky?

It's good for the soul.