BACK

Just a quick post to say that we are back. Going out of town with 2 babies, and with no husband, while PMSing (because I'm already doing that again apparently) was an...interesting...endeavor. In all honesty it went well though. Better than I expected.

Low Points: I completely lost it at one point during the drive there. I think I may have been even close to tears. Mal had been screaming for about 3 hours despite many stops to try to comfort him (he always started up again as soon as we got back in the car) and I was about 1/2 hour from my parents house when I got caught in awful complete-stop-on-the-freeway traffic for almost 2 hours.

Zeke had nightmares (typical) the first 2 or 3 nights and Mal suffered from allergies (also typical) almost all the nights so I slept very very little.

And I also got pretty tired by the end of the last evening. My positive attitude diminished quite quickly when my husband called. (Isn't it awful how sometimes those closest to us bring out our worste attitudes? I think its because we feel safer with them but still, I wish if I had to be nasty it could be to strangers and not those I love the best). It was just busyness and little sleep and PMSing and missing home and not looking forward to the drive back at all and once I had packed up the car adn seen that my mom had gotten the baby to go to sleep I knew that a good nights rest would bring a renewal of spirits in the morning. And it did. And the drive back was great other than my 2nd ticket in 9 years of driving (for 2 years expired tabs, oops, but it kind of prooves how often I am pulled over).

High Points: Getting to see family I dont see nearly enough. Zekey especially, is becoming so much less shy and I love to see him bond with everyone. He just loves his uncles, especially uncle Shane (who is 6), and he also loved cooking with his grandma. And lots of people got to meet my little Mal for the first time ever. And Mal is such a friendly and happy baby he loved being held and passed around.

Seeing a good high school friend, and even though it was a rather short and melt-down ending visit to the park I'm going to count it as a highlight.

Watching old home videos. That is some very serious comedy.

Looking up just about everyone we know in my mom's birthday astrology book for hours. She has one all about you depending on the day you are born and another where you cross reference your birthday and someone else's to find out about your relationship. Im not much into astrology usually and Josh is borderline forbidding it (as it is he only discourages which is just enough to make me feel guilty but not enough to make me resist) but it was a lot of fun. Zekey was born on the day of the limit pushers or some such, which I got a laugh out of. And Mal evidently is going to have a "tragically difficult" time letting go of childhood. Oh and Josh and I's marriage is doomed, our birthdays dont match up well at all. And I'm supposed to have a phychic connection with Zeke, and a very close freindship with Mal. I will believe that part :)

I think in the very end I am proud of myself for being able to handle everything for almost an entire week without Josh, and not to mention those long 7+ hour drives. But I also am aware that I was not the mother in Boise that I am here in Spokane. I was more lenient for sure, I gave in when I should have perhaps been strict, and there were extra bottles when things got to be too much for Zeke. And I was less patient at times, I was sometimes easily frusterated by very normal behavior (because both boths were beautifully behaved through-out). It reminded me how much I do depend on Josh's strength at the end of the day but it also reminded me how capable I am even by myself.

It was a good trip.

I did miss a lot of the spring coming, though. My lettuce and spinach already need thinning and 3/4 of my peas are sprouted (1/4 looks destroyed by cat or perhaps toddler). The neighbors willow and our oak are half green already. Two of my bushes are in full flowering glory and the lilacs are quickly getting there. There is also quite a bit of weeding to do and the lawn is looking ripe for its first mowing...if not overripe. One of my biggest goals for this summer is to not nag about mowing the lawn, however. Pray for me. Nagging is a bit of a weakness of mine adn never am I worse then when our lawn is a foot high. It will be an effort, but one well worth while. My marriage is more important than my nighbor's opinions on our grass length.

Anyways, off to bed.