Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Vacation Is Over

I'm surprised about how few pictures I took over our vacation. I guess I was too busy having fun to stop and document it all. I did get a few though that make me smile and one that tugs at my heartstrings a little.

My brother and I have always been good friends and it is tough for us to not have our kids living in the same town. We worried they wouldn't be as close of friends as we were with our cousins. We shouldn't have worried. Our kids make the most of every opportunity to see each other. They love each other so much.

When they do get together, it is very important to check out who is taller now.


On this trip, we were stuck inside a lot because of very cold, snowy conditions, so Mom and my sister-in-law taught the kids to dance. The boys would come up to the girls and say, "May, I have this dance?" There were only two girls and three boys, so the odd man out would ask to cut in. They were very polite and formal. It was adorable.


For Baby's first Christmas, he got a Baby Einstein Play Gym. I think he likes it.


At this point, though, he is much more interested in smiling faces than toys.


This is my nephew, Zac. He is such a spitfire! He's got the greatest raspy voice and all-boy personality. I love how much he reminds me of his daddy at this age. This is the picture that pulls on my heartstrings. As cute as it is, it makes me a little sad.


My brother and I were keeping up with each other in the baby having business. My daughters and his two oldest sons are the same age and are really close friends. Whenever we get together, they pair off and have so much fun together. I guess on this trip I noticed how left out Zac was. It made me miss David, my baby boy who would have been the same age as Zac if he had been born. There are times especially during special events and holidays when I still really feel the loss.

Don't worry about Zac too much, though. He made sure everyone included him, and he kept us all laughing. Here he is entertaining his audience. : ) You can see Grandma fit in lots of baby holding.


We had such a great trip. We were able to go to my brother and sister-in-law's house, then to Mom and Dad's place, and then to my cousin Katy's. It was all so sweet and fun. My family is amazing. Whenever we go to visit it feels like their whole goal in life is to bless us. We are so spoiled to be so loved.

It is hard being back in the real world. I'm struggling to get Prince Charming back on a good sleeping schedule after the trip. He hasn't been very charming at all when he's wide awake at 3 AM or screaming his head off because he doesn't want to nap. I'm telling myself, "This too shall pass" and trying to get him back into a regular routine. I'm praying we will get back to where we were. My quality of life right now is so dependent on his sleeping habits, but as always, he is worth it all.

One of the best parts of this trip was the time I spent with all three of my kids. I was just so incredibly proud of them and grateful for them. I enjoyed them so much.

Well, that's all I've got for you. The pictures don't do the trip justice or give you an idea of how beautiful all of the snow was. We had a Merry and Very White Christmas. I hope yours was also!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Love,

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

OH..MY..GOSH--those kids looked SO CUTE dancing together!!!!

Becky Avella said...

Thanks, Kimberly. : ) My mom has video of it that is really cute. I'll have to see if I can get the video from her so I can post it.

Anonymous said...

They were all so cute. A video would be very sweet. Let me know if you get it.

The lack of sleep will get better. You just have to give it several days for the routine to kick in again.

Let me know if you need anything.

Maggie

Anonymous said...

Oh how I miss it all. Love, Mom