Tuesday, June 29, 2010

live from

Some things I've wanted to tell you in the past forty-eight hours:

1. When I was a kid, I used to fantasize about having a cord long enough, and a car big enough (because we were not one of those two-kid families that rode in a mini-van. We were the kind of two-kid family that rode in a Ford Tempo, baby) to bring our television and VCR in the car with us. I LOATHED car trips as a child (I still don't love them, though the destination is usually worth it). Positively hated them, thought they were the most boring thing imaginable. Anyway, yesterday afternoon, using an adaptor of Brian's to plug my laptop into the CAR (for crying out loud) and listening to my children watch a Disney movie on the way down to the beach ... well, that was my Back to the Future moment. Keep your hoverboards, friends. I can watch a movie in the car.

2. I can list for you (as I'm certain you can for me) the most significant days (thus far) in my life. But do you remember many of your most fun days? Not life-altering, but just plain old fun? Today was definitely in my top ten. The kids and I are at the beach with my mom, who has a conference this week. It's been raining off and on here, but the weather is unseasonably bearable (in the 80's, with a breeze) because of the storms, and we've hit the beach twice today just to dig in the sand. In between we spent much of the morning at an aquarium, ate PB&J in the hotel room, had a quiet/nap time that was surprisingly restful to all of us, and ate ice cream from my kids' first ever experience with the ice cream truck. And it was just. so. fun. The kids didn't act perfectly, but perfect is never a requirement for a good time, and they have made sand angels and buried my feet and built sand castles to drive bulldozers through and watched sting rays and dolphins and dripped ice cream and more. They are even sleeping well in the hotel (Silas in his pack-and-play in the bathroom - don't judge me, I am shameless in regards to making sure my kids get the sleep they NEED so we all can function - and Asher in a bed with me, for the first time in his life). So fun.

Want to see?




(This picture is for Brian - that would be a life-sized Coke icee your son is enjoying. The apple doesn't fall far.) (And yes, we split a life-sized Coke-icee in the morning, then ate ice cream from the ice cream truck in the afternoon. We're on vacation! Sugar doesn't count on vacation.)


Happy Tuesday to you.

10 comments:

buf said...

sugar definitely does not count on vacation. I love these, and I love Top Ten Fun Days :) I have a few I can think of - <3

buf said...

[that was Janet, btw]

Heather said...

I used to be that mom who swore my kids would not watch TV in the car.

Then, I had kids.

Seriously though, we used to use the adapter and plug Corey's laptop in for the boys. Now, we make SO FREAKING MANY car trips, that it is a justifiable expense to have special monitors and a DVD player for the car. However, I only use it on long car trips. I refuse to let it become blase.

brian said...

i see asher knows how to represent with the "solid" in the next to the last picture. induced by the sugar i'm sure!

ljkgates said...

I'm so glad your having such a great time. I know the boys are having a blast in the world's biggest sand box! I can hardly wait to hear them talk about their vacation with momma!

Danielle said...

I love your ability to be so carefree and just have fun. Being a much more uptight, rigid person, I admire people like you who are able to relax and just enjoy life! Your day sounds perfect!

Cindy said...

It does sound like a perfect day!

We didn't have a minivan either (Oldsmobile, baby!). My older sister convinced me on a roadtrip to DC that I would be much more comfortable on the FLOOR of the backseat and that the hump would be good for my back. How I didn't get carsick I will never know. Re: traveling and movies...I can remember going on vacation with a friends family in junior high and they had a television in their van. You would've thought I was in a stretch limo or something I thought it was BIG STUFF. We watched the Peter Pan movie with Robin Williams in the back of the van and it was the most fun I can remember driving to a vacation. How fun for the boys to have that experience this week!

Kendra said...

So fun indeed! I love that even though you are a mom and therefor always "on" when it comes to responsibilities even when vacationing, yet you still manage to vacation too =)

Stephanie said...

Kendra, I have to say this is the first time my kids have been old enough for me to really do that. We took them to the beach when they were 22 mos and 4 mos old, and while it was fun, it was NOT a vacation for me. I came home exhausted! So much of that has to do with their age.

aubrey said...

fun fun fun! memories at the beach are some of my favorite as a kid! Yay for Asher and Silas! Looks like they had a blast!!!!