Weekend Snowbirds

Our always-at-the-ready (and willing) babysitters Noni and Papi generously relieved us once again this past weekend so Ben and I could enjoy a much-needed Florida mini-vacation with friends. While flying 1,500+ miles south only bought us an extra 15 or so degrees in warmth, it did buy us the ability to relax, sleep in, enjoy a meal for longer than 7 minutes, have some uninterrupted conversation, sit in the sun, catch up with friends, plan whole days without having to think about nap schedules, etc., etc. It was ... dreamy. We came back Monday night missing our boys tons, but feeling incredibly renewed and refreshed. Recharging those parental batteries every once in awhile is a definite must.

In keeping with our intent to be completely lazy and unhindered during our getaway, we took not one picture. But Noni and Papi documented all the fun we missed back at their house. We hear they took the "Playgrounds of Fairfield County" tour, which included testing swings and slides at every playground within a 10 mile radius.

Having sun and 50+ degree temps every day certainly helped keep everyone busy - no cabin fever for these boys! Apparently, trips to the beach were part of the daily ritual.

Ethan is finally at the age where he can converse on the phone (up until pretty recently, he would just do a lot of nodding and whispering - not sure why, considering that I am a LOUD phone talker - ask my husband). This if a fun development when we're away, as we can call home and have him tell us what he's been up to. He learned the word "excursion" on this visit, and told us about his various excursions every night when we checked in. He also liked to share stories of all the good food Noni and Papi were stuffing in his belly.

We didn't hear much from Adam while we were gone. He was too busy climbing stairs when no one was looking, throwing himself headfirst down slides, trying to break out of makeshift contraptions to keep him enclosed...

and emptying Noni and Papi's cabinets. He is definitely flexing his independence and limit-testing muscles these days - ah, 16 months, I forgot about you but you're not my most favorite.

Please note in the above picture that Noni is preparing a gourmet dinner while watching Adam. As usual, Noni and Papi made us wonder what exactly it is we do all day, with the amount they manage to get done while also watching small children. We came home to a car cleaner than it has ever been, not one piece of dirty laundry, the boys' stuff all packed (wait a minute...maybe that was to get us out the door more quickly?), and yet, happy and safe kiddos, full of stories of adventures, excursions, and special memories. I'm not sure how they do it (or how they enjoy doing it) but they always volunteer to do it again, so who am I to question? Thanks Mom and Dad for taking such good care of our boys!