"it'll all be alright, i'll be home tonight, i'm coming back home!"

I heard Michael Buble's "Home" 3 times on the way home from the airport- it was the perfect anthem for the final 45 min car ride. After my very crazy trip going and coming home I was ready to take a fabulous hot shower and flop down on my bed.
There is nothing quite like setting foot on home soil after a long solo parenting trip--Just getting in your home state brings a rush. You feel like effusively kissing the parking valet who has loaded your suitcases into your car and turned on you a/c, The schlepping and wrangling is almost over. No more trudging long distances wearing a carseat as a backpack, your clothes covered in who knows what, pushing a stroller, balancing bags, shelling out snacks, corralling a busy 5 yr old. No more trips through airport security, solo parent 24 hrs a day, Herculean feats like occupying a 13 mo old on a plane for 6 hrs.

As much as i love to travel- there is nothing like the relaxation of getting home after a trip.
As you know shelah is a fabulous friend to let us descend upon her en mass for days-- displacing children from their routines, beds, territory and sense of normalcy. It was such a great trip as you know from our eats.

Our group photo- 5 kids-2 moms -hot day at the zoo and camera on auto timer

smart baby chillin' on the plane (no he wasn't this happy the whole time)

Shelah and Annie on our quick trip south of the border (okay not really- it was just the Mexican village area at the children's museum although i have to say at a few points in the trip Shelah and i contemplated ditching the kiddos and taking off for Mexico ourselves)

smart son and isaac hitting the slip and slide.

Thanks shelah for a great trip- we can't wait to come back... but don't worry we'll give you a breather...

oh so to tell you how tired i was last night i heard smart baby crying and leapt out of bed (so as to get him before he woke anyone) and ran into a wall (it took me a minute to remember what house i was in and where the door was) I got smart baby and suddenly realized what am i doing? smart daddy-o always gets him in the night (even smart daddy-o said- what were you doing last night??) better than abou t year ago when i came back from a trip-I was so asleep I heard crying in the night and asked smart daddy-o in the pitch black "where am i?", "who are you?" (the second questions was the hilarious one- and luckily i don't have a suspicious husband)

oh-- and a note on the travel front- smart mama is one busy chick this summer- galavanting off to various destinations for the greater part of the summer- so really as much i will try to keep posting and commenting- i may be scarce-so no, its not because you offended me but because my internet connection won't be following me...