My Mini-vacation

As some of you may have noticed on Facebook....I (Andrea) am not at home right now. I'm on vacation....ALONE. :)

I've never done this before...taken a trip just for fun without my little family.

But I think I like it. :)

I have an incredible, amazing, super-supportive husband who made this possible. And a fantastic Aunt who was willing to take me in for the week.

You see, I have an adorable son who refuses to sleep. And for a multitude of reasons, situations, and difficulties over the last year, I have become a very sleep deprived and emotionally unstable mommy. :) I haven't had a solid nights sleep in over 9 months. Working full-time, trying to keep a household running, and still trying to maintain our life at the pace we normally would while only getting a few hours of sleep at night is just not working. So, I talked to my husband and opened up that if this mommy is going to survive...I need some sleep....and my wonderful husband said, "Go."

So I went. I am on a 5-day trip to stay with Aunt Barbie with the only agenda item being sleep....9-10 hours a night of uninterrupted sleep. And when I'm awake, I get to lounge in the sunshine and edit family photos and work on our blog and laugh with Barb...things that I love to do and don't always have time for.

And I haven't heard a baby cry since Sunday at 4pm.

I love my kiddos and my family and my life...and I am looking forward to seeing them again on Friday. But this has been good for all of us. I hope to return a stronger, refreshed mommy...one that can handle life a little better than I was handling it when I left.

:)

So...I need to go. It's time for my nap. :)

Opposites Attract

Doug and I are so different! I know that will shock some of you. :) It's actually funny because I think people would be surprised how similar we are in some ways. I am so grateful for my fantastic husband because he just fits me so well.

But, there are still many ways that we are complete opposites. One of those areas is our idea of "fun."

Doug likes "the off-season" and small groups of good friends. He likes cold weather and hikes in the woods and camping in the snow without a tent. He likes hunting and fishing with one or two people who know how to stay quiet enough not to scare the fish or animals. Doug likes his own space without anyone touching him. He likes physically demanding and risk-filled hobbies. Doug likes air conditioning.

I love festivals. I love the peak of summer. I love heat and noise and crowds of people and summer concerts and outdoor events. I love street fairs and amphitheaters and block parties and live bands that play on packed restaurant patios with shoulder-to-shoulder people. I love tank tops and flip flops and sandy beaches and colorful drinks with little umbrellas. I love city streets at night with a million lights that sparkle and twinkle in the dark. I love sunsets on the water with sand between my toes. I like open windows.

I like big events where just the two of us are together in a crowd of anonymous people.
Doug likes private parties with good friends where he knows everyone present very well.

I like new and exciting for the sake of new and exciting.
Doug likes familiar, comfortable and trusted.

I tend to run shallow and turbulent...he tends to run deep and still.

But nobody on this earth makes me laugh as much or as often as he does. And we have learned to embrace most of the differences...

I sent this text to Doug yesterday:

"9 hrs sleep + sunshine + sandals = bliss"



He responded with this text:

"you have your idea of bliss....I have mine!"



I love that man. ;)

That's My Girl *Sigh*

Danika has so much...well.....PERSONALITY. :) She just cracks us up because we never know what she is going to pull next. And the daycare we take her to is just top-notch. They love her as if she were their own child, and they know how to handle her little "moments." But there are days where we show up to get her and we have to be informed of some difficulty she put them thru while we were gone.

And then there are the days that it can't wait until we pick her up.

I was working on February 5th and I received this picture message on my phone from Leah, one of the daycare workers:


"This is your daughter after she filled the toilet with toilet paper...she got a time-out but it was hilarious!"

"...we sent her to the room and she put herself in the corner....haha"

Yes...a whole role of toilet paper. That's my little girl. *sigh* And I can't even blame it on Doug, because we both know that she is me on the inside...through and through.

That means this is only the beginning....she is going to torture us when she becomes a teenager.