Away...

I woke up this morning with two little hands in my hair and two little feet in my back...all is right with my world.  :)

Yesterday was the big day--the knuckleheads came home from Ronny's house!  I was so stinkin' excited yesterday morning I couldn't stand it, I couldn't focus.  If you know me, you know this is a big deal:  I didn't even CLEAN HOUSE before I went to pick them up.  True story--there were dirty dishes in the sink when I left (but Daddy beat us home and there were NOT dirty dishes in the sink when we got home, so that was pretty awesome).  Anyway...I was just ready for them to come home.

And, of course, after driving an hour and a half I walk in the front door at Ronny's to be greeted enthusiastically...by everyone but my kids.  Kayci doesn't look up from the laptop, and Noble takes one look at me and throws himself down on the couch, "but I don't want to go HOOOOOOOOOOOOOME with you...."

Good times.

How's the self esteem now?

Good.

So, I went over and hugged Bubby anyway since I could reach him first, and he did give me a big ol' Bubby squeeze (ahh...) and immediately grabbed my hair.  Yeah, he missed me a little.  :)  Then Kayci came over for a hug and all was well.  We went and had lunch at a great Chinese buffet (thanks for lunch, Ronny!) and then we grabbed their bags and headed home.

I felt a little guilty that they had a babysitter on their first evening home (Germania dinner), but the kids were happy with pizza, root beer and a new movie on iTunes.  Honestly, I think they were just happy to be home.  As soon as we walked in the door, they both headed to their room...Kayci to her desk to make a birthday card for a friend, and Noble to just pull every. single. toy. off the shelves and just touch everything.  We kind of felt like he was just taking stock...he's never been away from home like this before, so it was a really interesting reaction.

Anyway, the knuckleheads were gone for 3 nights and almost 4 days.  Not only did they survive, I'd say they thrived.  They obviously had a blast at Ronny's house, even when they weren't having a blast (it can't be a party 24 hours a day, and they enjoyed the down time just as much as the big outings).  I haven't heard a single complaint or negative word from either kiddo, and they're ready to go back just as soon as they can.  (I think we'll give Ronny & Amy's family a little break.)  :)

So here are some highlights of the past 4 days:

...Noble packing.  This was a joke shot--the kids took one suitcase.  Yep.  One.


This cracked us up--Ronny texted this the first night.  There's Noble's "obey" tattoo from VBS last week, but Ronny fixed it for his house.




I was a little worried about the kids going to the community pool, since Noble is convinced he can swim.  I was a little control freak and sent his floaties IN a bag with his swim suit and a note that he MUST wear them.  Both kids told me over and over that it was okay that he wasn't wearing his floaties in "Ronny's pool."  I'd say it looks safe, guys.

I cracked up when I saw this on facebook...I love Keely!

James and I have kind of been fantasizing about having a weekend to ourselves for years...and it finally happened.  But, it happened on a weekend when we were already mostly booked, so we just rolled with it.  We took a nap both days (love weekend naps!) and Saturday afternoon/evening we went out on a date.  It was a great date--shooting range, shopping and a fun dinner at Genghis Grill.  We also went out for lunch on Saturday when we were still settling in to the whole idea of kid-free time...and we had one of the best talks we've had in a while.  It was a great start to our weekend!

Sunday was a Sunday; we were both on-schedule at church so we got up and went in early, then after church we went to scout the location for his shoot...by that time we were too hungry to bother with the healthy stir-fry I'd planned, so we headed to Big Daddy's.  Yep, I said it.  After a lazy nap, it was time to head back out to the country for the maternity shoot.  It was a great location, the house was AMAZING.  And James' pictures ain't half bad, either.




Monday was just a normal day around here...well, kind of--there were no knuckleheads.  This was the day that was probably the most challenging for me, not that it was hard but it was definitely different.  I had a sick headache, so I was actually pretty lazy a good part of the day--couldn't have done that with kids at home!  The kids, by the way, were having a blast:




Yesterday it felt great to have them back in my car, headed home.  They had a great trip, and I'm so grateful to Ronny & his family for having them for so long.  I love that they have nothing but good things to say, and that after the first day they were okay with a text now and then and didn't feel the need to talk to me constantly (I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to talk to THEM, but I also knew they needed some Mommy-free time).  This is the picture we sent to Daddy...Noble's pouting because he was trying to talk Ronny into buying him a toy at Target (because Mommy always lets him get whatever he wants, he said...in what alternate universe, I said?) and then I added insult to injury by taking them to Target...and not buying him a toy.  The nerve.  


When I was posting pictures from my phone this morning, I came across a group of these--can't say that I've missed sharing my phone with the knuckleheads.




The big question:  what did I accomplish while the kids were gone?

Um, not much.

And I really struggled with that--I felt like, if I had kid-free time then I should really get caught up and get big things done around the house...

...but I just didn't have time, truly.

And I couldn't see spending what little time I did have stressing over housework.

So, I did what I could.

I got caught up on Jackson's birthday prep (good thing, Lynn's coming to pick it up today!).




I completed a shirt order, and finally took time to make Noble's requested red rocket shirt.




And I worked on my Bible study, and I had some quiet time.

And I washed rugs.

And I did a little laundry.

And I paid bills and ran errands.

And I ate some junk food.

And I watched 2 movies.

And I listened to "The Bachelorette" yesterday while I worked.

But I didn't accomplish a lot--other than realizing that it was a good thing for the kids to go.  They were good, we were good...I wouldn't want to send them away a lot, but now I know they can go for a weekend here and there.

But next time...next time, we'll plan an actual weekend away from home so we can just ENJOY our "free" time.  Living regular life without kids was just a little weird.

Thanks to Ronny & Amy & their kiddos for making our kiddos feel at home!