.....I always find that tackling the family get together blog posts are very tough.....there is so much emotion because the visits are always filled with so much love......great conversation, action packed days, new experiences, laughter and hundreds of pictures.....most of the time, these posts take days to weave together; but once they are completed, they are sealed forever in this virtual envelope.....and on days I want to revisit the memories, it is only a few clicks of a button and I am taken back to a place that always feels so good.....
....my manicure compliments of Elsie (right hand) and Callie (left hand).....
....and I'm not sure if purchasing tickets 4 weeks prior to boarding a plane is considered spontaneous, but for a family of five; it certainly felt like it.....especially after being with
our family in Texas just two weeks prior.....our babes were pros in the airport for this trip......
.....and it was a treat for me to spend my first official
birthday as a
late thirty something with family.....
....and I certainly felt loved when everyone went above and beyond to make up for the fact that the weather did not deliver on my special day......
.....but my family certainly delivered.....
....because my family always does.....
....Stefan is awesome at Jenga....
....and for those who know me well know that I have been struggling for a few months.....life with three has seemed to get harder as our newborn has become a person with demands and needs of his own.....sleep has been hard to come by and many days I don't feel like I am cut out to mother three.....my voice has been raised way too often, my patience has been thin, I have been feeling discouraged, down, wondering if this out of control spin of chaos will ever settle......our schedule seems to have backfired on me, as I enrolled both of my girls in school at opposite times so that I could spend quality time with each; only causing several days of back and forth trips that are exhausting......not to mention, the in and out of the house 4-8 times per day has also made it hard for Brody to have any sort of consistent nap schedule or routine.....
.....but just as all things rise and fall, extend and retreat; I know this phase will pass.....and after spending eight days away with family and friends, I know I can come home renewed and ready to tackle this schedule once again and get really good at it....
.....because Florida always has a way of bringing me home.....and I mean that in so many ways.....yes, it's where I was raised....so the instant the door of the plane opens and I am close enough to smell the fresh air, the wave of euphoria covers me....the salt and humidity ignite not only memories, but also a calmness that spreads throughout every cell of my body.....immediately.....
...God was present everywhere....
.....reminding me that most of the time we are in a rut, a dark place, a lull; sometimes it's perspective that we need.....
.....and a little bit of sleep to also keep us in check.....
.....and even though Florida is home and will be a place that we always visit, it helps when your children concur; validating they like your home state too....so when the plane door opened on this trip and I had my first inhalation of Florida's breeze, I was interrupted deep in thought when Elsie asked, what's that stinky smell?.....well, babe, that's what Florida air smells like....it's salty because the ocean and beach is surrounding us.....she thinks for a moment and makes another exaggerated sniff.....I like that stinky smell, Momma.....
.....good.....
....I'm glad they all like it......
.....Mom and Coleman, thank you so much for taking our babies for a few days.....we are both rejuvenated, rested and are better because of our time away.....
....not to mention, I had a full 8 hours to get some time in with
old friends.....and girlfriends are just good for the soul.....
....Laura, we missed you.....thank you for the champagne and OJ.....we put it to good use.....
.....now I am ready to try the juggling act again.....I've learned a few things, have a good strollerpooling system in the works with mommy friends to cut back on the trips to and from school and am determined to work with my little man on some better sleeping habits......
....I've come back to NYC ready to get my groove on....
....and I am reminded that groove on or not, we love each other on the smooth days, as well as the chaotic days that spin wildly out of control.....a little bit of both keeps the ebb and flow of life in full bloom.....
.....so until next time, goodbye sunshine state....
.....love you so, so much.....