Paradise Found

Say it with me...aaaaahhhhh....

Whew!  We are finally home after a very busy few weeks of traveling.  I am mega-behind on everything, of course -- laundry, groceries, emails...and definitely blogging.  So...I'll make you a deal.  I will catch you up bit by bit on our goings-on over the past few weeks as time allows.  Or, more appropriately, as Fionn allows.  Hehe.  The little bugger is currently sleeping off a late bedtime last night of 9 pm, so I've got a few precious minutes before he starts to stir.

I will start with my amazing (A-M-A-Z-I-N-G) girls' trip to Naples, FL the first weekend in November.  Oh, talk about a much-needed vacation!  Two glorious nights in an absolutely GORGEOUS beach condo (thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Barnette!) with some of my best girlfriends.  It was just too heavenly for words.  We talked without interruption, drank wine, sat on the beach, talked without interruption, slept in, ate out at some delicious restaurants, and...talked some more without interruption.  I think you get the drift.  Haha.

Moms Gone Wild.  Not really, but don't we look cute?

Don't get me wrong.  I love it when my grad school friends and I can get together with our families (Well, hello there, President's Day 2012!  We just booked our ginormous house for the weekend!  Yay!).  It is a very special time of togetherness, fun, and pure chaos.  That said, it is truly a wonderful thing to hang out with your girlfriends without the constant tug-of-war between the desire for adult conversation and...well, the task of trying to keep your kid alive.  I just relished it.  I think we all did. 

There was only one problem with the weekend.  Okay, two problems.  #1: It had to end.  And #2: Our dear friend, Sarah Bell Van Oman, was not able to join us because she was busy incubating another beautiful baby who will make his/her appearance in the next few weeks.  We are so excited to meet Baby Girl-or-Boy Van Orman (or #22 as he/she has recently been dubbed because that will be the new total count for our PDWC group after the new babe arrives).  And Sarah definitely made the right decision in staying put in Portsmouth, VA. (We don't know nuthin' about birthin' no babies, Miss Sarah!).  That said, she was missed terribly over the course of the weekend.  We had multiple toasts in her honor.  It was the least we could do, you see.  Hehe.

And speaking of being missed...oh, how I missed my little rascally boy!  As I was soaking up the sun and surf, Fionny was having himself a grand ol' time with his Daddy at the homestead.  Conor was kind enough to keep me updated with pictures and videos of Fionny throughout the weekend.  And I have to say, in looking at the pictures, I don't know if I was missed too much by my darling child.  He and Daddy seemed to be getting on pretty darn fine in my absence.  If there are any doubts about the truth of that statement, here is some living proof.  Conor titled this one "Pride."

Is there anything better than a toddler laughing?  I'm really not sure there is.  Well, maybe chocolate chip cookie dough.  Eh, it's a toss-up.

Okay, that's all for now, folks.  I will return ASAP with some pictures and tales from our week in Jackson, MS with my fam.  But for now...the mountain of laundry calls.