It is four o'clock in the afternoon on a Friday and i feel a little bit like I've been run over by a truck. So apparently do my babies-- we got home and I put them to bed because that's all they could cope with and out like lights they went.

Vacation can kick your ass.

We landed on Wednesday, got home around 8, started the workday at 7:20am Thursday. Thank Heaven I had the sense to schedule myself a breather tomorrow because I know we couldn't make it to Sunday without some unstructured time.

Annaliese starts full-time, state-mandated school in less than two weeks. I *might* be freaking out. Just a little.

I am quickly speeding through the transition from harried mother of infants and toddlers to the veteran who tells those harried, very-much-annoyed parents to "savor every moment, it only lasts a little while"! The other day I found myself telling the parents of a difficult sleeper that well, Annaliese didn't reliably sleep through the night until she was around three, but you know, it's just a few years of feeling like you're about to lose your s$%& on a daily basis. No biggie. Between that and having to get to work so early that most days sleeping past dawn feels like a lie-in, I'm quickly becoming a super fun person.

Happy though. I love everything I am doing and don't want to change a thing.

Let's talk about my kids at this moment in time:

Amazing. Hilarious. Troopers. Getting pretty good at yes ma'ams and no sirs. They were so heart-achingly beautiful at K's sister's wedding, where they were much-feted flowergirl and ring-bearer.

A whole day of traveling: 2 2hour car rides, 2 2hour flights-- with not one tear, whine, or fight.

Caspian, vegetable and berry picker extraordinaire. Annaliese, ancient-memoried Annaliese, determined must-practice-swimming little girl who danced the night away up in Vermont and ducked behind someone else every time she saw me because she was afraid I'd make her go home. Until she was ready to go home. When she found me and sat on my lap and let me snuggle her like the baby she is, always, to me.

Love these chillens.

K., who seems to get sexier with every passing month, is still up in VT on his annual dad-cation, where he attempts to relax and does a lot of weedwhacking, so I am solo-parenting the last 2 weeks of summer. I can't wait for him to get home but I am trying not to focus on it. It's been a busy spring and summer, and I feel like ok, I've rested, we've played, now he's resting, then he can come home and we can together rock the frick outta this fall. Can't wait.
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Chillun pictures: