Post Vacation Blues

Mondays are tough generally.  Mondays are really tough when they start off a week of employee reviews.  Mondays are the worst when they are the first day after an incredible vacation and a week-long escape from reality.  So, while my head was busy focusing on goals on looking at outcomes and putting out fires and trying to think, my heart was back at the ocean, feeling full of stuff like this:

Sunglasses? Check.

It's vacation time and, although you might have thought I was already on vacation judging by the rather 'light' summertime blogging, this is now the real deal...see you later and I hope that you all enjoy a few days of sandy toes and salt water.

Luz and James are bursting with excitement...requisite sunglasses, Am Girl Doll, and Superhero T are packed...ready, set, go:

H O T

I don't know about you but it has been H-O-T here in NOLA.  By the looks of things on the USA weather map this morning while I was watching Al, it appears that it is much the same everywhere across the country.

It rained all weekend long and yet it was still sweltering.  I am tired of sweating and remember exactly what if felt like to be a kid and going to camp and riding on steamy buses in wet swimming suits and just day dreaming about a/c and Johnny Quest or Tom & Jerry. 

Here are a few pics I took of the kids during a recent trip to Audubon Zoo when we were experiencing a "cooler" morning:

Needless to say, we are all ready for a New England heat wave which means highs are in the low 80's. Bring. It. On.

Camera Shy

He his 3 and 1/2 years old now and starting to have many opinions about the way things should be and, most recently, he has decided that he will not longer tolerate having my camera in his face.  On the rare occasion that he is feeling generous, I can capture that sweet smile:

Summer Travels

I finally had a chance to download the pictures from the past few weeks and will post a few.  The kids spent two weeks in Atlanta in June and had a great time. The highlight of the trip was spending time with Nana and Papa-T and with their cousins, Liam and Pete.  They are ready for another trip to Atlanta.  Unfortunately, that will not likely happen again until Christmas.  We are, however, looking forward to a week together in Hummarock, MA.  Have you ever been there?  It is roughly right about here (dark reddish area):

and is a lovely, seaside town, complete with everything you would expect to find in a lovely, seaside town. It is one town over from Marshfield, MA where Christian was born and it is a place that I quickly fell in love with.  I was captivated the first time I visited years and years ago (maybe even before Christian and I were married; I am a terrible historian) and cannot wait for the kids to experience it.  I am looking forward to morning runs along the rock beach, lobster rolls and friend clams, cool nights, and days that turn into night while I am sitting comfortably in a lawn chair listening to the sounds of the shore and visiting with friends and family.

We are all looking forward to the trip.  I am particularly excited because it will be the first true vacation for me since our 2008 trip to Portland.  I am sure you will hear more about it than you care to hear soon enough.

And now, a few Atlanta pics...

The Birthday girl, turning 7:

Pete, warming up after a chilly swim:

James, finally found his sea legs this year:

Liam, not loving having his picture taken...looking for a split second like a teenager:

Singing Happy Birthday to Lucy: