home again, home again, jiggity jig

no pictures here - just chaos.

four children with one million and one things to tell us all at once, but still being mostly concerned about what we brought home for them. like i wrote earlier, we really were quite disappointed with the souvenir 'selection', and brought very little of it home...but we did, of course, have a few things for each of the kids, and lilly said about three times that it was the best day of her life. all the girls are wearing flowers in their hair today.

molly clung to me, sometimes just putting both her hands on either side of my face and just softly saying 'momma' and kind of laughing and then giving me BIG hugs. she wanted me sitting, with her on my lap. it was clear that she really had no understanding where we were and why we were gone, but was glad that we had returned.

the house, kids and pets were well taken care of by both sets of our parents. we heard many a tale while we were traveling that we were so lucky that we had parents who were willing to care for our children so that we could get away. there is no doubt that we know this, but not because other people had to say it. it is no small task to care for four children for a week. i know, because i do it every day. and even though it goes without saying that we are grateful beyond words to our parents, it should be said - and i'm saying it here. i am a better mom today because i have been renewed, revived, rested, and relieved of reality for a week. we have a better marriage today because we could be together, just the two of us, to reconnect as husband and wife and best friends, and not just as parents. we have been touched by the places we visited, the people we met, and the culture we witnessed. we have been reminded of the great fortune of our lives, to have the means to travel so far, stay in a resort so nice, spend money without worrying about any bills going unpaid.

and in the end, none of that would have been possible had there not been people who were willing and able to lovingly care for our children in our absence.

so moms and dads - thank you.