home

We are home… for now. Of course, we had a fantastic time down south. Here are some of the things we enjoyed… in no particular order:

· A return visit to the shoppers’ Mecca
· Yummy bacon, eggs and grits
· Brian receiving his early graduation gift (his JS ring)
· Sleeping in
· Naps with Ammon
· Target
· Midnight runs for chocolate shakes
· Cookout with family
· Snuggling on the couch
· Dinner for two at House of Blues
· The Starting Line amongst others
· Kids climbing with the grapefruits
· Rainy, cold, delicious weather
· Being lazy
· Swinging in hammocks
· Giggling
· Having fun with our family… a treat any time of the day

We had a very enjoyable trip, as always; however, this one didn’t go quite as effortlessly as the last. Getting ready to leave was a chore, as I developed a migraine early Friday morning. This headache welcomed blurred vision and nausea, among other things. Once we were finally on the road, the motion of the car made matters worse. I was now car sick on top of everything else. Not a good way to start a nearly 360 mile trip.

Ammon didn’t do as well in the car as he did before – he was still very good, but he was awake for a good chunk of the drive and a wee bit cranky. Let’s just say this: He acted how I would expect a four-month-old to act on a long road trip – none of the “too good to be true” stuff that we had before, but Ammon, “true to life”. This, of course, added a bit to the drive. We left nearly three hours earlier than we did two weeks ago, but between stopping for Ammon and me, we got there at exactly the same time.

We enjoyed lots of down time while we were at Balboa Drive. Lots of lazy, much needed, days. We got to spend some time with most of our family one night – and Ammon really enjoyed the extra attention. He especially loved the girls helping me with his bath… such fun watching him splash and squeal.

Despite the fun time Ammon had during his baths, he didn’t sleep well at night… not the twelve hour stints we thoroughly enjoyed during our previous visit. He ended up sleeping with us all three nights. Of course, this way we didn’t get any sleep. But it isn’t about us, right?

The real reason for this trip was so that Brian could see his favorite band in concert one last time before they go on hiatus. We have seen them several times before… and it always proves for a grand time. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any pictures from the show itself. No cameras allowed – and since HOB’s security is so good, we couldn’t even sneak one in… just like last time. But we do have pictures from previous shows at other venues, so we aren’t too terribly disappointed. It was so nice to be able to spend some time together as a couple. So nice to have fun together.

The drive home yesterday was fairly better than the drive down; however, Ammon was still awake for most of it. Thank heavens for portable DVD players. And Muppets. We did get home earlier than we did on the last trip, making it a little better for Brian to go back to work today. We’ve been home for a day, and all of our belongings are still strewn all over the living room; pieces of luggage littered all over the house; dirty laundry at the base of the stairs; etc., etc. etc.. I look at it this way: It will still be there tomorrow.

Ammon has now mastered his “A” sounds. Now, instead of saying lots of “Whoo”, “Ohh” and “Ooo”, he is saying lots of “Aaa”, “Arr” and “Ack”. He thinks that this new skill is the cat’s pajamas… so this is all we hear all day in the Thomas home. “AaaaaArrrrAaaaWhooooooAaaaaArrrrAckAcckAcckkAAACCCKKK!”. He has also discovered that his feet are not only attached to him – they are functional. He likes using his feet to “pick up” things and bring them to his mouth. So exciting to see him learning new things.

All in all, we had a wonderful trip. Always do. We look forward to going back down in two weeks. We look forward to creating more memories. We look forward to feeling the love we all share for one another… always do.