I know I should write about our eventful week’s vacation, but it can be summed up in one sentence: see toddler run, chase toddler, catch toddler, repeat.

Oh, there were many good times. It was great listening to music around the campfire in New Brunswick and drinking Mike’s at the annual summer party. I was so happy to see my friends Sarah, Amanda and Rachel in Boston (everyone I love moves to Boston eventually. It’s like I’m cursed.) And I spent far too much money at Lush.

But it’s hard to relax and enjoy the moment for long when you have an active kid who is too young to understand that playing in traffic is a bad thing. I spent a lot of time feeling like a shepherd with a flock of one–one crazy sheep with unending energy and a death wish.

Not to mention, there’s nothing like a 1-year-old to remind you that a vacation, while fun, is a vast difference from the normal routine. Naps are fleeting, and saved solely for long car trips. Meals are grabbed on the go, and often rejected entirely in favor of graham crackers and milk. Lots of playtime. Lots of vehement “no’s,” the kind that can only be uttered by a small, overtired child who is utterly confused as to why we’re sleeping outdoors, in a tent.

A tent, mother? Are you serious? This can’t be legal. I’m calling DHS.

Someone does NOT care for camping (I can’t say I blame her.) She did, however, seem to enjoy our three-day trip to Boston, so maybe she has a future in the city (see? Cursed!)

As much fun as it was to see my family, to hang out with old friends who I’ve missed dearly, and to watch my daughter discover a larger world, I am more than happy to get back to a predictable schedule.

Routines–they aren’t just for babies anymore!

We initially made plans with Danielle to hang out on Saturday and do some serious barbequeing in this lovely spring weather. That in and of itself was great, but Danielle took it a step further by surprising us with a guest. We had the pleasure of hanging out with this dude for the weekend:

That’s right–Danielle drove all the way to Boston and back on Friday afternoon to pick up my brother and bring him to see us. On a whim. We hadn’t seen Julian since Christmas, so this was a huge surprise. Excuse me while I gush, but I have the best friends and family ever.

As soon as I’d finished hyperventilating, we were off to the supermarket to grab supplies for a feast of epic proportions. We planned the menu as we went: Hamburgers, hot dogs, honey chicken tenders, potato salad, garden salad, potatoes with fried onions & cheese and deviled eggs. It was basically a heart attack on a plate and it was delicious.

After we’d stuffed ourselves silly, Tim offered to stay home with Ellie so Danielle, Julian and I could go to a movie. We decided on Hot Tub Time Machine, which turned out to be surprisingly funny. Dumb, but I laughed a lot, which is more than I can say for most of the other movies I’ve seen recently.

We didn’t have any special plans for the next day, but we did do a little Easter egg hunt for Ellie. She was a good sport about it, although she kept giving us looks as if to say, “Uhh, what’s the big deal, guys? I find stuff all over the house all the time.” It was entirely worth it to see the look on her face when she realized the eggs had chocolates in them. She doesn’t get many sweet treats, so finding 4 M&M’s in an egg probably seemed like hitting the jackpot.

All in all, an excellent weekend with some of my favorite people. I am so blessed!