“Vacation”

The Murphys are back from “vacation”.  I use this term in quotations because Murphy vacations are not your typical vacations.  Life with two under two means you have to readjust your definitions of certain words.  I learned this week that vacation was one of them.

We decided to spend this past week at my parents’ lakehouse in Lake Kiowa.  We were so blessed with some of the nicest 6 days of weather I can remember in years!  We basically had the lake to ourselves as the big lake season has ended.  The water was still warm enough to go into if you liked, but overall, it was just great to be outdoors no matter what the activity.

Things that made the vacation a little atypical: about 20 diaper changes a day, a baby that doesn’t sleep through the night, planning your day around 3 hour bottle feedings, a husband that is still working from his satelite office, lots of Elmo and Curious George episodes, starting to pottytrain (see pic below), being in bed at 10 every night and up by 6:30 each morning (with some feedings in between), and always being on the lookout for any playground or slide that a certain toddler can conquer.

Things that made the vacation just amazing: long walks/runs in 70 degree temperatures, sunset boat rides pointing out ducks to your daughter, playing on the beach that we had all to ourselves, jacuzzi dates with your husband and a glass of champagne after the kiddos were in bed, starring out at beautiful lake views no matter how yucky a diaper you were changing, spontaneously deciding to take your two under two to Turner Falls in Oklahoma to hike around, stars as far as the eye could see, and most of all the two under two and the husband I’m raising them with!

It was such an incredible time to spend with our family and it really feels like we are a foursome now.  Bree is really engaged with Bauer and as you will see in the pics really likes to help feed him and give him his binkie.  I think she understands now that he is here to stay!  We are figuring out how to still go on adventures that entertain Bree and keep Bauer happy in the meantime (he loves his carrier where I can wear him – he goes right to sleep)! There were moments I got overwhelmed and wondered how this would ever qualify as a vacation, but I’m learning that things don’t have to be just like they were before to count.  Someday Sean and I will leave the chaos behind and go somewhere just the two of us and it will be a vacation, but until then the chaos of bottles, fruit snacks, strollers and a large diaper bag is pretty darn fun and I’ll take all the “vacations” I can get!

The two galleries below has pics from the week.  Bauer is getting so BIG!  He has got to be at least 12 pounds at this point and just gets cuter everyday.  He actually slept through the night for the first time last night…8pm-6am…let’s hope that continues!!!

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Pics from hanging out inside, the beach and random other fun!

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Pics from Turner Falls