The girls and I are in Illinois this week. We've done Thanksgiving. We've done two Christmas's. We have one more to go. Whew. Many people mentioned before we left for our trip, "oh it'll be nice to get away." While this is true - it is nice to remove oneself from the same surroundings. However, do not mistake that for being a vacation. In fact, I may go as far to say it's the opposite of a vacation.
We're having a very lovely visit with my family. And the girls, for the most part (more on the "most part" later), are behaving wonderfully. It's just still a challenge to be away from the norm. The routine is different. The sleep environment is different. The toys are different. The...everything is different.
And as far as the girl's behavior, well, Daddio and I really have very little to complain about. Our girls are brilliant travelers. They have established pretty good manners, especially for ages 2 and 4. They are good sleepers. They are good girls.
But........just to add to some excitement this week, while being away from home, while being away from the norm, and while being spoiled rotten, my baby has decided to really start to explore the age of two (and all that being two can bring...if you know what I mean). This week baby Cheekers has remembered all of the buttons that her older sister doesn't like to be pushed...and she's been pushing them...and in public. To be honest, she's remembered all of my buttons too.
It's interesting, entering this new phase of age two. It's been awhile since I've managed this age. And while many refer to it as "terrible twos," Hubby and I referred to it as "terrific twos". Let's hope we can keep our optimistic view. Because this go around is completely different than with our first two year old. And all the rules and methods that worked before...don't...work...any...more. This is the beauty and gift of having multiple children, right?!
So, we will continue our trip away from home this week, and I'm sure there will be more delightful, challenging, head-scratching, "been there, done that," "glad I'm not in your shoes", parental stories to be continued...

