I know it's been a long while since I posted here, and I have lots to discuss that I haven't had the opportunity to...

Our family recently returned from a "triangle trip," where we had the opportunity to visit many of our family and friends on the east coast. Essentially, the trip consisted of a visit with my inlaws in Eastern PA, my sister in NJ, my aunt and grandfather in NC, a side trip to Savannah, GA for pleasure, my parents in FL and then home. How, you ask, did we manage this with two very young children. I am not even sure how we did it myself, but we are still here and alive and well.

Fortunately, we have children who are very "adaptable." Yup. They adapt well to a variety of difficult situations. They can sleep pretty much anywhere, and they manage to keep themselves happy almost anywhere. I believe it stems from their independent natures. From a very young age, I encouraged this independence... getting them, for example, to play by themselves and entertain themselves (and now each other). It works, and it works well. We didn't always stick to naptimes, but naps on the fly became commonplace on the road. It is all about preparation, of course. My kids have always been great nappers/sleepers, and it really doesn't change when you change the place. I did do a little sleep adjustment for the hour change, which probably helped a bit. We stopped in hotels on the way out east as well as on our way back from Florida.

Did I mention I even cloth-diapered on the go? I simply brought a very large wet bag and stashed our fluff in a laundry basket. I did bring along some 'sposies for emergencies or for times when I knew we were not going to have adequate laundry facilities. I also brought our favorite detergent and diaper spray. So, we had two very happy heinies for the long haul.

Our trip was absolutely wonderful! During our visit in PA, we took the kids to Sesame Place and NYC, and mommy got to reunite with a very dear high school friend. In NJ, we reunited with some more high school friends at the Greenwood Lake Carnival and we spent some time at the spa with my sister and brother-in-law and their son, Shane. We also had a demi-family reunion at Jill & Dany's in Newburgh as we celebrated their daughter Erin's 2nd birthday. Many family members/cousins were there and it was wonderful to see everyone again! In NC, we had lunch with Papa and took the kids to Caswell Beach. Swimming in the ocean was a fabulous experience! We stopped by in Savannah, and I simply fell in love with the southern charm the city offers. Not to mention the fact that I had to live out "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil," a book I read before out trip. Finally, we ended out trip in Florida, where we visit the Mermaids and the sponge fishermen and enjoyed some quality family time at our favorite gulf beaches. On the way home, we stopped at a college friend's home outside of Nashville.

It's good to be back home, but I still pine for the times we get to visit our friends and family. Those moments are too precious and far between.