The Summer

I have just survived what possibly could have been the longest summer of my life.

Don't get me wrong, there was a LOT of awesomeness.  But frankly, it was a LOT of work.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard "How was your summer?" over the past week.  I have been smiling and saying, " Great, thanks, how was yours?" 

I suppose in passing people don't really have time to get into it, but really, let's be honest, a summer with 2 kids and no camp is intense.  Really, really intense.  As you may have guessed, there wasn't a whole lot of time for blogging.  And I truly missed my blogging.

Some of the highlights of the past 7 weeks include:

Lewes, Delaware, otherwise known as "The Beach":  I am now able to confirm that the ocean is indeed only 3 hours from DC.  It is beautiful and blue and I love being by the water.  My kids were beach bunnies and loved the scene.  To call it a vacation, however, would be a tad inaccurate.  I think what I have realized is that you can't really have a "vacation" when caring for 2 kids under the age of 5.  They need to be fed 3 meals a day plus snacks, they expect to be entertained most of the time, and they tend to go a bit batty with their sleep schedules when pulled out of their familiar home routines (like getting up at 5:30am).  I was more tired after the beach than before the beach, but frankly, it was totally worth it. I love the ocean and I think it loves me too.  I also love my amazing friend A who came down from NYC for the crazy beach trip and made everything more happy on a daily basis.  I could not have done it without her.

This was our regular "spot"

I sat in this chair for an hour staring at the water and it was the best hour of my entire summer.

Montreal, Canada: The kids and I spent 5 days in lovely Montreal visiting my Mother in Law (MIL).  We saw good friends, ate delicious food (home cooked Indian food or bagels, anyone?), and got to regroup after our ocean adventure.  My MIL has saved all of my husband's toys from when he and his sister were kids.  You remember the Fisher Price airport, garage, school bus, etc?  Well she's still got them, and my kids get a serious kick out of them, as do I.  Hours of fun.  

Ottawa, Canada: This was a 2 week visit with my folks which featured hanging out with family, friends and more family and friends.  We went to some awesome parks (my favorites are Andrew Hayden Park and Britannia Beach Park), visited the Experimental Farm, Valley View Little Animal Farm, and got to swim in my parents pool on an almost daily basis.  The babe was even lucky enough to score a trip to the Canadian Museum of Nature with her sweet Uncle A (my brother).  Many good times were had by all, including my stomach which seems to have expanded after being on the road for a month.

The lovely view at Andrew Hayden Park

Britannia Beach

We saw a lot of very cool animals at the farms we visited.

By the time we took off back home, I had managed to see friends from my childhood, high school, university, and my NYC life.  I saw almost every Aunt and Uncle I have.  I saw my brother and his lovely fiancee.  And I felt like we had had a darn successful trip to Canada.  Luckily we managed to fly back to DC the day before Hurricane Irene hit the area.  And luckily our travels went smoothly, which is a lot to say when road tripping across the border for a cheaper flight and flying alone with 2 kids.

So, how was your summer?