2nd Birthday Trip: Home

Ugh, our last day is oh so bittersweet.  It's always a long trip and sharing a room with a toddler this year was tough, but it's still sad to leave our beachy vacation.  We woke up, ate breakfast, packed up the car, said goodbye to friends, stopped by my step-brother's to grab some things we left there (which made me want to unpack and just stay another week) and then were off (we had a party to get home for!)!  And, we were home not 30 minutes when my mom showed up (we hadn't seen her for almost a month!) and Lemon was so happy to see her.  She left to go pick us up some dinner and Lemon sat at the door saying, "Where did Nani go?" until she came back.  We were exhausted but happy to be home.

This trip means so much to me.  When I found out I was pregnant the first time, this is all I thought about, bringing my blueberry to the beach on her 1st birthday.  Then, when I was pregnant the second time, this is all that kept me going and made me stay positive - I will meet this baby and we will celebrate her birthday at the beach.  We DID celebrate Lemon's first birthday at this same spot last year (start here) and to return this year - it was just so awesome.  I think that every year you work your butt off, keep your kid safe and healthy, and get some time off you should take a trip, a big trip, because you deserve it, your family deserves it.  I hope to take this same trip next year and many more, and this vacation helped me see that I need to stop spending so much money on Lemon's clothes (ha!) and start saving for trips with my family because it is just going to get better and better.

So, this trip is not just a vacation to me, it's a celebration.  We have worked so hard to get here, to have this family that we have, and we work so hard all year long, doing tough jobs and spending so much time away from our muffin, that we deserve these beach days.  We work hard for it.  This is what I dream about when I sit at my desk all year, this is what I look forward to and this is what I work so hard to be able to do.  Being a teacher allows us just enough money and time off to take our daughter somewhere special, and I hope to do it for as long as we can.

I so enjoyed our trip this year and sharing it with Lemon, as a two year old, was so much fun.  I can't believe how much she loved the water, how many times people stopped us to talk about how cute she is (or her hair), how adaptable she is, how happy she is (even when she's tired), how fearless she has become (of the ocean), how much she still needs and loves her mommy, how much she relies on her daddy to chase her around and have fun and how independent she's getting and how many words she is learning and using every day.  Two year olds aren't scary, they are challenging but so rewarding, they are just so silly and fun.  Someone told me that two was her favorite age, and she wishes she could have a two year old in her house always, and I kind of love this age too.

Thank you to my husband for allowing us to go on this trip, for working so hard to make it happen (and finishing so many ring/necklace orders before we left!), for not caring about money and for chasing our daughter around in the ocean.  I love you.  And to Lemon, I hope you had a good time.  Even though you won't remember this trip I know you'll read about it here and know that we took you because we wanted to spend time with you, and have fun with you, and allow you to see new things and meet new people.  You loved the ocean and I hope you always do.  We love you so much, happy birthday to our little two year old.