As if the in-town vacation wasn't enough

It's official.

I'm admitting it.

I need a vacation from my life.

Me and my husband we need a wife.

Remember that song?

Without oversharing, (you real-life friends get to hear it all the time,) I've been really near the edge of insanity. The rolling over and waking up routine Joy had going for a while was exhausting. Thanks for the advice. I'm working with her. I love her. I do not love her tricks.

Well maybe I do a little bit. They are tricks after all. New developments, new discoveries, new ways of communicating. And she's so different from Charlie that it seems like she's the first baby all over again. I mean, it hasn't been that long since I did all this, right? Anybody with more than one kid will tell you, though, they can be as different as night and day.

For instance, when Ty needs attention he whines. He throws himself around like a sack of potatoes and thrashes around near you, but not really ON you. Charlie latches onto you like a leach. Arms and legs wrapped around you, laying her head on your shoulder, slight whine coming from somewhere down deep in there. She has no secrets that girl. You know you're wanted, needed rightthatminute or else the whining will increase.

Today when I picked Ty up from "school," it was clear he'd had a better day than last Thursday. I left the girls with Sarah so Charlie could finish napping and while taking them to and from is quite a good workout it isn't exactly preferable. You remember Sarah, right? From my birthday? She's the babysitter that lied to me to get me home and since she'd had to call me before when one of them was actually vomiting in the background I believed her when she told me it was happening again and I rushed home...now you remember? Okay anyway. So the girls were with her at home.

I walked into the hallway and saw Ty walking back toward his room from music. I ducked into an open room so I could watch him a little longer, knowing full well if he saw me I'd be toast. Once they got into their room I stood outside with another mom and watched him. He was having a good time. Watching the teacher, smiling, taking it all in. I had a moment where I thought I'd burst I loved him so much.

Then he saw me.

And his day was done.

He said, "Hey Mommy!" a big improvement over last weeks' sobs when he saw me. Then slowly but surely, his empty stomach and tired little body took over. Before long I was hoping someone would trade kids with me. I was really wanting his Daddy to take over but he is on a trip. Where was that sweet kid I watched a mere 30 minutes earlier?

Gone baby gone.

So my point is that I have been craving a little time out. A little vacation. Want to hear a cool story? As if this post isn't long enough already? Okay I'll make it short.

I decided to call my friend KJ, one of my college roommates. She got married in Destin about a year and a half ago and I used that as an excuse for a vacation then. She lives in Houston and I was recently made aware of the fact that her hubby is away on business so I thought I'd see if I could go see her. You know, invite myself down to Houston for a vacation.

Get this. When I sent her a text yesterday asking her what she had going on this weekend she sent this back: YOU COMING TO SEE ME? And I was all: YEAH THAT'S WHY I'M TEXTING YOU. And she was all: I INVITED YOU DUMMY I'M HAVING THE GIRLS OVER TO CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY. And I was all: I DIDN'T GET THE INVITATION BUT THAT SETTLES IT, I'M COMING.

An hour later we figured out that she sent an invitation to my old e-mail address and the invitation was for this weekend.

How weird is that? How perfect is that timing? It's as if God was making it all come together so I wouldn't fall off the deep end.

And so friends I'm stocking the fridge for my hubby whose response to my request for a girls night in Houston was, "Sure. Just make sure I have juice and diapers." Is that all he is worried about? Really? Not if Joy will cry in the car the whole way to wherever he's going or if a kid has a blowout or how to coordinate naps? Really? "Really, that's it?" I asked. "Yep," he said.

Man he is a keeper.