Vacation from Vacation

I have always wondered how it is possibly to be more tired after vacation than I was before. We were in Smith Mountain Lake last week with my dad and his family and it was beautiful, relaxing and completely enjoyable. I am, however, so tired I can barely stand up! I even did my laundry while we were there so I wouldn't have to do it when we got home. Thank god, I'm still at home and not back at work, I don't know how I would have been productive.

Big thanks to Dad and Jennifer for a great trip. Anna loved the boat and hanging out with her aunts and uncle - not to mention Oma and Opa. We put some miles on Dad's boat and generally enjoyed ourselves to the limit. I think the boys put away two bottles of vodka and I, myself, had at least six bottles of wine for the week. To say we were relaxing and having fun is an understatement! The sunsets were amazing and the lake is gorgeous. Karl and I also got to take a spin on a jet ski ( of which I was scared to death ) and we took Anna for a long bike ride. She and I went for a walk every morning and talked about the ducks and birds that were rampant at the lake.

Anna is a big fan of the water and boat, too. She screeched and giggled the whole time we were on boat rides and pointed at everything she saw. We hope we can get out there again soon.

Hair

Anna is horrified to meet people with different hair. Our good friend, Chris has a crazy head of beautiful curls and Anna is quite scared of him. Every time she sees him, she shrieks, comes running to me and buries her head to hide herself. Today, while we were having our picture taken, the photographer had gorgeous dreads and Anna was completely horrified of him. Same thing happened, she tried to climb into me and basically wouldn't look at the poor guy, he couldn't stick around to take her pictures! I've been telling her that her hair can be quite ferocious as well, but I guess she's too young to understand her similarities to these other two individuals! With time, I suppose, or maybe I'll have to show her pictures of what she looks like in the morning. It brings bed head to a whole new level.

Current Favorite Things

1. Clemyjontri park in McLean, Va. - what a great place for a toddler! So many things to climb/slide/swing from and all of the other kiddos provide such entertainment.
2. Glen Echo Park - right down the street, who could ask for more? What a beautiful old place and it still amuses us, even though we go there almost three times per week! The carousel there is great.
3. Target - sadly, this is true. I love Target. Where else can you find a pair of sunglasses for $5.99 ( for the third time b/c your kid plays with and ruins them)
4. Popsicles - what is summertime without a good popsicle? Every day, while walking to the park, Anna and I enjoy our ice pops. I don't even mind the sticky fingers that from her not quite eating it fast enough!
5. The pool - as a former pool rat, lifeguard, swimming fiend, I'm so happy we joined our neighborhood pool. We go every day after Anna's nap. Thank god, she's taking to the water like her mom did, or I would be quite devastated! We've been meeting lots of people there and find that our neighborhood is full of people with kids, thank goodness!

Back to work

This week, I decided that it would be best for my little family if I went back to work. I have been at home since our daughter was born and have been loving every sweet moment. However, we really want to stay in our neighborhood and DC being not so inexpensive, to avoid having to move, I've decided to get my butt back to work. My start date is June 30th and while I'm really excited about the new office and the new people, I'm also really dreading placing Anna in day care. What if she hates it? Obviously, she's not quite old enough to tell me! What if they don't treat her with the utmost care I feel she deserves? Oh, the questions begin... it's almost enough to make me stay home with her. But, not quite enough. The money is an important factor here unfortunately. We took Anna to the daycare we selected ( based on proxmity to home, cleaniness, values, etc. ) and hung out with her for an hour or so one morning this past week to see how she would do. Well, let's just say that our little social butterfly was a hit amongst the daycare set. The teachers thought she was adorable and she was quite thrilled to be in the same room as six other tots her size! Our babe is quite the outgoing little gal.

Seeing that made me feel alot better, but I'll still wonder every day if she's ok. I am trying to enjoy the last three weeks I have before I'm back in the office environment, but it weighs on my mind!