Blissfully rejuvinated!

What a wonderful, fun-filled weekend!!! But I cannot believe that Halloween has come and gone and that we are now into November! My how time is flying!

The rest of our Halloween was fantastic! After naps on Friday, we dressed Luke and Ellie up in there costumes for some pictures before our guests arrived. I'm glad that I took a few minutes then to snap a few shots, because the rest of the night went on without so much as one snap of my camera! (Well...I take that back, I did get one of the kids together, which I show you in a minute!) Anyway...Ellie (aka Tinker Bell) wasn't much into posing for my pictures. (Is this becoming a trend???) But she sat still long enough, after shedding a few tears, for me to get these....



Aren't those little pig tails just to die for?!!!!






Here are Buzz and Tink together.......



Not long after their pictures, Grandma and Grandpa stopped by to fill the kids Halloween pumpkins with a few treats and to see the dynamic duo all dressed up! Then, before we knew it, our house was filled with Batman, Robin, a princess, a lion, Minnie Mouse, a witch and Joe Dirt. :) We all scarfed down some yummy chili that my neighbor Kristin made, but with the kids so amped up for trick or treating, there was little in the way of eating for them! We had hoped that Ellie would make it to a few houses for some Halloween treats, but Tinker Bell tuckered out before we even left the house and we ended up putting her to bed instead. :( Poor Maddie, who was so stinkin' cute in her Minnie Mouse costume!) was the only little one who made it out after dark! :) Maybe next year!
Here are the 'big kids' before we left...



While the men stayed back to hand out candy, we gals took the our munchkins around the neighborhood for treats! It was so much fun to watch them together! Emily and Eagan were just a tad bit too short to reach the doorbells, so Luke, being all of an inch taller (not much of a height difference for the whole year he was on them!) was the designated doorbell ringer! :) I LOVED hearing their little voices calling out "Trick or Treat" at each stop! Soooo much fun! When we got back home, it was still quite early (despite being so dark!) so we let the kids run and play in the front yard and driveway while we adults sat around chatting! It was great! When the kids began to melt down, the party wrapped up and it was off to bed for Luke. As I tucked him in bed though, I noticed his head was quite warm! Remembering that he had refused both lunch AND dinner, I decided to take his temperature, and sure enough, he was running a low-grade fever. :( Strange. He awoke the next morning, after sleeping much later than normal, still feeling warm. :( We hoped that it wasn't anything serious, and considered forgoing our plans to leave, but after we got ready, he seemed well 'enough' to stay with Meemaw. I guess he laid low much of the day, saying he was tired, but the fever was gone by the end of the day. Phew!

Our trip to San Diego was everything I hoped it would be! We left home around 9am and arrived in sunny, warm Coronado by 11. We were able to check in early to hotel, which was SO nice! Our room overlooked the bay and was beautiful! And the best part of all??? IT WAS QUIET!!! LOL! I just kept looking at Ty and saying "Listen.....do you hear that? The sound of silence!" LOL! Its amazing how much I appreciated all the little things! Quietness...eating a warm meal...sitting and not having to talk/get up/respond to anyone if I didn't want to. Ahhhhhh....it was great!

Being that it was lunchtime when we arrived, we were itching for a good meal and some sunshine, so we met up with Ty's buddy Fred and his wife Suzanne poolside for some yummy lunch and wine. :) When our bellies were blissfully full and our bodies relaxed from the wine, we changed into our suits and found ourselves some lounge chairs near the pool! I napped in the sun, with a cool breeze caressing my face while the boys chatted! Let me just tell you, I was in heaven!!! I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed! It was fantastic!

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to our rooms to get ready for the wedding and the rest of the afternoon and evening was just as awesome as the beginning! We had cocktails before the ceremony, and when Ty asked me what I wanted, a rasberry martini seemed a fitting accessory to my new dress! :) LOL! See???



And here Fred, Suzanne and I are as we awaited the start of the wedding!


This was the final picture we took for the night! Isn't my hubby so handsome?!!!


The reception (like the wedding itself) was beautiful! And we had SUCH a BLAST!! The food was AMAZING.....fillet Mignon and shrimp (!!!!)....and the night was just so much fun! I was thrilled when Ty, who normally doesn't enjoy dancing, escorted me out to the dance floor early on in the evening, and I honestly don't think we sat down for more than a few minutes at a time after that! We danced and danced and danced some more!! It was JUST what I needed! I felt like an adult again!!! I really could not have asked for a better night away!!! It was blissful!

We slept in this morning (well...sleeping in for us, which meant we were awake by 8:15!). I had to giggle when my eyes popped open earlier and I glanced at the clock to find that it was 6:15...the precise time Luke wakes up every morning! Guess I'm programmed! I wasn't sure that I would be able to go back to sleep, but somehow I managed. LOL! We eventually ventured down to the cafe for some breakfast and enjoyed several cups of coffee out on the patio, all the while relishing the ability to linger there together! It was so nice to not have to rush or to have little ones vying for our attention! After breakfast, we took a stroll around the resort, checked out of our room around noon and made it home just around the kids nap time. :)

They did great with Meemaw, and from the sounds of it, it was a normal kind of day for them both! Meemaw said they were both well-behaved and fun! I'm glad to know that our first time away from Ellie wasn't traumatic for her! I was a tad bit worried, given how clingy she has been lately! She was the first one to stir from their naps, and when I went scoop her up out of her crib, she just kept looking at me and smiling a smile that said "I'm so glad you're here, Mama! " It warmed my heart! And much to my surprise, she had a great rest of the afternoon! She was actually MORE affectionate and sweet than normal! I had kind of been anticipating that she might 'punish' me a little with some stinky behavior! But she didn't! Yay!!!

So...all in all, I can wrap up this post saying that our 30 hours away was all that I hoped it to be and more! I feel refreshed and rejuvenated! I have reconnected with my dear hubby and spend some much needed couple-time together! I heart has been filled up again, so that I can again pour out myself to my family. How thankful I am tonight for all these things......