Week 30 and 31

It is not without a certain amount of sadness that I finally return to blogging. For one thing, Keegan has poked at me knowingly and said my fans have lost interest, which could be entirely and altogether true {please come back}, and for another thing, the fact that I am sitting here at my own desk, Liam off to school, Mother-in-law on her way home, means that this one long endless holiday is officially O.V.E.R. My neighbor looked at me with disgust this morning and said I deserve no sympathy, for which, truly, I was not searching. Fair enough though, but still, there must be something chemically and hormonally that happens within our bodies when we finally return to the real world after a proper vacation. The term, "post-holiday blues" doesn't seem to capture it accurately.

At any rate, I have some catching up to do starting with the week after our trip to Devon. It was a quiet week, Liam's first week of Spring Break (first in a line of many.....grrrrr....), in between that Easter weekend and our last minute jaunt to Atlanta. When we returned, I had a 4 day turnover that included welcoming Keegan's mom and getting her settled to watch Liam, 2 concerts, one in Paris, and then back onto the plane for the last and most fabulous leg of this month's journey, to the Seychelles with Keegan for annual Hubby+Wife Reunite vacation. In those 4 days, I meant to post on Week 30 and 31, and went so far as to write the words on the train to Paris, but never actually got around to posting it. So here it is. Week 32 and 33 (Paris and Seychelles) to come as well just as soon as I excavate my camera from the pile of laundry and suitcases all over our bedroom floor!

"Liam has been on Spring Break for what feels like forever. One week is reasonable . . . desirable even. 2 weeks, luxurious. 3 weeks, unnecessarily too long. 4 weeks, certifiably crazy. I do love having Liam home, but I completely lose my edge in terms of work, photography, blogging . . . obviously. Throw a trip back to the States, a weekend in Paris, 2 concerts, and a looming child-free holiday to the Seychelles (rough life, I know) into the mix and my organizational and multi-task skills are sporadic at best. Soooo.....here I sit on the Eurostar, typing away on the iPad notebook program....definitely NOT word "perfect," if you know what I mean, and catching up on 2 weeks now. Week 30 was the week in between our trip to Devon and our trip to Atlanta last week. We basically had 3 play dates in 3 days since I realized this might be Liam's only chance to socialize with his school friends before the traveling frenzy began, then didn't look back as we said goodbye to the London chill.....snow even on one of those days, and headed to some 80 degree weather. In doing so, Liam was able to have a proper spring break filled with sunshine, shorts and t-shirts, ice cream, convertible rides, hikes along the river, endless hours on the playground, evening thunderstorms, hot dogs on the BBQ and lots of playtime with the grandparents and cousins. I would be lying through my teeth if I said it was all for him. I was elated to be able to give him that, for Keegan to be able to give US that. At the risk of being melodramatic, it was medicine for the soul. We came back completely fulfilled and refreshed . . . not to mention to some lovely California-like weather here in London even, if only for a day or too! And now, I will sign off until week 32, when I will recap our weekend in Paris and our glorious week in the Seychelles . . . and you will all officially hate me. But hey, at least I will be able to return to whatever London has to throw at us for the "summer" season. I won't hold my breath on that one...."

Five year old home for 4 week ~~wintry~~ spring break . . . only so much jumping around on the bed you can do really . . .

Liam is all over the house, literally and figuratively, when he is not at school.

So we braved the cold one last time for a boat ride on the Thames to the Tate Modern with some friends . . .

The next Queen :)

Off to Atlanta!! Here we are enjoying a jetlagged breakfast in the dark at 4:30 a.m. local time!

My parents moved to Atlanta a few months ago to be closer to my brother and his young family. They have a lovely new home including lots of room for my mom's beloved gardens. The chickens came with the house but have quickly become a fixture in my parents' new retired lifestyle!! What a great place for a kid. Liam had a wonderful time.