vacation all I ever wanted

I spent the holiday weekend in Florida, and it ended up being a vacation I didn't know I needed.  I stayed with my little sister who just had her first baby.  I spent a lot of time snuggling my new nephew, who has my dad's first and middle names, and dressing him in clothes I brought that used to belong to Milo and Elliott.  I'm Aunt Lili, and it's really terrific.  I completely forgot how much work having an infant is- that maddening cycle of bottle, diaper change, snuggle, swaddle, and then the whole thing starts again.  Julianna is such an amazing mom.  It's so weird to stay in my baby sister's GUEST ROOM.  I was bursting with pride.

I also got to hang out with my mom and Ray, spend time with my sister Emily, see fireworks from the best vantage point I've ever had, go to this ridiculous all-you-can-eat sushi place (REALLY), go to the beach, swim in the pool, get a pedicure, get my nose pierced, go to the movies, sleep in every day, and fly by myself both ways.  Decadent.

So far this summer we've already had many fun day trips and parades and celebrations, but this little getaway with no kids was really special.  I loved having and giving full attention to my Florida family, and it made me miss my boys at home so much that coming back was actually a treat.  Huge thank you to Ben, who spent his holiday weekend solo parenting, and his mom, who pitched in to help out, too.  I'm back now, diving right into laundry/playdates/Target runs, but I'm drawing from this weekend that totally filled my cup.