Good weekend

Since Coen was born our weekends have been difficult. We fight the "crazies" (what we call it when Malachi and Simon have pent up energy and start going crazy, the action is usually followed by the request that they "tone down the crazy.") with trips to the mall to walk around, or to a playground.

Even when we do things like this we can have horrible days where the parents are counting down the minutes until bed time, and depending on children's attitudes that time might come sooner than normal.

But as you can probably tell from the title of this entry this was a good weekend.

Saturday John and the older boys went out in the morning to do some shopping and John and I went out to a dinner party that night with some friends. Sunday afternoon we had a going away party for a Vice Consul that actually has been on a year long TDY in Iraq for the last year. His time is done now, as is his time in Costa Rica, so now he's PCS'ing out.

This morning John and I realized that it was a pretty good weekend with the kids. I think it's because we're starting to get the hang of having three kids.

Finally!!

Throwing a Fit

Well folks, I’ve reached it. The place in my tour when I admit to John that I don’t want to leave next year.

I really like my life here a lot. I have great friends here and they’ve just arrived, so I’ll be the one leaving them. Malachi really likes his school here and comes home happy every day. I have an amazing nanny who I absoultely love, and I mean I really love her. It’s going to be so hard to leave her.

I have a great house, a great job, a great everything. I can’t imagine leaving – AND I DON’T WANT TO! But I have to. Almost 8 months to the day. Don't get me wrong I'll be happy to see people in TX, MN, and DC, and I'm excited for Manila - but can't I just come back here where everything is awesome and familiar? No? Damn.

Favorite Places

This weeks Roundup is being hosted by Brooke at The World That We Live In. Check it out on Friday.

John was hanging out with friends one day and they said that home to them was Alaska. When John was asked where home is, he didn't have an answer like theirs. To him, home is where his family is. When I went "home" in January I realized the exact same thing can be said. Even though I grew up in MN and love it (in the Spring and Summer...) and I spent my adult years in TX and love it, neither of them are home without my husband and children.

John and I have moved five times in almost ten years. It's what we do. It's one of the reasons we joined the Foreign Service. We're quite nomadic people. The longest we've lived in one place was an apartment in Dallas that we were in for three years - and it felt too long.

So I think that it's great that we're not too attached to one place. We both know with confidence that no matter where we are, it's home.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise, especially to people who know me, that my favorite places always involve my family. My favorite places also always change depending on my mood. Right now, because I'm not working, my favorite place is out. Out with the family. Yesterday we went out to lunch and then to a playground in a nearby suburb. The kids had a blast and I loved being out for a while.

Sometimes my favorite place is whatever restaurant my husband and I are having our date at. Sometimes it's the resort our family is at for vacation.

It may sound dorky...but my favorite place is where my husband and kids are.