We pulled into our driveway last night and could hear our dog – having spent the past week waiting to see if we’d ever come back – barking madly. Upon opening the door, he came storming out. He jumped. He licked. He ran circles around us.

We’re home.

The trip – despite some moments of going crazy – was great. A few observations:

1. Spending seven full days with a toddler when you haven’t done that often – in fact, ever – is…what’s the word? Challenging? Exhausting? Enlightening? Crazy-making? Endearing? Yes.
2. I might, possibly, need to plan a little bit more alone time on future trips.
3. Toddlers who are pretty tied to a routine at home do surprisingly well on road trips.
4. Next time, I need to remember to bring bath toys. (Thanks again, Paige, for kitting us out for the trip home.)
5. When you tell your three-year-old boy you’re going to a play date and he’s quite concerned about whether there will be diggers there, and then you arrive to find that there are, in fact, diggers to play with, the look on his face is priceless.
6. It turns out three-year-old boys quickly forget about diggers when there’s a selection of fire trucks to play with.
7. A two-day drive with a toddler is actually not so bad when he can watch shows on the iPhone once the toys and games you brought get boring.
8. The second day is especially quiet when the toddler is sick, spent the whole previous night throwing up, and then sleeps most of the way home. (Poor little monkey.)
9. My family – those who were there and those who weren’t – are truly one of my biggest blessings.
10. There’s a reason we seem to go there every year. It’s becoming even more about the people, though I will always find a piece of my soul in the place.