Fun.

We've been on vacation for a while now. Today, as we near the end of our holiday trip, Tim ventured a question: "So, have you had fun?" I paused for a bit. Have I had fun?

First of all, let me first say that driving over a thousand miles through rain and snow, camping out in an overcrowded house, dealing with four sleep-deprived children, and trying to have fun all the while are pretty much mutually exclusive. As a parent, though, I think it's safe to say that fun can be vicarious so, in that regard, I've had a fabulous time! In other words, the girls have been in heaven.

Still, they are showing the effects of zero naps, sleeping in an unenclosed area for five nights straight, and being spoiled repeatedly with no required chores and not much recourse for misbehavior. It's disheartening to be reminded what little tolerance my children have for obedience. Never the matter, though, it's vacation and they'll be perfect angels when we return to some sense of normalcy, right? Right?

Family time has been in sweet abundance over the past week or so - with every member of Tim's side of the family here to revel in the holiday season. Cousins have played joyfully and siblings and parents have mingled happily. Of all the times of year we could have driven over a thousand miles to SoCal, I might have chosen another, for a dozen reasons. But that's not why we came now. We came to enjoy family. And that's precisely what we got. Here's to a great time. And a Happy New Year!