A: Exhausted Mama

Q: How do you describe 11 days away from home with two kids and a husband who leaves for a business trip smack in the middle?

We survived our tour of the old home state...but barely! Peanut's in bear mode as he readjusts to life back at home. We're working on breaking Pumpkin of his new three times a night wake-up routine he settled into while we were gone. I'm still trying to make up the sleep lost on a particularly bad night with Pumpkin while the hubby was on his business trip. The house is a disaster and we have guests coming over tomorrow. So, I'm dealing by taking this last morning while Peanut's at preschool (can we not come up with year round preschool? Are you with me moms?) and Pumpkin's napping to drink a second cup of coffee and visit this poor, neglected space instead of tackling those dust bunnies and that last bag I still haven't unpacked.

Unfortunately, I'm too wiped and preoccupied to articulate much. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, so here you go! 11 days in a few key photos:

Graduation #1: Aunt M receives her MBA (graduating with a perfect 4.0! Nerd.)

Boys busy at the beach.

Mama's water babies.

Graduation #2: Aunt J receives her Master's of Health Sciences from Duke (she's in there somewhere, I promise!)

Peanut sneaking in some cousin lovin'!

Not pictured:

• Peanut's busted lip from falling out of the bed at the beach house and hitting a table on the way down. I'm usually good with injuries, but this one went undetected by the hubby when he went to check on him after we heard the thunk. I awoke to peanut climbing into our bed the next morning covered in dried blood. I did not handle that well.
• Our awesome day at the NC Museum of Life and Science. Trains, dinosaurs, water play, and holding a just hatched zebra butterfly. Doesn't get much better.
• A fun day with cousins at Kidzu. This little local children's museum was great. Terrific play spaces and sponsorships by local small businesses. Plus, it was free with our reciprocal Children's Museum membership. Score.
• Family photo shoot in Chapel Hill courtesy of a good friend. Can't wait to see the photos at the Old Well, Peanut hanging from a tree and Pumpkin all smiles on the park bench. They run me ragged, but gosh, my kids are cute.

Now we're back to the grind only to switch gears again next week -- school's out for summer! Yikes! What to do with these two all day every day all summer? Stay tuned...