Magical Mendocino

I took this one 

Driving up to Mendocino Friday, I felt so happy that we got married there.  It will always be such a special place to us.  And we had a nice weekend together, just the two of us.

Leeor took this one

 Since we got married at the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek, we have always stayed there on subsequent visits.  Sticklers for our nostalgia, we were sad when the owners sold the place and  wonder if we will ever return. We stayed at Stevenswood, which is just a few doors down from the Inn (there was a Groupon deal not to be missed).  There is a path across the highway that leads out to the ocean and we made short work of wandering over soon after we arrived.

 Maybe first there was a complimentary wine tasting at the hotel.

 We took a lot of photos of the water, the sky, the trees, and each other.  I remember the first time we went away for the weekend together after having kids; it was last May, just before Lilit turned one.  It was so hard to leave and by Saturday night, I was ready to go home and we holed up in the B&B while  I pumped breastmilk, cried, and Leeor picked up Chinese food and cheered me up with TV on his laptop.  I was so angsty (who am I apart from being a mother and doing my job), but appropriately so for the ages of our kids.

 This trip, while it was hard to leave (Avi had a massive meltdown), I feel more settled into myself.  The kids, now 4 and 2, still need us very much, but we also need time for our relationship.

 And I have to be honest, I did not really miss the kids until today.  It was a fantastic weekend.  Friends joined us with their little baby (all the way from Bainbridge Island, those troopers!) and Leeor's baby fever went into overdrive.  I'm not in the same place as him, but I must admit that I love little babies.  I napped baby Jack in the ergo when Leeor and I walked into town Saturday so our friends could also have a little alone time before meeting up and wearing a baby was sweeter than I'd thought it would be. But no one should get any ideas; I'm just talking about feelings.

Speaking of feelings, the kids showed us theirs in technicolor when we got home today.  Avi was classic needy drama while Lilit waited a bit before she flailed on the floor like a proper 2 year old.  They were both competing for space on my body and Leeor and I made eyes and started laughing. Our little beauties.  Our little monsters.  Our wonderful family.

They are so young, and it was a long weekend with their parents away.  For us, it was just right, a perfect weekend devoted to our relationship, which is ultimately best for the kids too; they just don't know it.  We kept saying how grateful we felt for so many things.  With the grandparents taking turns caring for the kids, we didn't worry about them.

Driving home, we both felt excited.  There isn't a hot tub or a spa here; there's no one bringing us meals (oh, hold up, there was a ton of homemade soup from Saba, so we didn't have to make dinner tonight, either.  I love extending the vacation); and Leeor basically leapt out of the car and mowed the lawn while I wrangled the kids and made grilled cheese sandwiches; but this is our home.  Our kids are here.

Recharged and renewed after our weekend away, we look forward to rest of the summer together.  But first we'll settle into our stained-from-spills-from-the-kids couch, watch episodes of The Office and maybe wait until the morning to do the dishes.