San Antonio

Howdy y'all. We are back from San Antonio, Texas. Logan and I had a great visit with my friends. I hadn't seen them in over four years, and it was so wonderful to finally exchange hugs and show off the kids. Logan did not sleep on the way there making the 2 1/2 hour flight seem much longer. He was so tired, but fought the nap all the way. Fortunately, once we arrived he was in good spirits, excited to see a new place. Mostly, I think he was just happy to have regained the freedom to run around. A very nice porter offered his help at the gate, as I must have been quite the sight with my baby, stroller, diaper bag and full-size carseat, on my way to get my suitcase. He was a very nice welcome to San Antonio.

The second my girlfriend and I saw each other, we both burst into tears, greeting each other for the first time as moms, each holding a toddler. Her house is beautiful, and she and her husband are so laid back that I immediately felt at home. Logan and I had some leftover pasta for dinner, he got to play with 19 month Brenna, and went to bed gratefully without a peep, just happy to have found his familiar blankie and ball in the pack n play. The next couple nights I would scoop him into bed with me, feeling that sweet little baby against me, with little smiles and giggles throughout the night when he realized I was right nearby.

On Friday, Gina and I stayed in our pajamas ALL DAY. Jim was in and out with meetings, but we were content to sit around the house with the kids, gabbing as if we see each other several times a week, without the need to formally "catch up." We took the kids outside in the afternoon, but only for about 10 minutes. It started sleeting and I told Logan that if ice is falling from the sky he must wear a hat or go inside. He "chose" to go inside. After dinner Friday night, Jim let us girls go out on our own, staying with the kids. Logan was fast asleep, but Jim was happy to watch Brenna and 5 month old Korbin. Gina and I spent a very short time cleaning up, then posed for a pre-revelry pic. This was a bit of a tradition of ours. We used to go out dancing almost weekly, and would take a picture before we left for our girl's nights. Things have changed a bit. Our clothing is ridiculously more conservative, each of us trying to mask the parts the scream out our history of recent pregnancies. There was no consulting on who is wearing what or if we can borrow a lipgloss. We both seem resigned to mediocrity for the moment until we each scare up the motivation to retrieve our former hot bods. Of course, we each look at the other in admiration for her attractive traits, downplaying our own. Such are the lives of thirty-something us. Hardly the caliber of our last bash- Gina's thirtieth birthday where we spent the evening yelling "Sake bomb!" and singing in public. Anyway, Gina and I headed out to a local martini bar and enjoyed a mellow evening of more conversation over a couple of drinks. While there, I finally reached Fillip. He asked Hayden if he wanted to talk to Mommy, and in the background I hear "No thank you!" Um, what? Put that little bugger on the phone! He told me he was having fun with Daddy and being a good boy.

On Saturday, me and my hosts drove to Austin for lunch with my online friend J. It was so wonderful to meet her and her handsome boys in person. Along with being beautiful, her sweetness is so obvious, and I was lucky enough to meet her family as well. They were a gracious bunch, and I am so glad we could get together. It did turn out to be a lot of time in the car that day, but Logan was a champ, napping both ways and being his cheery little self. We spent the afternoon at The Alamo, then a bit of time at the San Antonio Riverwalk. I absolutely love historic sites and I tried to picture what it must have been like to be holed up in that building during a fierce battle. I took a pic to show Logan one day that he had been there. The Riverwalk was beautiful with multicolored lights shimmering on the water and boats going by. I would love to go back and spend some more time there one day, enjoying a meal by the water. As it was, the kids were exhausted and hungry, so we quickly made our way back to the car and went home for some authentic Texas BBQ from their favorite place.

Sunday was a bit more rushed in order for me to catch my flight. Jim and Gina made a delicious breakfast for our send off. Logan insisted on ketchup on his blueberry pancakes, but who am I to judge? The flight home was much easier since Logan slept for two hours and was placated with goldfish crackers and water until landing. Throughout the entire trip Logan was auditioning for Toddler of the Year Award. He was wonderful all weekend, quickly adjusting to being with new people, rarely cranky and oh so friendly. When Jim's dad popped by, Logan immediately snuggled up in his arms and spent a great deal of time petting and kissing baby Korbin. Although he and Brenna had a couple conflicts over toys, mostly they seemed content to play nearby with little intervention necessary. It was so much easier only watching one kid of my own!

When we arrived back in Los Angeles, Hayden and Logan were so glad to see each other. They stood at the baggage carousel just hugging and kissing each other while we waiting for my suitcase. Such little sweethearts. It had been a wonderful trip, but I was happy to get home.