Why do they call it a vacation

when you come home exhausted?

Twelve & a half hours of traveling yesterday with 4 children.

That's why I'm exhausted.

And I'll admit - the children were great. Considering we were up at 5:30am, drove 4 hours from Corpus to Houston, waited for a delayed plane, 3 hours plane trip, 1 hour wait for bags & then home.

Home.

Where the suitcases are empty, but the shit in them is laying on the floor in piles in all the rooms. Maybe tonight I'll gather enough energy to put the shit on the floors away. Mind you, we came home with THREE EXTRA BAGS! It was really Christmas in Texas.

I did forget my camera at my sister's. She mailed it so I'll be able to upload a ton of Texas pics. But before that happens I'll highlight a few of the top moments.

1. My nephew. He's my little angel boy & I swear if Anita ever lets me I will keep him. For-ev-ah.

2. My Nana. She's getting older & spending more & more time in bed. Monday morning I found her collapsed on the floor in her room. It really freaked me out. She's okay - she has a fast heart beat which she had surgery on yesterday to correct, but I can definitely see that my "on-the-go" Nana is no more.

3. I became an official "Dexican". And I even got the t-shirt to prove it!

4. Watching my children swim in the 50 degree ocean. They are seriously nuts.

5. Ringing in the New Year with my 4 children, J, my sister & brother-in-law & my nephew. <3

6. Doing shots of tequila with my sister outside in the rocker at Nana's... And laughing at J for puking after his. And having them both laugh at me for peeing on the driveway instead of the grass. Fucking tequila!

7. The dolphin show at the Texas State Aquarium. It was pretty neat.

8. Watching Lavagirl get over her trampoline fear. She really did ask if we were going to NiNi's house yesterday after we had already landed in VA! And to think my sister thought she didn't like her!

9. The food. I am about 5lbs heavier, now.

10. Laughing as my brother-in-law walks in to the kitchen with a huge piece of beef on his plate asking my sister if she wants some beef. Then giggling as my sister tells him that she doesn't want his tubesteak. Then busting out in a fit of laughter after Nana misinterprets the word & claims that she never really had a taste for cheesecake. Three days later Nana bought a cheesecake.

Snort.

Everything is better in Texas. Really. And I hope to go back real soon, y'all.