Ahhhh…might I just say that I love to travel, but I so, so, SO love to come back home. And despite the mountain of laundry, mail, messages, and errands we have faced the past two days, J. is finally home. We are all home and ready for a fun weekend. We have a fire in the fireplace and the girlies are all tucked into their beds, visions of Christmas decorations dancing in their heads. (Obsessed, I tell you. They really are – but that is another post for another day.)

What a huge difference in the sleeping arrangements and sheer amount of sleep that we managed to get on our vacation this year compared to last year.

Refresher: Last year, I spent every night at Aunt Meesh’s house pacing the floor with a screaming Addie. She wouldn’t nap, she wouldn’t sleep more than an hour or two, and we later found her to have an ear infection. But, as a whole, just not very pleased with not sleeping in her own crib. And Emma so wanted to sleep with her cousins, but each attempt would result in a crying jag and she would end up back in bed with me.

Fast forward: This year, Addie slept in a little toddler bed for a few nights, and in a “big” bed with Mommy for some more nights, and even a few nights in a crib. She woke up in three different bedrooms over the course of a week and a half. Bedtime went a little smoother if I laid in bed with her (when she slept in the big bed) for a few minutes until she fell asleep, but she slept beautifully. Of course, there was zero napping going on, and she was exhausted – but it was a very welcome change.

And Em even got to spend a few nights in a “fort” with both of her cousins. (Really, it couldn’t be called a fort so much, it was a wee bit ghetto. But, in my defense, I didn’t have any of the necessary fort-making necessities, and besides, the girls didn’t seem to mind so much.)

I guess both of them have finally learned how good sleep really is.

And now that we are home, we are back on track. The first night back Ad was up at 5 am telling me she wanted to go downstairs. I did manage to talk her into a few more hours of sleep. And have talked both girls into some good naps the past few days. Life is good. What a difference a year makes. And what a difference good sleep makes.

I will say I did spend a lot of time last week watching the girls sleep since one or the other was in bed with me most of the time.

Is there anything more amazing than the peaceful look of a sleeping child? If there is, I can’t imagine what it is.