"OH NO, Abbaleesia!"

What is an Abbaleesia, you ask? We'll get to that, I promise.

This week, I have had my first Spring Break since college. Sam's preschool was out so I decided after the three trips to DC in two months, I needed a break...Spring Break that is. No, we didn't head to Destin and get this vacation commemorated in Airbrush. Do they still do that? Sam and I stayed right here at home and have been enjoying this beautiful weather. Andy has even had a few days off as well.

Sunday we had our first Easter Egg hunt that we *pointing to Sam* actually understood the rules of the game. Last year, if you recall...or don't...whatever, we *pointing to Sam* stalked the Easter bunny all day and refused to pick up eggs...then we *pointing to Sam* flung hot dogs at people. This year, we went to Nanny Coot's assisted living to join the fun there. All I can say is that a two year old understands a game where they try to run and take as many things as possible as "theirs". It was a lot of fun and Nanny enjoyed being a part of it. Unfortunately the only things in the eggs were bubble gum, Gobstoppers and Now and Laters...not two year old friendly, so I stole his candy when he wasn't looking. It's fine, people, he got chicken nuts and a drinking later that day, so he worked through it. (In case you are not caught up, Sam calls them chicken nuts and drinking, I am highly educated and know that it is not proper grammar, but rather really darn cute). He also had a "Sam Only" Easter Egg hunt at Tiggy's house that he seriously enjoyed and collected eggs at his leisure since they were all his anyway.

This week we've also done play dates, bubbles, colors, sidewalk chalk, cars and more Dora than I care to let the Pediatric Association know about. Should I be concerned that Sam knows more Spanish than I do? I have really enjoyed this time of connecting on a daily basis with my child in a way that I normally don't get to. I am loving it and feeling the stress I've carried for over a year start to melt away. The traveling I've done (albeit not as much as some moms) has been wearing me down and I just didn't realize it until I stopped. It's hard to be away. It's hard to schedule being away. It's hard to calculate the number of diapers and lay out enough outfits in order to be away. I have a great support system, but last week, I kissed a part of my job that involved all that stressful travel goodbye and although I will miss some things about that opportunity, I am somewhat relieved. My current travel will be short trips in the state of GA and mostly up to my discretion. That is a blessing.

So I have done a lot of laying on the floor (lying or laying? - I never did well in that part of Language arts) and playing with cars this week. We have raced all of our cars. My son knows them by name thanks to his dad. We have raced Mustang against Porshus (Porche), Wiggameenie (Lamgorghini) against Corbette (Corvette) and School Bus against Rarry (Ferrari). I have to say that the only race I don't believe is that the School Bus beat the Ferrari...I'm not a car person and even I think that one was rigged.

Tonight, we were racing cars and his truck accidentally knocked another car off his train table. Then I hear, "Oh No, Abbaleesia." You see, when Andy was teaching him the names of the cars, I told him I couldn't tell the cars by just looking at them. He told me that I could cheat and look on the bottom to see what the car was and call it by name. So I did this, with the car I had in my hand. All it said was, Made in Malaysia. So much to my husband's annoyance, I named the car, "Malaysia." Then I got Sam to start calling it this...but it comes out, "Abbaleesia." I can't stand it people, it's just too cute to have a two year old yell, "OH NO! Abbaleesia." And after all, cute is what lets them get to three, then four...

Spring Break 2010 Rocks!

Sam's Mommy