Dear Boys,

I would just like to take this moment to let you know that I deserve a gold (make it rose gold) medal for this recent beach vacation. Daddy started a new job less than a month ago so asking for time off to vacation seemed a bit unnecessary. That’s right. If you were thinking that I drove down and back with you both alone and made it through two additional beach days without your father, then you are correct.

Let’s begin with the trip down shall we? River, you are incapable of taking more than a 30 minute car/stroller nap, so after that first little snooze you were ready to take on the world. Still, you managed to act pretty great and Mickey Mouse made you giggle enough for the cars beside us to hear. So precious. Shep, you were AMAZING! You just watched your movies and demanded fruit snacks back to back, but other than the few little snack pass backs you were Mr. Independent. We stopped only an hour in for potty breaks, diaper changes, and a bottle. Shep, you walked away with a brand new Bull Dozer (“tractor”) and pottied like a champ. We hit the road again and within 30 minutes it all went downhill. Sweet Sheppard, I gave you hardly anything to drink yet you managed to have us pulling the car over at a minimum of every thirty minutes (sometimes every 10) to use your potty. I would finally get moving and hear “Mommy gotta go tee tee potty” and I would think I would lose my mind. At one point you were screaming it to me less than 5 minutes after a stop and I pulled over reluctantly down a dirt road/driveway as you POOPED (again, thank goodness I stopped) into your potty while wearing my glasses (I was so upset I didn’t have a phone in my hand at that moment to take a photo of that madness) as I used my free hand to feed River a little more of the bottle he didn’t finish earlier. You applauded yourself and shouted “ALLLRIGHT!” as always and happily got back into your seat where you immediately insisted “I DO IT I DO IT” to buckle the top of your straps. You’re pretty good at that by the way. We had to stop once more to feed Mr. snacks a lot, and listen to a lot of crying on his part (River, you’ve hit a car hating phase at the worst possible moment I believe), but pretty soon we were just 20 minutes out. Well, Shep…..you must have sensed it because you started shouting to potty AGAIN! At that point I was telling you to just tee tee in the diaper I had put on you at the last stop thinking you would fall asleep (did I mention you just didn’t nap? Just sat there wide eyed the entire way down) and you continued to fuss. I had a greeter already at the house waiting or us and forced you to power through since River was hungry again and we were already late with just a few minutes left to go. We pull up and the house is GORGEOUS! So much better than I imagined and what I had seen of it online had me imagining that it wold be great. I pull River out, then you Shep, then BAM! OH MY WORD WHAT IS THAT SMELL? Oh sweet Shep, you were right. You in fact DID need to tee tee potty (or poo poo potty as you should learn to clarify). The sweet property manager held River as I held Shep hoping that she had a cold and couldn’t smell the toddler on my hip. Dece was meeting Dolly in Seaside to pick her up so when she left I was there, solo, with a hungry baby, a poop filled toddler, and a swimming pool that you could see out of every back window just begging you to take a dip, Shep.

Dece and Dolly finally arrived and held you boys as I set up shop. There was a room of twin beds for you Shep and I gave you the benefit of the doubt and rented a bed rail thinking you could handle the new big kid digs. River, you took the master closet (which by the way is about the size of your nursery so don’t take offense to that) and we set up your bed in there with all of your favorite things (movies, blankets, and white noise). Then I looked in the mirror. Oh sweet boys you both aged me a good three to four years on that drive. A quick pep talk and I walked back downstairs to conquer that pool out back. Oh Shep, you swim like a champ! I light up when others see how wonderful you are in the water. Makes me so incredibly proud to see how independent you are. You will grow to be such a leader.

We spent the next few days lounging by the pool, soaking in the ocean waves, digging in the sand, and practicing our ice cream eating skills. Daddy and Papa Shep came Friday night and left Sunday night. You called Papa Shep by his name for the first time and that made his life. This calling him “pooh” thing had him not so thrilled and he walked through the gate as you swam and heard “HEY SHEP!” and lit up like a Christmas tree. I preferred Pooh bc well, its hysterical, but I think I can accept you doing the right thing this time around. Daddy spent hours with you in the ocean, and River, you had your own personal nanny at Amanda’s house for a beach afternoon so that you wouldn’t be miserable getting sand in your eyes and burning that porcelean skin you owe to the Sheppard gamily genes. Christina was your afternoon nanny and she let you eat all the puffs you wanted so you two were fast friends.

The ride home was WONDERFUL and you both slept at the same time for about 40 minutes which made the 7 hour drive down look like a disaster compared to the 5 hour drive home. River, you lost all control as we approached Montgomery so Mommy might have been a bit frazzled when we got home. I should remember to keep an emergency Xanax in the center console for such occasions bc I can not handle hearing you cry like that when I’m so helpless. Breaks my heart. All in all you boys were wonderful and made me so incredibly proud to be your Mommy. It’s so difficult at times to be your Mommy, but the moments that someone else takes over and gives me a break, I find myself missing you both again and leave my freedom for the Mommy chains once again. Thank you for the adventure. Shep, you’re more tan than ever and River, well you and I are about the same shade of off-white that we were when we left. Sorry kiddo, no first day of school tans for you.

Favorite memories:

-River’s first lick of ice cream

-Sheppard calling Papa Shep by name

-Sheppard learning his name “I’m me! I’m Shepawd”

-Shep helping Daddy look for Nemo in the ocean

-River napping on my chest poolside

-Shep sleeping in a big boy bed for the first time alone and knocking on the door so politely when he woke each morning

-Shep stroking my hair, saying “awwwweeeeee mommy” and kissing me non stop (along with everything else on that trip) as I put him to bed each night

-River’s first time sitting in the grass and that hysterical face he made while doing it