"Traveling mercies" means something altogether different to me now

So the Fam took off for a long weekend "vacation" to the beach this past Thursday.  We are now home.  Hallelujah!  Here are a few highlights of the trip:

• As soon as we pulled onto the Interstate, the Bug said, "Mom, are we at vacation yet?"  That was the first of MANY such questions.

• In all my maternal wisdom, I went to the library when the girls were at Mother's Day Out and picked out books and CDs that their little eyes and ears have yet to see and hear.  I kept them hidden and pulled them out for the trip.  Handy Daddy, impressed with his fine choice of a wife, fist-bumped me on this one.  This kept them busy for about an hour.  The other three hours were spent listening to Tootsie wail to be removed from the car seat, with about a half-hour nap somewhere in there.

• We stopped at a Denny's for supper on the way to the island.  This could probably be a post in and of itself, so I'll just give you the highlights of this highlight:  Tootsie let out a fart that I'm convinced could go into the record books for the longest fart ever recorded while sitting in a wooden highchair, which of course, enhanced the sound effects of the fart.  Later, The Bug shouted over and over "I just burped!  I just burped!"  I'm like....what in the world??  I specifically recall the doctor twice saying to me "It's a little girl." Apparently, they haven't caught on to that little bit of information yet.

• The first night was spent with Tootsie wedged between us - her head in my back and her feet in Handy Daddy's back.

• The second night, when we decided to turn in, we found this:

How is it that they were in the exact same position on two separate nights?  I think they're in cahoots.

• Tootsie flat-out refused to taste the pop tarts I bought them as an easy vacation "treat" breakfast, but didn't hesitate to eat the seaweed on the beach.

• The Bug and Handy Daddy were at the pool for several hours and were drying off to go in for lunch.  The Bug apparently forgot she had taken off her floaties, and decided to hop back into the pool.  She made us proud in her attempt to stay afloat, but Handy Daddy had to jump in fully clothed to retrieve her.

• I do recall the point at the Aquarium when Tootsie stuck her fingers in her throat and gagged.  I don't know how much time elapsed between that point and the point when we finally realized that she had regurgitated her lunch onto the front of her outfit.  I wonder what people thought of me as I happily strolled my baby around sportin' about a fourth cup of banana and red grape chunks.  If I had been wearing sweats, no makeup and a messy ponytail, they probably would've thought I was overwhelmed and felt sorry for me.  But since I had made myself relatively presentable for our little family outing, they probably just thought I was clueless and felt sorry for Tootsie.  Either way, they're wrong.  Because she probably just had an upset tummy from the beach seaweed buffet she had that morning.  So THERE!

• When we left for the trip home, the Bug asked, "Mom, are we in Louisiana yet?"  Here we go again...

• On the way home, the Bug asked Handy Daddy if she could get a pet frog.  He said "Uh, let me think about it.  No."  A few minutes later, the Bug says, "Oh, Mom, I got a better idea than a pet frog.  How 'bout I get a pet penguin?"

• Also on the way home, Handy Daddy was being silly and dancing to the Cars soundtrack (picture the index finger in the air somewhat reminscent of Saturday Night Fever), and the Bug said, "Daddy, you look like a tap dancer."  And he wonders why I look at him like this when he dances

(We've been married so long, I think we're starting to look alike or something).

I'm glad we took the trip, but I am more glad that we're home.  Vacation is exhausting.