best day ever

How do you have the best day ever? Marry the love of your life and follow these steps.

1. Stay married for 10 years.
2. Drop your kids off at the mutual lovefest that is the grandparents' house. Add cousins.
3. Drive to the sea.
4. Stay in beautiful updated historic hotel on the sea. Sleep really well and wake up when you're ready.
5. Go to the spa in the hotel and have breakfast of champagne and fruit.
6. Relax
7. Get facial.
8. Relax some more. Enjoy a glass of champagne with the hubs.
9. Get couple's massage.
10. More champagne!
11. Steam bath.
12. Relax with some champagne.
13. Decide to leave spa after five hours. Walk out feeling thin and healthy and gorgeous.
14. Have late lunch at a greek place on the water.
15. Try to see some tourist sights. But don't try too hard. Bonus points if you don't actually go in anywhere.
16. Take nap.
17. Borrow hotel's bikes and go for a nice long ride along the seawall.
18. Stop for italian ice. Preferably passion fruit or mango.
19. Ride back into the wind - a little challenge is good for you.
20. Clean up, put on favorite little black dress and head to ArtWalk in the historic district. Look at artwork, talk to artists, drink the free wine and sangria. 
21. Catch mardi gras beads from the party wagons. Souvenir shopping for the kids is done!
22. Eat a fancy late dinner and enjoy time with husband. Congratulate yourself for good decision making. 

more to remember

Stella, almost 3 1/2:

• Every day she is excited to tell me "today is my birthday and my princess cousins are coming over!" If pressed she will admit to it being her pretend birthday. But it's a lot like the Mad Hatter nonetheless.
• She absolutely knows which parent to ask for things. She bragged to me once that "Daddy is a yes-boy. He says YES I can have apple juice upstairs, YES I can watch tv, he says YES to everything." I heard him say no to her and she said, "But Daddy, you're a YES-boy!" Lucky for us her strategy is pretty transparent. 
• Stella made her own costume. My sister asked if she was a beekeeper. "No," she replied, "I'm a cucumber."

Roman, 10 months:

• He sits on the floor and uses his legs to rotate in a perfect circle. It's very Homer Simpson-esque.
• He's trying to communicate like Stella did, but in a totally different (monosyllabic) way. Bah! Phhshh!
• He has 8 teeth and can stand up and clap his hands. He is so proud of himself and is about to take off walking.
• He is just a funny happy baby. 
• He loves to bonk things with his head. Like your head. Or any part of my body. Sometimes it is soft and sweet, but more often it is hard and bonky. I have seen stars more than once, and now when he may just be coming in for a nuzzle I find myself reflexively dodging. Sorry, kid.
• I hear horrible thuds all too often as he explores our often hard-surfaced little world.

The two of them are absolutely thrilled to see each other every morning. Enjoying that while it lasts!