Mommy Mondays: A Quick Trip Home

Some of you may have noticed on Facebook that I was home in the US last week for a short trip. I didn't announce it for two reasons. 1) I really wanted to surprise one of my best friends by randomly showing up at lunch (because how often do you get to really surprise someone?) and 2) I knew we'd have very little free time for visiting with friends. John needed some dental work and Jack and I decided to tag along, and I'm so glad we did (even though the jet lag is killing me).

That was my first time in the US since January, and it was glorious! Perfect fall weather, loads of time with my sister, delicious food, and that surprise I planned went off without a hitch. And of course we'll be back again in November (for three weeks instead of the initially planned one) so I'll get to see everyone else then. I did randomly run into one friend at the zoo, which was awesome. Here's how that conversation went.

Jack, standing by the otters: "They didn't go poo poo yesterday!"
Another little boy standing nearby: "Poo poo!"
Me: "Okay Jack, that's enough thanks."
Woman standing behind me: "Hi Jack, hi Mara."

And then I turned and saw that my friend Jill was there! So that was mildly embarrassing but also a nice surprise.  For those who have been living under a rock (or in Siberia), there's a new carousel at the National Zoo which, guess what, has an octopus!! (It also has a baby buffalo, a cuttlefish, and a large newt, if octopuses aren't your thing.)

Sha Sha and Jackie on the carousel.

Jack and I kept busy during the day by walking around and taking a lot of naps, and by visiting the "fishquarium," which is really the saddest (and possibly most expensive) of the DC attractions. It redeemed itself by having an octopus. John got in some good running and worked for a couple of days (boo), but we had some nice family time too. Mostly, there was a lot of this:

John, Jack, Sha Sha, and Minky, of course.

And frankly, there hasn't been nearly enough of that in my life lately. I can't believe I get to go back in a month! Weehoo!