Last minute vacation, then it's back to school. Or not.

UberDad, Puffer and Grouper returned last night from a two-day vacation together. They went to the Aquarium of the Pacific, the beach, and Legoland. The aquarium is a favorite spot, and they always love the beach, but Legoland was new. They enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as just playing in the ocean and the sand. Next year I think we'll save our money and just camp at the beach for a week.

Baby Crabcakes and I stayed home to bond over baby smiles and enjoy a quiet house. We originally planned to take the trip as a family, but since he's never lasted more than 10 minutes in the car without crying his eyes out, that idea was nixed.

Outside of the car, he's mellowed a lot in the last two weeks. He wakes up happy and full of giggles and smiles. He's figured out that nursing will make him feel better when he's hungry, and he's much more patient with me. His stomach issues seem to have settled down now that I've removed all dairy from my diet. It was definitely worth the effort.

UberDad starts his new teaching job next week, and class starts the week after. We're beginning to get the schooling questions about Puffer, who would be entering kindergarten in 10 days if his parents weren't such rebels. Though he's not the slightest bit interested either. Our homeschooling group used to have a "Not Back to School" pancake and pool party on the day the local public schools began, but the host had to cancel when the group got too large. I'm trying to decide if we should comemmorate the non-event or just ignore it.

But I'll have to write more on that subject later.