Leaving the little man

Almost 14 months after becoming parents, we FINALLY took a trip that resembled life pre-Benjamin.  Not that we were itching to do that at all, but let's be honest, when the opportunity presented itself, we just couldn't say no.  Booking the trip was the easy part (minus the serious pinch on our pocketbooks - ouch!), but when it came time to leave our little man, I was not quite prepared!

We are so grateful that Matt's parents could come out to watch Benjamin while we were away.  They are amazing grandparents, and I'm pretty sure they couldn't love the little beast any more if they tried!  He is blessed to have them, and we are blessed to take advantage of their generosity!  :)  For our first nights away, we knew we couldn't have left the baby toddler in better hands.  {I was also extremely grateful for the regular flow of photos and videos we were sent!}

Before we left, I took a bunch of random pictures and video of Benjamin to keep me company while we were away.  I'm SO glad I did this, because our flights were especially nasty, and it was nice to try and zone out looking and laughing at the little guy on my phone.  I'll have to remember to do this every time we get a little getaway!

Just a few samples:

And by the time we had to leave, I thought I had prepared myself for saying goodbye, but I was wrong.  I cried when we got to the airport.  And then five minutes later.  And then when I got on the plane.  And generally any time I thought about his sweet hugs, I teared up. 

At any rate, I just wanted to confess all of this before I post about our fabulous trip to New Orleans.  I will keep the Benjamin-love-fest out of that post as best I can.  We had a ridiculously good time and I can't wait to weed through all the photos and videos.  The city was unbelievable.  And that's all for now!

Thank you, Mimi, for taking such great care of me!!

Here was a little video she sent of them playing hide and seek... I love this boy!!

Up next: Crazy times in NOLA...