Sometimes I wonder what I did with my weekends before I had children.... Normally, I was in some state of a hangover and played Mario Kart on my couch with Ron. I still had piles of laundry around and a sink full of dishes.....It amazes me now, especially with two little ones, that I felt so busy in those days. I suppose a person's level of busy is all relative to their lifestyle, but it still baffles me.... and it makes me miss Sunday morning hangovers, pizza and bloody mary's..... However, my two smiley morning boys are amazing and these days they are the people I want to spend my weekends with...how times change. I often find myself creating little habits that make my life easier and seem less busy- like meal planning- so there is more fun on my weekends.
This weekend was a blast and we had lots crammed into our two short days. On Friday, I was off to be with Rowan and Kellen. We took a trip with my friends Emily and Nakita (and their littles) to the DeYoung Family Zoo to enjoy the day and escape some of the 90+ degree weather in Green Bay. We fit 3 adults, 1 baby and 3 three-year olds in the car with a bit of room to spare! Kellen has never been there before and, while a bit of a rustic zoo, it gives kids amazing up close encounters with the animals. Kellen's highlight was getting to hold a baby money and feed a hippo! I forgot to sunscreen my back and have this crazy V shaped tan line.... After the zoo, we had pizza for dinner and relaxed at home.
On Saturday, Ron had to work and we did a quick grocery store run before heading to my friend Kayla's for water slides and a margarita on their patio. The children also loves ganging up on the adults with buckets of water! The crew grabbed burgers and ice cream after at a local favorite, Zesty's. Kellen and I love their burgers and fresh custard. The flavor of the day was vanilla with swirls of salted caramel and salted pretzels for crunch- yum!
On Sunday, we headed to my friend Maggie's little boy's birthday party. The boys are close in age and it was adorable to watch them enjoy the rides together and Kellen was so proud to pick out his birthday gift all by himself- Star Wars for the win! After rides, the boys enjoyed lunch and delicious soft serve ice cream! Next, we headed home for a nap before heading to my friend Emily's daughter's pony party. The party was at a minature horse farm and the kids got to meet the animals (a 2 week old miniature horse...omg!!), have a cart ride, lead and groom the horse and enjoy pizza and cake. Kellen loved leading the horse and brushing him. His horse was named Peanut and he can't stop talking about him. My family has always owned and showed Quarter Horses with the exception of the past few years when we put one of our favorites down after a sudden and serious medical problem. I have always hoped my children would love horses as much as I do and, as you can imagine, I was thrilled to see how much he enjoyed being around the horses.
Kellen brushing Peanut:
After the party we had a few photos taken of the boys for a mini session. I should have knows better that I was pushing it....thank goodness for Photoshop and a photographer that has a toddler and a very understanding personality! I tell myself to keep my expectations low, but I always hope that there will be a good picture in there of Kellen during his "I hate pictures" phase.
Whew....busy weekend indeed, but very fun. I am so happy that we have so many friends with kids the same age. Kellen is a lucky guy to have a group of nice friends. Lucky for Rowan, he has a crop of babies born recently/due in the next few months to have a few special friends of his own!
This past week was also my first full week back. I missed my baby so much, but am happy to report that mornings are going really well. I am actually thankful for my anxiety driven post because it helped me look at my morning routine and adjust and plan. I only had one wet hair in a bun day and I am calling that a major victory because I was thinking it would be everyday. Work has been nice to go back to- crazy of course. I love my co-workers and am happy to spend time with them again because they are such fun and sweet people. There are even a few new ones that joined while I was out, and a few that announced that they are expecting little ones this year! As much as I am getting in the swing of things, I am very thankful to have the additional day off thanks to FMLA to be with Rowan. This has been a hard transition for him. He is so easy going, but I can tell he is so tired when he gets home and napping have been a challenge for him at daycare. We swaddle him at home at night and I am going to bring in his swaddle with hopes it allows him to have a little longer naps.
This week is very calm and we are going to see Thomas the Train this week- Kellen is so pumped (Rowan is but doesn't know it yet!)!
Here is what is on tap:
Monday: Spicy Beef Tacos
Tuesday: Grilled Herb Pork Chops, Cous Cous and Peas
Wednesday: Scalloped Potatoes and Ham with Corn
Thursday: Chicken Tamale Casserole and Salad
Friday: Out
Saturday: TBD....something on the grill
Sunday: Out for Father's Day