Joey and I hadn’t been up to the cabin since 2017! So our trip there this weekend was looooong overdue, plus we have two new family members to share the experience with. It was cool and rainy at times but we still managed to go fishing twice, hang out on the patio (before we had kids, we used to sit and read out there but now it’s just a long game of chase 😂), cook some simple but good meals on the grill and take a trip into Fairplay for ice cream. I missed my bed, but otherwise, it was the best time ⛰🎣🌭🧩🤍

We got up just before dinner on Thursday and the kids were right at home 🤍 I missed that pretty view so much. Grilled some hot dogs and brats and shook up a bagged Caesar salad, but why does simple homecooked stuff taste so much better in the mountains?? We also bought Pie Face for the trip and Lydi went first and got hit with (coconut) whipped cream on her first turn. That just seems cruel. She was so sad and proceeded to cry any time anyone else got hit too.

I was worried we’d feel cooped up and the kids would go stir crazy since our usual MO is reading, napping, puzzling and listening to the radio 😂 but the boys brought their fishing gear so we drove to a nearby reservoir and spent both afternoons there. No fish were caught but rocks were “skipped,” fishing rods were cast, snacks were eaten and fresh air was breathed. Joey treated us all to goulash for dinner and I wish I could post Lydia’s little pasta dance while she ate it. She’s a foodie gal, for sure! Made some baked s’mores dip for dessert and I thought it was so good!

Another day of fishing, — we all went to the res in the morning and Joey and Dempsey went down to the stream later on while Lydia was sleeping and I got to read in the peace and quiet 🥰 — playing games, running around the deck and then we attempted to get ice cream at the Hungry Moose Caboose but it was closed so we rerouted to Fairplay and found an old school soda shop. They were out of their sorbet so poor Lydi had an empty cone and a cup of sprinkles 😂 When we got back, I made us chicken tacos while Joey and the kids explored and took the cutest sibling photos ever! The cabin has a TV now, so after we put the kids to bed, we fired up Bridget Jones’s Diary 😂😂 The pickings were slim, okay?

Remembered to take a family photo right after we’d packed up on Sunday morning and were about to hit the road. I told Joey we need to remember to take one when we first get there next time and not when we’ve been in our sweats all weekend and they’re covered in food from two small children, plus neither parent has slept through the night because a certain toddler has woken up crying at midnight 😅

Back at home, Joey did a bunch of loads of laundry, we both went for a run, we all bathed and the adults got caught up on Olympic coverage while the children pretended to run their own relay around the living room. I thought Paris was such a beautiful host city and even though I’m excited for them to be so close to home in 2028, I do NOT need to see Tom Cruise there 😋 Happy Monday!

These lower key weekends have been so nice 🤍 I got my nails done, had dinner with our best friends, watched A LOT of Olympics, took the kids to Home Depot and the museum, and topped it all off with an afternoon at my parents’ pool. The best!

I had a 12:45 nail appointment and yes, I did get there half an hour early so I could sit in my car and watch the men’s 50M freestyle race and OUCH, my heart hurt for Caeleb Dressel! The kids spent the day with Grandpa Steve and Lorna then got dropped off at the office and were having too much fun over there. We had Hannah, Josh and the boys over and picked up Tocabe for dinner. The kids ran around and played together and the adults sat and drank wine and had mostly uninterrupted conversation?! It was BLISS! Also, they got me two “mystery date with a book” gifts for my birthday and it was the coolest. I can’t wait to read what I got!

We hadn’t had our normal Saturday morning waffles in weeks so it felt really nice to get back to it. We watched the women’s vault final before heading out to Home Depot for the first Saturday of the month craft. Lydia had never been and neither had I. We had a great time! Dempsey was an old pro, hammering in nails and painting and Lydia was mostly interested in the white board marker and mixing all her paint together but she did help me hammer one nail in and I helped her spread some of that paint on the wood. They turned out so good! Back at home, we got the kids’ lunch together and were just hanging out when Joey reminded me I had an eye doctor appointment in half an hour 😂🤦‍♀️ Afterward, more Olympics, playing outside, family workout — Dempsey wanted to do his trampoline workout video while Joey and I did some yoga 🙂 and then Joey cooked us dinner. This black pepper tofu was so good and everyone seemed to like it! 👏 We got the kids bathed and in bed then watched Love Lies Bleeding and it went slightly off the rails toward the end but I really dug it still.

Joey and I were feeling very indecisive about our Sunday plans but we eventually decided to pick up biscuit sandwiches from Rise & Shine. The olive oil rosemary biscuit was so good! And we got to watch Suni win that bronze medal on the uneven bars before packing up and heading out to the museum. We got there right as it opened and headed straight for the health exhibit, which we pretty much had to ourselves for a good hour. Walked through the orca exhibit but it wasn’t the best place for little kids. Snuck into the Discovery Zone fifteen minutes before it closed for cleaning and then ended our visit building a bird nest. Dempsey was nice and cozy and didn’t want to come out 😂 Back at home, lunch and Lydia’s nap, then I made salads and we watched the men’s 100m race and WOW, THAT WAS EXCITING! Our feed cut out as they were waiting for the results and I was SURE the Jamaican sprinter had won, so imagine my surprise when we got the feed back up and Noah Lyles was celebrating. Whew! Once Lydi was up, we headed over to my parents’ pool — the sun went away and even though it was upper 90s, we were all chilly in there! — then back to their place for dinner. We had a good time! Got the kids home and cleaned off and into bed before firing up Big Brother then getting into bed ourselves.

We have a short week because we’re heading up to the cabin on Thursday! Can’t wait 😉