We had NOTHING on our calendar for this weekend and it turned into such a good and fun time for all of us 🤍 Dinner out on Friday, a little bit of productivity and a little bit of relaxation on Saturday and some one-on-one time for Joey and Dempsey and me and Lydia, respectively. Topped it all off with homemade garlic-parm wings and the SAG Awards and let me just say, Timmy forever!

We had a big storm come in overnight Thursday going into Friday and I was positive school would be cancelled for Dempsey but lo and behold, it wasn’t! Joey had a conference, so I got Dempsey out of the snow (can you spot him?) and dropped off, took Lydia to my MIL’s, then sat down to work and drink my coffee 🥰 Joey cut out of work early enough for us to brave Vine Street again and even though we still ended up waiting 45 minutes 😱, we got a table and I ate a tempeh reuben for the first time since 2019!!! Got those kiddos home and into bed before starting Nickel Boys but more on that later.

I think the kids were up and rearing to go by 6 AM on Saturday and I also think they were crawling all over my face while I was half-awake in my bed but that might have also been another day 🤔 Motherhood is a blur 😂 Either way, we got them downstairs and I made us some pumpkin waffles because I opened a can we still had in the pantry earlier this week to make granola with Lydia. Other happenings included a workout for both Joey and I, bookshelf installation (I am loving how the playroom looks and feels with those books on the wall!), making dumpling dough, playing outside and Joey took the kids to get Dempsey’s ski rentals for Sunday.

Our big event of the evening was making soup dumplings! What a labor of love though 😩 Dempsey made about three of them all on his own and I tried not to cry over how cute they looked 🥺 And Lydia helped scoop the filling (and some other things that I would say WEREN’T helpful 😅) and even though I was very over it by the end, Dempsey kept slurping the soup filling and saying “that’s so good!” so it was all worth it! After their baths and bedtime, we finished Nickel Boys and even though I really wanted to love it (and wow, there are some really beautiful shots), the POV filming kept taking me out of it. Such a sad and terrible story (that I maybe had to look on the internet for clarification on) though.

Joey and Dempsey were up and out of the house by 6:30ish on Sunday and somehow, Lydia slept through her brother leaving the room and didn’t wake up till 7ish 👏 For a long time, mornings felt really unpredictable and it was hard to wake up before the kids, but now I can and it makes such a difference in my mood. Lydi and I had breakfast then took a trip to Target. She grabbed that little wheelbarrow at the front of the store, then pushed it around the rest of the time, putting things in it, while I emptied the last thing she put in it to put back on the shelf 😂😂 And she only threw a tantrum over a couple of things that I absolutely left the store with because I’m weak. We stopped at the Sloan’s Lake park on our way home and it was PACKED but fun. Back at home, lunch and naptime. This girl is still giving me hell when I put her down. She yelled for me and played around for an entire hour before giving in 😫 I did manage to make lunch salads for the week, ranch dressing for dinner later and open up a new book though.

Joey and Dempsey called us earlier in the day and it was not going well on the slope, but they ended up getting a few good runs in and Dempsey seems to love the chair lift. They called it quits 11:30 when Dempsey’s legs were “too tired” and headed to have lunch before the drive home. When he got back, he told me he didn’t have fun 😅🤦‍♀️ but I think he secretly did. He wanted to play outside the rest of the day and I love that for him! He eventually came in and the kids and Joey watched Sonic 3 (for the millionth time) while I finished up our dinner. I made steak fries to go with our wings and I thought it was all so good! Started the SAG Awards then paused to make us all some kettle corn. I truly don’t know what’s going to win Best Picture at the Oscars next week but after that win and that speech, I am ROOTING for Timmy to win that Best Actor trophy! Happy Monday 😊

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine’s Day! I was looking back on the past few weeks and it’s been filled with Valentine’s decor, crafts, treats, gifts and dates that have been so sweet and fun. And this is why I love this little holiday so much! 🥰 Joey and I had a true date night on Friday then spent Saturday and Sunday hanging with our little loves.

I usually get the kids and Joey a few things for Valentine’s Day but I try to keep them practical and small 😋 They loved their cards and balloons most I think! (Lydia accidentally let go of hers outside on Saturday and she was SO SAD. She was crying in my arms and big brother came over and gave her his 🥹🥹🥹) Joey got them scratchers, flowers for Lydi and I and some really thought things for just me 🥰 True story: we exchanged gifts and cards in a semi-rush so we could still get out the door to preschool/work on time and I later found my card to Joey still in my work bag 🤦🏻‍♀️ I had a Valentine’s Day manicure scheduled and my very sweet nail tech surprised me with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers! Plus my nails were a wreck and she cleaned them all up!

We met Dempsey at school that afternoon for their Valentine’s Day party and it was so cute seeing all the card boxes and cards they made! Afterward, we brought him over to Grandma’s (where Lydia already was) for a sleepover then headed to our dinner reservation at Jovanina’s Broken Italian, it’s so cool in there and the cocktails were great! Thought it was weird that the first two courses were bread and cheese though. We enjoyed the rest of the meal but decided we were too full for dessert 🤦🏻‍♀️ We had a hard time finding a movie afterward but settled on the live action Oscar-nominated shorts. They were slightly less depressing than usual but I think only because they’ve all become so political and you can feel where it’s headed from the moment it starts.

We took the opportunity to have my honey sesame pancakes for breakfast since we were without the kids the next morning. Lydia has a sesame allergy so that recipe has been off limits. Then Joey worked for a bit and I did some chores and finished up my audio book. I thought it was SO trite but I also cried at the end so I don’t know what any of that means 😂 Once the kids were home, lunch was eaten and Lydia went down for a much needed nap while Dempsey and I played outside in the snow. He’s a Colorado boy through and through! I let Joey talk me into pizza for dinner and man is Blue Pan good! We started Sonic 3 with the kids then put them to bed and watched Blink Twice. I hadn’t heard good things but we liked it so we either have bad taste or lowered our expectations enough to enjoy it 🤔😂

Woof, I was not in a good mood on Sunday and for no reason. Sometimes I have a lot of patience for the kids and other times they are pulling all my shoes out of the closet and fighting over the lights being on or off and it feels like a lot. We had talked about getting biscuit sandwiches and going to the museum though and it seemed like a good idea to get out of the house. Rise & Shine is the best! Dempsey ate his sandwich and the last few bites of mine and I’m so happy he loves that place as much as we do. Lydia is happy as long as there’s hashbrowns 😂 Got to the museum just after it opened so it wasn’t too crazy inside. We hit up the health exhibit then the discovery zone before taking the kids to the 3D IMAX theater. Dempsey’s first 3D IMAX movie and Lydia’s first movie in a theater ever! She’s not quite ready 😂 Dempsey did better but even he was having a hard time paying attention toward the end. I guess Blue Whales aren’t exciting enough for them 😂 Headed home afterward because Lydia seemed TIRED and I guess she was because she fell asleep in the car.

Spent the rest of the day playing, baking and chasing the kids around, then Joey made us ricotta gnocchi for dinner 🥰🥰 The best! We watched a little bit more of Sonic 3 before taking the kids up for bed and yikes, Lydi is struggling with sleep. She does NOT want me to put her down since she got sick last week. I hope we make it through this rough patch soon. We watched halfway through the SNL 50th Anniversary special but we had another hour to go and bedtime was calling. We were loving it though and I can’t wait to watch the rest!

Wishing you all a good week!