A truly perfect Mother’s Day Weekend that started with two kid-free days in Pittsburgh and ended with two days home with my babies 🤍🤍 Being a mother is deeply difficult and will push you to the absolute limits of your patience and energy, so having a couple days to be an off-duty mom and remember what it’s like to eat a meal without anyone in your lap or go to bed without forcing anyone else to bed first is so necessary and makes coming home and seeing their little faces light up and their little voices say “Mommy!” and their little arms wrap around you all the more sweet. We had such a nice day celebrating all the moms in our lives yesterday and I couldn’t have asked for more 🥰

Joey had a steel conference to attend in Pittsburgh, so he flew out Tuesday and I took my first ever solo flight and met him out there on Thursday. Why is a city with a river so beautiful?? I love it so much and we had such a nice view from our hotel window. We had a really good dinner at The Parlor Dim Sum on Thursday night then got ice cream 🥰 Friday started with divy buns and an iced red velvet latte then a walk through the University of Pittsburgh campus to the botanical gardens. I was soooo happy walking through those indoor greenhouses, just my husband and I. After, we hit up the Senator John Heinz History Center and I guess Heinz Ketchup originates in Pittsburgh. Who knew!

Cleaned ourselves up before dinner at Iron Born Pizza and man did it hit the spot. Walked along the river to PNC Park for a Pirates game and we even got to walk down the middle of the Roberto Clemente Bridge, since it was closed off for the game! The Pirates won, so it was a happy crowd and I let Joey convince me to go duck pin bowling afterward. It was fun, except for how often the pins would get tangled up and I even beat Joey in one single game 😂 I don’t know that I need to go back to Pittsburgh any time soon, but we really had a good time. I don’t think we’d been on a vacation just us two since 2022?? Much overdue!

We had an early morning flight home on Saturday then spent the rest of the day doing laundry, ordering and unpacking groceries and giving the kids the gifts we bought them in Pittsburgh. Ketchup, mustard and pickle chapstick was a hit and if you come near my kids and they smell like a hot dog, you’ll know why 😂 They also helped Joey move some mulch from the alley to the front yard and I’m so glad he has two little helpers 🥺 We had leftovers for dinner — thank God for my mom and all the food she left in our fridge — then put the kids to bed and watched Top Chef. I was more or less sleeping through the entire episode but oh well 😅

The kids slept in on Sunday so Happy Mother’s Day to me! I told Joey to tell them to come “wake me up” and Dempsey proceeded to yell “BOO!” in my face and also tell me my armpit smelled. Motherhood is so magical 😂😅 They (but really Joey) spoiled me with such thoughtful gifts and then we had everyone over for brunch at 10. I did a breakfast taco bar because it seemed minimal effort and I think it worked really well. Plus everyone brought such delicious side dishes and the moms got even more flowers, gifts and cards 🥰 We had the most beautiful Mother’s Day weather, so we headed outside after everyone was done eating. So nice! Everyone but my sister and Wayne left around noon and they stayed and hung out with Dempsey and I while Joey attempted to put Lydia down for a nap. Post nap (that she eventually took at 2 PM after I rocked her to sleep!), we hung out and then Joey made us all buffalo chicken burgers and I took the kids and their scooters around the block. It was such a sweet way to end Mother’s Day. I hope everyone else had a good weekend too!

I’m sad that April is over, but so far May is GOOD! And our weekend was a busy but fun one 🤍 Glowing Wild at the zoo on Friday evening, a Saturday date with my boy, some park and at home time on Sunday before a double birthday party that afternoon!

Friday is my “flex day,” so I am always booking appointments and errands that day, but I had a very rare plan-free day! Plus Lori picked Dempsey up from school and took him back to her house for dinner, so I had soooooo much free time. I didn’t even know what to do with it all, so I baked some carrot cake cupcakes. They taste so good but they did not want to leave the pan, so they’re a little messy looking 😉

The inaugural Glowing Wild event at the zoo was sooooo cool and fun! I hope they do it again next year. Lots of pretty light displays, a silent disco, a train ride, a dance floor and, of course, Dippin’ Dots 😂 We were there for three hours! Got the kids home and into bed, then immediately went to bed ourselves.

We had a make-up swim lesson scheduled for Dempsey Saturday morning but he skipped his Friday nap and then we were out extra late, so we decided to cancel and let him sleep in. Instead, we hung out at home — the kids helped wash dishes and wrap presents and I love this stage of involvement and helpfulness 🥺🤍 Then Dempsey and I went to see a play! We saw Lyle the Crocodile at the Arvada Center and it was so fun! Just an hour-long, family-friendly show, that was perfect for my 4.5 year-old and I. They did a little behind-the-scenes segment afterward, telling us how the set and costumes and sounds are made and we really enjoyed that part too. Back at home, Lydia and Joey got to go to the coffee shop and have lunch together 🤍

Post-Lydia nap, we all went outside. Joey is working on some landscaping in the front yard and Dempsey is passionate about weed removal 😂 Lydia was “reading” and hunting for monsters and then we all went inside so I could start some iced coffee — I had helpers! — and cook us dinner. Somehow the kids ended up with pre-dinner cupcakes but they still ate pretty well. Gave them baths and got them to bed before watching Top Chef and then going to bed ourselves.

Sunday started with waffles and then I got to look through a new cookbook Emily sent me 🥰 Joey took the kids to the park so I could clean up the kitchen and work out and then I walked down to meet them on their way back. We walked past a lemonade stand that had Venmo 😂 so the kids each got a cup and a bracelet. The kids and I had lunch while Joey worked in the front yard and then I attempted to put Lydia down for her nap. She never makes it easy for me anymore. She’s been insisting on sleeping in her brother’s bed but she kept telling me “I awake!” so I held her to sleep then laid her down in there. And she fell out later!!!! She’s never done that before. No tears, she just seemed confused. At 4, we headed over to celebrate Adilene and Aleia’s birthdays and the kids had too much fun playing with balloons 😂 Went home and had dinner and then the kids needed to run around and collect leaves in the backyard to delay bedtime. Finally got them inside and off to sleep, so we could catch up on Hacks.

We are celebrating Lori’s birthday today! 🎉🎂 Hope everyone has a good week!