We celebrated my mom’s 70th birthday in Glenwood this past weekend, and it was truly the sweetest and happiest four days with my family. We drove up mid-morning on Friday, stopped in Frisco for lunch (where we saw the other two groups of road trippers!), made it to our Airbnb shortly before 4 then spent allllll day Saturday and allllll day Sunday at the pool before packing it up, eating once last meal in town and driving back home on Monday. Also, Sunday, my mom’s actual birthday, was such a good day! We all tag-teamed cooking dinner then took a lovely stroll through the neighborhood toward the river before making it back home for cake and presents. I hope my mom thought it felt as special as I did 🤍
Many a nap was skipped for Miss Lydia but every year, I can tell it is just a little bit easier to travel with our kiddos and they mostly did so good on this trip! Playing the piano, hanging with the neighborhood cat, swimming in the pool, eating ice cream and staying up late. This what it’s all about, right?? Poor Joey was so sick with a cold the entire time, but I think he made the best of it. And I just love being able to see my aunt, uncle and cousin! It’s cliche to say, but these are core memories 🤍🤍🤍
Well I continue to be recovering from my cold (the congestions will never end!), but we had a good weekend nonetheless. A low-key Friday night followed by a Saturday adventure and then some at home time on Sunday before heading to Grandpa Steve and Lorna’s for dinner. We are leaving for vacation at the end of this week so I’ll be preparing for/looking forward to that all week!
I love my little bit of solo time with Dempsey on Friday morning, after Joey and Lydia leave and before I drop him off at school, and look what I found him flipping through! 🥺😍 I can’t wait until we get to read those together. After his drop off, I had a dentist appointment then worked from home and made myself a BLAT. We had planned to head to the Tennyson Street Fair that evening but it was on and off raining and Dempsey wasn’t feeling well, so we had a movie night and watched the first half of Wicked Part I instead. Dempsey was asking three billion questions but it seemed to hold their attention pretty well. Got them both to bed, did a bunch of prep for the next day then watched Thursday’s episode of Big Brother before our own bedtime.
Saturday adventuring! We were up and at ’em to head to Golden Gate Canyon State Park for some fishing and hiking. I literally don’t know how Joey has ever taken either (or both) of them fishing on his own because I was chasing them around on the shoreline the entire time while he made sure everyone’s pole was cast and propped correctly. We did lure them into being still for a second with snacks and we were all so excited when we thought Dempsey had a bite but he reeled in a… crawfish 😂 I laughed so hard. Unfortunately, that’s all we caught but it sure was a beautiful morning out at the pond. We told Dempsey we were going to hike afterward and he was NOT about it, but distraction and re-phrasing goes a long way with that kid because we made it out to the trailhead and didn’t hear another word about him wanting to go home. We made it through the whole loop! I was seriously so proud of both of them!!!!! And the weather was perfectly mild and cloudy. We had a great time.
We rolled through a certain Little Miss’s nap time and then she stayed awake in the car the whole drive home 😳 We finished Wicked and I’m not sure they loved “Defying Gravity” as much as me but Lydia was walking around pretending to read her Grimmerie, so we’ll take it 😂 Quick made some chicken tacos, gave the kids baths and had them both in bed and asleep by 7 PM. They were wiped! Watched Friendship afterward and it was just so strange and absurd and silly, which is to say, I loved it and laughed so hard at that Subway bit 😂😂
Joey was out running on Sunday morning so I started waffle batter then got the kids up. We all ate together once Joey was home and spent the rest of the day playing, doing chores and everyone but Joey got a pedicure 😋 Shortly after Lydia’s nap, we headed over to Grandpa Steve and Lorna’s to celebrate Lauren and I’s birthdays. It was a really nice evening and the kids seemed to have a blast playing with squirt guns all night 😂 Took a quick peek at the permanent lighting they have on their house, then loaded the kids up and headed home. We got them to bed and went to bed ourselves shortly after.
Life as Lauren 