We asked Dempsey if he wanted to go up to the cabin again this year and he gave a vehement “yeah!” so up we went! It’s been soooooo hot lately so I was more than excited to breathe some cool mountain air and maybe even feel cold?? Felt so good! We fished, we ate ice cream, we did puzzles, we introduced the children to VHS tapes, Dempsey and I explored outside, Lydi slept in a big girl bed 🥺 and we all had a great time!

We all had our normal Friday, then once everyone was home, we finished packing up and hit the road. Made it up to the cabin around 6 and got started right away on dinner and unloading the car. Just a simple bratwurst and hot dog night. I bought Dempsey a Halloween Highlights hidden picture book and he was so into it right away 🥺 We also put together a 100-piece Trolls puzzle and Lydi’s tongue out in concentration kills me! Dempsey did such a good job and I think Joey’s heart almost exploded, seeing his two littles get so into a puzzle 🥰 Lydia found that long stick and was walking around whacking everything and everyone with it till it mysteriously disappeared 😜 We brought her pack and play up with us but she was adamant about sleeping in one of the big beds. I heard her cry in the night a couple of times on Friday but otherwise, she slept great in there!

Oh, I took a lot of Saturday pictures 😅 We woke up to such thick fog! But luckily it burned off and we were blessed with blue skies for the rest of the day. I made us all some buttermilk pancakes and why do I ever make anything else?? SO GOOD. Dempsey and I did some nature exploration afterward and it was so sweet having some one-on-one time with him without feeling like we had to rush off someplace. Eventually, we made it over to the lake to fish. Joey is going to lose his mind if he doesn’t catch something soon but the kids and I had fun playing around on the shore. Dempsey and I made a bug trap and Lydia was literally so busy running back and forth to sunscreen us all (“I’m the sunscreen lady!”) 😂😂

Back home for lunch and we pulled out the 400-piece puzzle (Lydia and Joey picked this up at a puzzle store that we always pass and it had some bigger pieces for kids and some smaller pieces for adults!) before heading to the Hungry Moose Caboose for ice cream. Lydia was dairy-free when we came up to the cabin last year so she was super excited to be able to get some this year and then… she fell asleep on the ten minute car ride there 😂😅 Poor thing! Joey saved some of his cone for her and this ice cream was so good!!! Joey and Dempsey took a quick little trip down to the stream and then we all finished up the puzzle and got started on grilled pizza. Went outside as the sun was going down and I’ll never be over those evening mountain views 😍 Finished up the night with a game of Candyland and then a little meltdown from an overtired Dempsey before finally getting the kids to bed. Whew!

Woke up to sunshine! Joey made us all some oatmeal (plus coffee for the adults) and then we packed and cleaned up before heading outside to take one last family photo. Joey snapped that one of the kids and I chilling on some rocks while he finished up inside 😂 and then we all got a few together. The kids did really good in the car sans iPad (I think they listened to the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack a thousand times) and we made it home just in time for lunch. I like sleeping in my own bed but our cabin trips are so good for the soul. Till next time!

Back at home, Lydi’s nap, Sunday chores and many skeleton happenings for Dempsey 😂 I made us a good dinner and now here we go back into the work week. Hope it’s a good one for everyone!

Another cold tried to gaslight me into a mini depression, but this one was actually incredibly mild and we managed to keep it contained to just Dempsey and I, so we were still able to really enjoy our weekend. We had an outdoor movie night, visited Spirit Halloween, celebrated Henry’s fifth birthday and ended the weekend on the highest of highs when we put the pedals on Dempsey’s bike and he just… took off! He rode off to his first day of school this morning and I’m still trying not to feel emotional about it all 🥺😭

Our boy has been asking to ride over to school and even though it meant having to ride Joey’s too tall bike (mine hasn’t been ridden since 2019, so I don’t even want to know what kind of shape it’s in 😱), I had to do it! After I perilously made it home, I headed out for a manicure and how pretty is this neutral color?? We try to do an outdoor movie night once a summer and Friday seemed like the night! We didn’t think Lydia was ready the past few years, so this was her first time and I think she really enjoyed it. The neighbor kids joined us too and I thought The Mitchells vs the Machines was really fun and cute. The little brother was my favorite! Dempsey was tired and acting a bit loopy toward the end of the movie, then had a full on screaming meltdown afterward, but otherwise it was the best time 😅

We let our boy sleep in on Saturday but woke him up in time for zucchini bread pancakes (sub patty pan squash because Dempsey brought another huge one home from school!), then we all headed over to the rental house. Joey had a list of things to fix and I chased the kids around and tried to prevent them from getting into trouble. Afterward, the boys headed to Home Depot for supplies, skeletons and lunch and Lydia and I grabbed coffee, played at the park, then went back to our own house for lunch and her nap. The boys were gone the entire time she slept, so I got a little alone time and it felt so nice! Once Lydia was up and the boys were home, we took a much much much anticipated (first) trip to Spirit Halloween! Demps was so happy 🥺😂 Half of the animatronics weren’t working but then they fixed them and it was like unlocking a whole new level. He even bought himself a pumpkin head skeleton with his own money! We had a Target order to pick up so we did that after we left, then grabbed dinner at Adelitas Cocina Y Cantina and we were very impressed, so we’ll be back for sure. Got home and got the kids bathed and into bed before starting One of Them Days, then going to bed ourselves.

We had a relaxed start to our day on Sunday, then headed over to Henry’s birthday party to let the kids run around, play, eat too much sugar and, of course, dance to the soundtrack from K-Pop Demon Hunters because Hannah and Josh’s boys are into it too! I have desperately been trying to get those seven absolute bangers out of my head for days, but it does not help when it’s all the kids want to listen to 😂 I guess there are worse things to have to listen to on repeat! I cannot believe Henry is five already! Does that mean my own son will be five in two months?! Not allowed. Dempsey was not pleased when we literally carried him out of the house to head home and Lydia cried almost the whole drive before falling asleep five minutes from home but Joey did manage to lay her in her own bed and I got salads made. The kids and I played in the sprinkler while Joey made us dinner and those tacos were so good! Afterward, we put the pedals back on Dempsey’s bike for a second go at riding with them and he needed help getting started ONE TIME then was just off on his own. I cannot believe how easy that was!!! I’m seriously so proud and happy that he seems to love riding his bike 🥺🤍 After we got them to bed, we finished our movie and I did not expect the plot to be so Dude Where’s My Car-like but I thought it was a lot of fun. SZA is a natural!

I hope everyone has a great week, especially if you’re surviving a first week of school!