Another Full Weekend

The month of July really went out with a bang! I had another full, fun weekend. I am ready for a quiet stretch, though! But here is how we filled our weekend. 

On Friday, Phil got together with some college friends so I was on my own with the boys. Phil and I were definitely ships passing in the night this past week. He had the boys on his own Tues/Wed nights while I was traveling for work. Then he swam on Thursday night so I had the boys on my own (although he was home by 7 so was only gone for about 1.5 hours). Friday was a beautiful, perfect day so we headed outside after dinner. I got out a bubble toy we'd received last summer. Paul had fun making bubbles for Will and Will had a blast trying to pop them. He's at the peak age for bubbles!

Will is finally into the little slide we have set up on our patio. We bought this at the start of the pandemic when playgrounds were closed and then Paul outgrew it very quickly. I think it'll get more use over the next couple of summers! On a walk the night before, Paul saw a dad throwing baseball to his kids so he wanted to try it out. Prior to that, he was hitting balls off the tee but he wanted a new challenge. He did really well and was so proud of himself when he hit the ball with the bat! It's kind of comical that I was the parent to introduce him to hitting pitches since I am VERY UNATHLETIC. Phil was very good at baseball so that is who Paul will be getting most of his direction from! 

On Saturday I ran 4 miles with my neighbor and then we did our weekly trip the library where we checked out 19 books and then we headed to gymnastics. Will was so tired that he almost fell asleep on the car ride home... but then napped for 40 minutes that afternoon! Ugh. I got up with the boys that morning, so Phil let me rest and took Will for a long stroller walk. And then we headed to the wading pool after quiet time. 

That night, I went to see Brandi Carlile with my neighbor and 2 other friends. It was my 7th time seeing her in concert. She is so amazing! Us girls met up for a quick dinner before the concert. 

My neighbor and I in our Brandi apparel

She played for about 2 hours straight and put on an awesome show. 

I was glad that Sunday was my day to sleep in. I got home at 11:30 but was able to sleep until 7:45. The boys slept in, too! Will got up at 6:50 and Paul got up after 7! I took Will to swimming lessons. Phil headed out to swim when I got home so I took the boys to the park.

During nap time, my friend Lori arrived. She was in town for a retreat so she spent an extra night in Minneapolis so she could see us and meet our kiddos. Luckily Will napped for 2 hours that day so we were able to enjoy a glass of wine together while he slept and Paul had iPad time. After the boys were up, we headed back to the park. 

Lori took some pictures of us at the park. This is me in "mom mode" with my phone in a fanny pack! So stylish right? 

We made dinner when we got back from the park and Lori got to see how crazy Will is. I was making Asian rice so got the sesame oil out of the cupboard and put it on the counter. I turned around to get tamari out of the fridge and in that time, Will pulled the container of sesame oil off the counter and dumped about 1/4 of it on his head/body... So that was a fun mess to clean up. Good thing we were close to bath time. 

This morning, Lori and I went for a run in my neighborhood before I settled in to do some work before taking her to the airport. I'm glad she thought to take a picture of us together! It was great to catch up with her and she was excited to spend time with the kids and observe their craziness. 

And that was the final weekend of July. It was kind of a lot - 2 concerts, a business trip, hosting several dinners, going to a couple of get togethers, and the business of normal life. I am ready for a quieter stretch but am proud of myself for "choosing the bigger life" which is a mantra by Gretchen Rubin that I kept in mind. I am kind of, no scratch that, I am really a control freak and don't love getting off a schedule. But after 2 years of doing next to nothing, it's been great to see friends and go to concerts. And August is shaping up to be quieter for us so I'll get a chance to get caught up on my sleep and replenish my energy levels!