Weekend Wrap-up!

We had such a relaxing, laid-back weekend which is just what we needed after our busy week. Henry is finally feeling better and Evie kept us entertained with all of her antics.

Friday: Carl arrived home from Chatanooga just after Evie woke up from her extended nap. She crashed after her busy days at camp without a nap. I finally woke her up about 5 so that'd she still go to bed that night. Of course, I had to snap a quick picture since it's rare to catch Evie sleeping on camera. Carl was determined to grill even though it was the hottest day of the year. He grilled chicken and we had fresh veggies from our sitter's garden. Delicious! Henry received a few presents and thought it was so fun opening them. He really got into it which made us all laugh. Aunt Libby and Mamaw sent him some cookie monster stuff and two blue shirts. Henry thinks cookie monster is so funny! Carl grew up only opening presents on his birthday but we think it's fun to spread the fun out with our kids. It's important to me that my children learn to appreciate everything that they are given and they enjoy everything more if they open just a few things at a time. Kids get way more presents now than they did when we were growing up so it seems especially important to spread the gluttony out. Evie happily offered her assistance with opening the presents.

Saturday: Henry and Evie woke up about 7:30 which was a nice start to a Saturday morning. It was Carl's turn to sleep late so I tried to entertain the children quietly. After Carl woke up, we decided to go swimming to cool off a bit. We picked up lunch at the pool and it was nothing to even write about. At least, we will not have to repeat that meal since we know to just stick with a smoothie or our own snacks. Nap time was a breeze after the morning at the pool. We did a few things around the house after the kids woke up from their nap. I went to run a few errands and to get some Thai food for dinner. I was bound and determined to make my grocery budget work so our cupboards were pretty bare since it was the end of the month. Mission accomplished, I was able to stay under budget on groceries with only $2 to spare! Food prices are soaring and Henry eats so much that I may need to raise my budget a little. It helps me to have a  baseline number that I try to stay under although we surpassed our eating out budget this month. Oh well, you win some and you lose some.

Sunday: Henry woke up bright and early around 5. It was Carl's day to get up with him and I was able to sleep in until Evie woke up about 7. We barely made it out the door for church since it takes a Sunday miracle to get us all ready and out the door for church. It's really impressive that our parents were able to get us out the door to church every Sunday while we were growing up. Evie and Henry were in the same nursery this morning and had a ball as they were complimented to the ends of the Earth by the little old lady in the nursery. We decided to brave lunch out since I had not made it out to the grocery store yet. City Cafe is always a good choice as long as we time our arrival before the Methodist church across the street gets out of services. Everyone in town seems to love this place so we were fortunate to arrive just in time. Henry and Evie did really well but we always have buyers remorse after eating out since it's so expensive but it's fun to get a reprieve from kitchen duty. Dessert was well-worth our visit - Hershey's Chocolate cake. YUMMY! We made it back home just in time for naps. Publix was my nap time destination along with all the other Sunday shoppers. It was time for the pool when I got back home. Evie and Henry really love the water and it's amazing to see them make so much progress as the summer progresses. Evie loves the water slide and bravely goes down without a flotation device. It was one of those afternoons that I want to always remember seeing Evie's face light up as she ate her ice-cream cone and vanilla ice cream was spread from her nose to her chin, seeing Henry snuggle with Carl both with big grins on their faces and the respite from everyday life that is filled with a never-ending to do list because this what I want to remember about my family and what I want them to remember about us: FUN. That to-do list will always be there, my children will not always be young and soon they will do anything to escape Sunday afternoons at the pool with their parents. It was so much fun that we stayed until the pool closed then had a quick snack supper at home , showers for everyone and then it was bedtime. It was a fantastic weekend! Hope y'all had a fantastic weekend too.