Weekend Wrap Up: Kids in a Candy Store

Friday Night: Carl got home a little early from work and worked from home a bit. Henry went with me to Publix and Evie stayed home with her Daddy. We decided to try making pizza for dinner. Pizza has been our Friday night ritual for more than 7 years. There's just not a pizza joint that we love around here that is easily accessible. It seemed like a fun activity so we gave making it ourselves a go. Evie had a ball kneading the dough but I am thinking that might have been an unnecessary step. We ended up making individual pizzas since the dough was not stretching from all that kneading. The pizzas were super easy to make and delicious. Not to mention cheaper and faster than waiting for pizza delivery. Can't wait to try it again soon. It was so nice to eat dinner early and then have time to play as a family before bedtime. We had a great time dancing around together.  Evie stayed up to watch the Olympics with us but bedtime was a disaster. She just needs routine to function just like her Mama. Bedtime has been too late and wake-up time has been too early so it's time to get back on schedule.

Saturday: Evie was up bright and early before Henry so we read the paper and ate breakfast together. We all went to the fair around 10 after Henry woke up from his morning nap. It was fun but so hot. Evie was not bothered in the least by the heat and was barely off one ride before requesting the next one. Henry was a sport hanging out in his stroller snacking and checking out the sights and sounds of the fair. He enjoyed seeing the animals and walked around the barn a bit. We ate ourselves silly. Everyone's favorite was the cotton candy. Henry was really impressed with his tiny morsels. We even ran into a few friends which is always fun. Everyone was exhausted and ready for nap time. I ran out to get my haircut and pick up some diapers while they were tax free. Big mistake! It seemed like the population of our entire state was out shopping too. Evie's swimming lessons were canceled due to the storms so we just hung out at home. Carl grilled the Italian Flank Steak Pinwheels for dinner and they were delicious. That was one of the meals from Cooking Club that I was not sure if Carl would enjoy but he liked it.  Carl and I switched jobs for the night. I gave the kids a bath while he cleaned up the kitchen. We might try that again because it was fabulous to have a break from the kitchen and the kids entertain themselves in the bathtub while I straightened up the bathroom. Carl and I had a low-key night. I went through my Pinterest boards and jotted down some notes of activities that are actual possibilities to try with Evie. Summer is getting away from us so I want to be sure to try some of these things before school starts back in a few weeks.  I was in bed asleep by 9:15.

Sunday: Evie was up before Henry again! We went to early church and then out for breakfast. Our kids are growing up because it is no longer nearly as stressful to take them out to eat but we still gobble our food down out of habit. Carl took the kids outside to play for a few minutes before the rain showers came. Henry went down for his nap and I took a nap too. Evie did not nap so I knew that we'd need to get out of the house this afternoon to keep her busy and content. We decided to go try Rocket Fizz.

It's a realy cool candy store in Downtown Nashville on Second Street if you are local. Evie kept saying, " I just don't know what to pick. There are too many choices." We ended up letting her pick two things because there were so many unique candies. After making our candy selections, we took a stroll around the city and it felt neat to check out new places.

Flavored Sodas are a popular choice here. Bacon flavored soda or peanut butter and jelly?

Evie's choice . . . obviously!

Mama's choice . . . yummy!

We usually stay in our area of town and it was fun to venture out of our comfort zone. Local Taco was our next stop for some chips and salsa. We had a picnic outside and tried to take some shots for Henry's 13 month post. He was too tired for pictures. Evie spotted her boys outside so we went over to say Hello! She told us that was her favorite part of the whole weekend. It really is the simple things that mean the most to our children.

Hope you had a fabulous weekend are ready to start a whole new week tomorrow.