Weekending

You know the kind of weekend where there's nothing on the calendar, yet it turns out to be jam-packed full of fun activities?  Yeah, that's the kind of weekend we just had.  I feel like we were busy from sun up to sun down, so although I generally don't blog about our weekends, this one was too good to let the opportunity pass by!

It all started on Friday morning--National Donut Day, of course!  I loaded up the boys and rolled through the drive through at Daylight Donuts.  Not nearly as good as some other donut places around here, but it's the closest and has a drive-thru.  Which is totally worth not having to unload/reload two kids.  The rest of the day was pretty typical--a play date to a nearby open gym with neighbors and pool time after naps.  Brantley had baseball that evening (which we totally forgot about until 30 minutes prior to its start time) and afterwards we had dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants.

On Saturday, we decided to head to Kansas City's River Market--which we had never been.  I've always thought of it as a Farmer's Market, but it was so much more!  There was entertainment, vendors, and people everywhere and it was in such a cool {downtown-ish} part of the city.  It took us over an hour to find a parking spot (partially due to a nearby marathon we had forgotten about), but we had a great time once there!  We even got to drink from a coconut for the low price of $5! ;)

Kansas City just recently welcomed a new street car transportation system.  The street car only spans about two miles right now, but there is talk of expanding it from the downtown area to the Plaza.  We couldn't pass up the opportunity to take our maiden voyage while in the area.

 

We took the street car from River Market to Union Station and then walked a block to Crown Center.  Brantley has been asking to eat at the "train restaurant" for a few weeks so and this was the perfect time to do so.

After eating at Fritz's, we hopped on the street car again and headed back towards River Market and our car.  The energy surrounding the street car was unreal.  Everyone was so excited about KC's newest "big city" opportunity.

While walking to our car, I couldn't pass up the perfect photo opp here in this gorgeous, brick walkway.  Both of the kids were beyond exhausted but they semi-cooperated for these photos.  I think these may be some of my favorite photos of the boys ever!  (Meanwhile, some random lady was praying for Craig's knee...)

Later that evening, some neighbors came over for a summer camp out.  We grilled hot dogs/smores, sat around the firepit, and a few of the guys camped out with the kiddos.  Brantley and Holden had the best time!  Brantley was literally bouncing off the walls of the tent and it took awhile to get him calmed down and to sleep, but camping was a major success and both boys report wanting to do it again soon!

And side note, I am just so, so grateful for this neighborhood of ours.  When you find a home, you just never know the kind of neighbors you'll have, but we hit the jackpot and then some.  I constantly think about how much better our lives are because of this amazing group of friends we have connected with.

On Sunday morning, a couple of the girls and I prepared a delicious breakfast of breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy, and fruit.  We hung out on our patio, sipped coffee and Bloody Marys, and enjoyed the summer sunlight until deciding to head to the pool around 10am. 

Sunday afternoon consisted of extra long naps for all of us and we finished out the weekend with a little bicycle/tricycle/car fun outside in the gorgeous summer evening air.

It was seriously the best weekend we've had in a long time!!  Also, I heart summer!

And finally, Craig deserves a major shout out for keeping up all weekend despite his recovering knee!  He used one crutch on Saturday at the River Market, but he made his way around our house all weekend crutch-free!!!  It'll still be a long time before he's out running again, but he's come a long way in these past five week and I, for one, am so thankful those roughest days are behind us!!  Great job, honey, and thank you for doing your best to make it an amazing weekend!

Our Long {Valentine's} Weekend + A Mini Home Makeover

If I had to choose one word to summarize our weekend it would be expensive productive.

It all started on Friday morning.  We had planned to take our kids to daycare and spend the day running errands, but Holden came home sick on Thursday so we were forced to keep him home.  It was probably for the better because we had an electrician at our house for four hours on Friday morning installing seven outlets - three in the pantry, two in the {unfinished} basement, and two outside (covered deck + patio).  We wanted the pantry outlets to plug in things like a coffee maker and toaster...so naturally, we needed a table to set said appliances on.

We headed to Ikea that afternoon and came home with the Forhoja cart.

And yes, our pantry is big enough to house this thing.  It's like a small room.  One of the best things about this house, in my opinion!  Speaking of, the reason we wanted a place for our coffee maker is because we were both using four to five K-cups every weekend.  We decided that it's silly to waste the money on the convenience of K-cups on a Saturday when we have the time to make a pot of coffee.  When I first got my Keurig 4+ years ago, Craig was not a coffee drinker, so the convenience of one cup of coffee was well worth it!  I still think it's worth the convenience on weekdays, but we both felt there was a better weekend option.  Anyway, our coffee maker is a coffee/espresso combo, so I re-taught myself (via YouTube) how to make a latte!  I'm not sure why it took me so many years to re-discover this thing!  My latte rivaled a $4 cup from Starbucks and I have a feeling it will be my new go-to comfort drink!

 And speaking of coffee, I also had high hopes of adding a "coffee station" to our house.  There are so many cute ideas on Pinterest.

Follow Sarah's board Coffee Station on Pinterest.

But in reality, our coffee station should probably sit next to the actual coffee maker...which is in the pantry.  So we lose the cuteness/design factor.  Nonetheless, I found a few cute pieces at Home Goods, but I can't decide how I feel about them.  Cute?  Yes!  Functional?  Probably not.  What do you think?  It is cute enough to justify keeping next to our Keurig, even if they're never used? 

Back to Friday evening at Ikea...we also got a new rug for the play area part of our basement.  It's not the prettiest of rugs, but it's very playroom-ish (surprised Craig got past the Denver Broncos colors!), and considering it was on clearance, it was about the cheapest we had seen for its size.

Mejlby Area Rug

Oh, and also new dinnerware.  Because Ikea is like Target in that you can't just go and get what's on your list!  Besides, our old plates were in major need of replacing.  They were chipped and red.  But mostly just red.  I'm so over anything and everything red.  Dinnerware sets are so inexpensive at Ikea so it was basically a no brainer.

 Moving on.  My parents also came to visit this weekend.  They arrived late on Friday night.  We didn't do anything major, which means I didn't take any photos.  Just lots of hanging out and playing cards.  My mom and I did a little shopping--we discovered the store Versona and fell in love!  I would describe it as a trendy store for non-teenagers!  My parents also gave us a much-appreciated break from the boys' bedtime routines on Saturday night.  It felt so nice to relax on the couch, while someone else read books for a change!

Our Valentine's Day was pretty low key.  I attempted a festive breakfast, but the idea worked way better in my head than in real life.  Isn't that always how it goes?  These were the best of the best in terms of the pancakes that actually turned out heart-shaped.

After breakfast, we took my parents to the church we have been attending and then said our good-byes as they left the 50-degree weather and headed back to snowy Iowa.  Later that evening, I baked a homemade heart-shaped pizza with heart shaped pepperoni (inspired by Liz).  It turned out way better than the pancakes and this might be my new Valentine's dinner tradition!

Craig and I ended our Valentine's Day in the most romantic way possible - watching The Bachelor at 20 special!  I mean, I'm sure that's exactly what Craig had in mind! ;)  Good thing neither of us care about celebrating this "holiday"!

On Monday, we took our kids to daycare so that we could run the errands we didn't get to run on Friday.  But first, breakfast!  Just the two of us at The Big Biscuit.  It was so nice to sit and enjoy each other's company (and hot coffee) without whiny, needy kids in tow!

(By the way, I really do love my kids, but without family around, we rarely get a break from the norm!  So I apologize for what seems like an under-appreciation of my mama status!)

After breakfast, we headed to World Market in search of the globe/orb light fixture I had my eyes on.  We came home with each of the two fixtures I linked to on Friday...and then some - a light fixture for our breakfast nook, a new wall clock, and a wire organizer for above the Ikea table in our pantry.

 Four Sided Glass Hanging Pendant / Slated Wood Wall Clock / Metal & Wood Braedyn Wall Storage

 

We fell in love with this light fixture because it matches those we added above our island (from Lowe's--see below) about a month ago!  We still need to add an old fashion bulb, but we love it in comparison to the boring, old, builder-grade fixture from before!  (Here are the Lowe's above-island pendants.)

I also love this wall clock!  It gives our house the perfect farmhouse/fixer-upper feel without having to buy all new things!

And finally, the rack above the table in the pantry.  I really love this new space of ours, even if it is hidden inside the pantry!

Like I said, I was quite the weekend!  Expensive, as my husband would say, but productive in my mind!  We have yet to hang the orb fixture, but I already feel like our house got a mini makeover, which is always fun, right??   There were a few more highlights to our weekend but more on that to come!

Four-day weekends are the best!  Except when four days turn into five because of a sick kid.  Again.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's and/or long weekend!

3-Day Weekend (Including B's First Dentist Appointment)

Do you ever have one of those weekends that you just don't want to end because it was so great?  Yeah, that was my weekend this weekend.  Three day weekends are always nice.  60-degree three-day weekends in January are even better.  The highlight of my weekend was definitely the weather, but also the little guy turned 9 months old, we visited a few open houses, and Craig and I had a day date on the Plaza.  To top it off, I had an extra day off today for MLK Jr. Day and soaked up every extra minute with my growing boys!

Saturday was pretty low-key.  It started with an eye appointment (for me) and then we stopped by some open houses, which is always super fun in my opinion!

Since the weather forecast for Sunday was so nice, we decided to schedule our Segway tour (yeah that one I gave Craig for his birthday back in September).  Well, two minutes before we got there, the guy called and said he couldn't get the segways to work (due to the recent cold weather or something).  Since we had a babysitter, we weren't about to turn around and go home, so Craig and I decided to hang out on the Plaza for a few hours...something we rarely ever do!  We shopped, had Bloody Marys, ate lunch (pig wings from Gram & Dun - ummmm yum!), and enjoyed the rays of Vitamin D.  It was fabulous and we ended by saying "We really need to do this more often!"

Later that afternoon, Craig took Holden on his first run and Brantley and I met them at the dog park.  A January day at the dog park is always refreshing for everyone!

Today started with Holden's 9-month well-baby check and then we went to get Brantley a haircut.  We spent a few hours at home (and played outside) and then it was time for Brantley's first dentist appointment.  He did fabulously.  He was very calm and cooperative.  Both the hygienist and dentist were very impressed.  I mean, what can I say, things have always been smooth-sailing with that kid!

 

So naturally, we went to get ice cream afterwards. :)

What a fabulous weekend it was!  I'm already looking forward to the next one, and especially my next long weekend (luckily it's only 1 1/2 weeks away!).