Popping In

Hi!

It's been a while. 

Actually, probably the longest break I've taken....ever! 

Life's been good over here. 

Our summer has been jam packed - honestly Tuesday-Sunday we basically have plans every single night, and our days have been filled too. I'm playing tennis four times a week, Leo's in swim lessons and camp, we have play group, a babysitter a few mornings a week, library dates, walks, pool visits, beach time, and anything else we can fit in between. 

Crystal Lake sure does shine during the summer. 

June's weather was a little hit or miss - but we worked with it - and fit in so much fun.

Fourth of July was literally maybe the best weekend ever. We were surrounded by family, friends, fun. The kids were SUCH troopers for our crazy, chaotic weekend - but they both loved every second. Leo's still asking for fireworks again.

And....as it always does....probably with all of the hype of the Nsale and the school supply list that has already been sent out, I'm starting to feel a little bit, tiny bit, kind of excited for the fall and the upcoming routine that it has. But, I also haven't forgotten how long this winter was for us, and how much time we were inside - so I'm not rushing it.

I did, however, buy 1 thing from the Nsale. A pair of short Hunter boots. I thought about them all last winter, so hopefully I'll get some wear out if it.

And I pulled the trigger on an Apple Watch on Prime Day too. 

Other than that, the random stuff, will probably have to wait for another post. 

Likely in 6 weeks.

I really just wanted to pop in. I'm still here, maybe you are too - and if you are - hope this finds you well. 

Weekend Recap

On Friday - I dropped my kids off at my parents for a sleepover, so that I could clean the house and get everything prepped for book club (and make a quick stop for a pedicure and new pair of shoes)....

Open toe booties to be exact - which I found on major cleareance, and I have a feeling will become my going out shoes for the rest of fall. 

The house looked so bare and clean without all of the kids stuff! 

 

This book group is mainly women from our neighborhood and it has been so much fun to have an excuse to read, talk about the good and bad part of the books, anddddd drink a lot of wine with new friends. 

They're were about 17 of us on Friday - which was the perfect sized group - and I think the last person left close to midnight. After cleaning things up (thank you Joel!!), I crashed into bed at 1, and then was up right at 6....so that kind of hurt (but was worth it).  

Joel grabbed the kids from my parents early - and before I knew it we were en route to our friends house in Lake Forest for a double birthday party for her two boys. 

 

It was one of the best birthday parties we've ever been too - so many fun things for the kids (including a train ride), portillos and drinks for the parents, a beautiful day, and big backyard was the recipe for success! 

 

 

 

   

 

 

We got home, everyone took great naps (including me), and then ordered pizza and just chilled on the couch watching college football. 

 

Sunday morning, Joel played tennis with some friends and then when he got home, I snuck in a short but fast (for me) run, and then we headed straight to celebrate Joel's mom's birthday.

She is from Tennesse, and recently got the kids some Vols gear, so of course we had to show up in their finest ;) 

 

 

 

After naps, we walked down to my parents to say hi and then came home to grill up some dinner.

Drewbie was running a little fever, I think because her top right tooth is popping out, so we stuck everyone in bed early in preparation for another busy week ahead!  

and I took this screenshot of a favorite friend on instagram and wanted to share because it's is just so good. 

Steamboat Recap, Part 2

Saturday morning we took the recommendation from a ton of people and drove to Strawberry Hot Springs.

The area has tons of hot and cold springs, and was absolutely beautiful. I am so glad that we made it there, because it's truly an experience that I won't forget and have always wanted to try butttttt it's a little pricey ($20/p) ((kids under 3 are free) to do with kids. The pools are really hot or pretty cold, and so my kids weren't super comfortable in any of the springs, which meant we only lasted for about 45 minutes. And the drive is a little hairy!

Regardless, I'm glad we can cross it off our list, and it really was spectacularly beautiful.

After the springs, we drove back into town and had lunch at Mountain Tap Brewery.

We got home, everyone rested a bit, and then Joel and I got ready for Lauren and Max's wedding. The shuttle picked us up at 4:10pm and before we knew it we were transported to an Aspen Farm. It was beyond beautiful and I knew we were in for a treat of a night.

Lauren and Max's wedding was beyond special, they each wrote their own vows, and there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd.

We had a great dinner, danced all night, and just had the best time celebrating our dear, dear friends with our dear, dear friends.

 

It was so nice having another day of vacation in front of us - Leo was thrilled too! I'm so used to running out the door Sunday morning, so it felt like a special treat.  

  

Sunday morning we took it easy, made breakfast at home, started running loads of laundry and then stopped at the brides parents house for a cup of coffee before we all headed out on another hike. 

 

It actually proved to be our steepest and hardest hike of the trip. At one point, both Hannah and I were pushing the double stroller up (and then down). 

 

 

We hiked for a little more than an hour, and then stayed at the base of the mountain for lunch. 

 

We got the kids home for naps, and after packing up our suitcases, Hannah and I both headed to the pool to relax and read a bit while Joel and Leo watched the cubs game.

 

And then, after the game, everyone joined us for an hour to swim at the beautiful pool on the property.

 

We decided to go to an early dinner in downtown Steamboat, and explore Salt and Lime - a restaurant we had heard really good things about. 

Luckily we got there early (5:30ish), and only had a 30 minute wait. Joel, Drew, and I hung out at the bar, while Hannah and Leo walked around a bit to kill some time.

 

 

The spot was worth the wait. They had amazing spicy margaritas, spectacular views, and were really kid friendly. 

 

 

We had a perfect dinner, got the kids home and to bed, and snuck over for one last glass of wine with some of our friends who were still in town. 

We hit the ground early on Monday - leaving Steamboat around 7:30am. We got into the Denver airport before 11am, had a quick lunch and mimosa, and walked to our gate. Weather wasn't great in Chicago, so I wasn't surprised to see a 2 hour delay. That 2 hour delay, quickly became 3, and then 4 hours, and then finally....cancelled. 

I pretty much panicked, called a few friends that live in Denver giving them the heads up that we may be staying with them, sad that our perfect trip was going to end on such a chaotic, bummer note, when Joel pulled off a miracle and got all 5 of us on a flight leaving in 2.5 minutes. 

We sprinted with all of our bags, the stroller, the kids - it was a circus - but we made it home before midnight and we were SO beyond thankful to be sleeping in our own beds that night.

The trip was over the top amazing - a vacation none of us (except probably Drewbie) will ever forget.