So, where do I begin? We've had a pretty spectacular end to our summer. After Brooklyn's many birthday celebrations fizzled down, the rest of August and early September has continued to be non-stop celebrating! Phil and I celebrated 11 years of marriage by kayaking on Lake Union on a beautiful Seattle day.
ELEVEN YEARS?! Am I old enough to be married that long? I guess when you get married at 18...
It has gone by fast, but when I look back, it really seems like FOREVER ago. You often hear people who are going through a divorce say, "He's just not the man I married" - well... Phil and I are not the same people we were when we got married, and that's a GOOD THING! We started out as college students, navigated our way through establishing careers, developing friendships, growing in our faith and in who we are, trying to zero in on the important things and working on letting go of the things that aren't. Discovering what makes us happy and what we really want in life. On our anniversary date, I realized somewhere along the way, we have forgotten about having fun together. We've been so busy doing the 'grown up' things like paying a mortgage, juggling careers and kids, operating non-stop to the point of exhaustion - we just don't take the time to have fun as a couple anymore. Sure, as a family we do fun things like Fox Hollow Farm Days, Children's Museums, picnics at the park, but since we've had kids, we've honestly let our marriage take a major back-seat in the 'having fun together' department. So, a new vow on our 11th anniversary: LET'S HAVE MORE FUN!! Cheers to that!
And to get it all started, I had THE FUNNEST, Totally Awesome 80s karaoke party for my 30th birthday! Everyone dressed up in their best 80s attire and we invaded a little dive bar in Ballard called The Waterwheel Lounge - voted "Best Seattle Karaoke" and I don't think a smile ever left my face, even when I was singing!! :)
Talk about having fun! Best costume prize went to Katie, who got extra bonus points for MAKING her costume by acid washing their jeans and smacking them on the sidewalk for that authentic 'stonewashed look' and sewing her legwarmers!
Though I have to give a runner-up shout-out to Christy in her super hot pink '80s Punk' outfit (and made her gloves from lace knee-high stockings!) Best Hair went to Shaun with his giant afro wig, and Best Karaoke went to my friend Rachel, who brought down the house with her renditions of Madonna's "Like a Prayer", her harmony vocals on the group performance of Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now", and then holding it together when a crazy dancing drunk guy fell down on the dance floor during her Britney Spears song. Yes, it was a night to remember!
And the cherry on top? The kids spent the night at Grandma & Grandpa Lott's so we got to sleep in until 9:30 and eat a peaceful breakfast with no distractions! It's amazing how refreshed I felt! Thank you to my in-laws for that gift! And thank you to all my friends who helped celebrate my 30th birthday with me in such style! Man, I almost wish I was actually living in the 80s now, but I don't think my hair would like me very much if I teased it like that every day.
Before the glow of my 30th birthday had a chance to wear off (and get my voice back!) we were off to Chicago with the kids over Labor Day weekend to go to my step-dad's cousin's son's wedding (confused?). It was really nice to see my step-dad's family again. I saw them all 2 years ago at a family reunion (they use to do them annually) in Michigan, and since then there have been several new additions. It was fun introducing everyone to Brooklyn and meeting the other 2 babies that were born within 2 weeks of Brooklyn.
The kids were troopers through the festivities. Lots of late nights, late eating times, and new places. The wedding was gorgeous! I don't know if I've ever seen a more stunning bride!
We took a zillion pictures and danced until our feet hurt and our poor, exhausted kiddos started to turn to zombies.
After the wedding, we spent an additional 3 days in downtown Chicago (the wedding was in a suburb called Naperville), with my mom and step-dad in adjoining hotel rooms. Traveling with small children can definitely be a different experience, and we tried not to be too obsessed about getting them naps so that we weren't hostages in the hotel room, but sometimes, it was just better for everyone if they got a good nap. So, we didn't do everything on our list, but we sure had fun in the parts of the city that we did see. The Shedd aquarium was fabulous and the kids also really enjoyed Navy Pier.
For those who know my pretty strict adherence to a schedule for naps, eating, and bedtime, you would be impressed with my flexibility in trying to go with the flow a bit more. We even ate dinner one night, with the kids, at 9:30pm at Bubba Gump Shrimp! OK, I was sort of a wreck of bad-Mama guilt over that one, but the world didn't end.
The flight home from Chicago left at 7:30pm and was, well, tor-ture for 3 hours while we tried to get Brooklyn to sleep, or just be quiet, or just stop screaming, or just stop flailing her body back and twisting and kicking in an epic 2 hour tantrum. Boy, I profusely apologize to all the passengers around us on that flight. It was bad. Really, really horrible. I wanted to cry.
You know when you get home from a busy, whirlwind vacation and you think, "Boy, I need a vacation!"?
Well, the amazing thing is, I actually got to go on a "real" vacation just 2 days after returning from Chicago. One of the Moms in my PEPS group has a family beach house about an hour north of here and our group of 8 Mamas headed up for a 3-day weekend retreat. Just the perfect mix of relaxing, drinking wine, talking, girl time, shopping at the nearby outlet mall, and sleeping in til I felt like it. I couldn't help but think several times during the weekend that I don't think I've ever had such a great group of friends. So supportive, loving, hilarious, encouraging, inspiring.
We had so much fun, and it could not have been more perfect timing. Phil stayed home with the kids and said the 3 of them had a great time, the house didn't fall apart, they ate, slept, and played and it was so wonderful to come home refreshed and give them all great big hugs.
The next day Hayden had his first day of preschool.
I love his school and his teachers. I'm so excited for what is to come this year. I hope my expectations are not too high, but I just have a feeling that preschool is going to be a great experience for him and I can't wait to see how he grows. For a kid who hasn't really grasped the concept of peer socialization, I know it might take a bit of nudging out of his comfort zone. But I think these teachers, with 22 years of experience, know the right ways to love and respect his personality while encouraging his growth. And finally, this weekend we went to the Puyallup Fair. An annual tradition I think I've only missed a few years in my entire life. My grandparents joined us and Brooklyn and Hayden both just adore them! Hayden loved the rides - a smile never left his face! While Brooklyn loved the animals - she got to pet goats, baby chicks, a bunny, a huge sheep! She kicked her legs excitedly and tried to leap out of my arms when we were looking at the cows! She wanted to pet them too! And she makes an adorable puppy-like noise when she sees animals. This girl is an animal lover like no other!
So there you have it. Our exciting and eventful end of summer/start of fall. All caught up now.
