Some Serious R & R

After a blurred week of volunteering, crafting, cooking and delivering teacher's gift, I was exhausted.

Friday mornings, I usually go to the YMCA with Parker and run on the treadmill while he happily plays in the nursery (our membership is so worth the free childcare!). However, when Friday morning rolled around, I just wanted to stay in my PJ's and enjoy a second and third cup of coffee...

So I did.

I told myself that I was kicking off my Mother's Day weekend with some much deserved "R&R" so skipping the gym was totally justified.

Around 10:30 a.m. when it started feeling a little absurd that I was still in my pajamas, I got myself dressed and rode up to the park with my little man. We fed the squirrels peanuts, played on all the equipment and then I said, "Hey, wanna ride up to Starbucks?" Of course his immediate response was, "YES! Can I get a cake pop?!?!"

He decided against the cake pop when he saw the giant sunflower cookies. And I couldn't resist, when he said, "Can I get that flower cookie instead Mama? Because I want to get one for Payton too." Melt. My. Heart. "Of course you can! It's only 8 zillion grams of sugar, let's get two of em!"

So off to the fountain we went...me with my iced latte and him with his enormous cookie.

But the delightful rest and relaxation was just beginning.

My parents took the kids for TWO WHOLE DAYS! WA-HOO!!!

I thought that maybe I should have felt guilty for not spending Mother's Day weekend together, but that thought quickly evaporated after driving them to Orlando and then returning to an absolutely empty, quiet house.

For anyone who is not currently a stay-at-home mom with little ones, you have no idea how rare it is to be home alone. It barely ever happens to me, so I was excited when the chance presented itself.

Of course I missed my kids throughout the weekend, but I think it's really healthy for all of us.

The kids get to go on a mini vacation and spend time alone with their grandparents (where they are spoiled out of their minds)... and Brian and I get alone time to be able to talk, stay out late, sleep in, do whatever we feel like at the drop of a hat... it's very healthy indeed.

And since we wanted to take full advantage of our free time, we went out on dates both nights and we went to the beach on Saturday.

Friday date night up at the Village

Let me tell you, it's quite a different experience to go to the beach alone with your spouse. Rather than lugging a mountain of sand toys, snacks, chairs, umbrellas, towels, etc. and then spending your time entertaining the little ones all afternoon...

We got out our chairs, opened our reading materials, and sat there. For hours. The only reason we got up was to go for a walk and to use the bathroom. It was heavenly.

This is actually a picture of the causeway leading up to the beach. I stayed off my phone as much as possible once we arrived and realized I never took any pictures. :)

After the beach, we went home and cleaned up and then I went for a massage. Seriously...not the most stressful weekend I've ever had. ;)

That evening, we had date night #2 where we met up with our good friends at a local Caribbean-themed restaurant.

But as Sunday rolled around and it became time to go pick up the kids, I started getting really excited to see them. So excited, that I had butterflies in my stomach when I saw my parents car pull into the parking lot. Which I think just goes to prove two things: 1. It's good to have some time apart because absence really does make the heart grow fonder... and 2. I really, really love my kids.

And I really love my Mom! It was so neat to be able to see her on Mother's Day and hug her and give her a gift. After all, they had just given us an incredible gift of a two-day vacation!

So we headed back home and I spent the rest of the afternoon lovin on my babies.

I was showered in homemade cards and gifts and lots of hugs and snuggles. It was perfect.

Brian even cooked my favorite meal that night:

Wood-fired cedar plank salmon with grilled asparagus and quinoa. Yum-O!
It was so delicious and the perfect ending to a fantastic weekend.

I am very appreciative of all the love and spoiling I received last weekend. It is so nice to be celebrated for all of the hard work us moms do all year round.

In fact...maybe we should celebrate Mother's Day twice a year? Yeah? Anyone else on board with that idea?? ;)

Thank you Mom & Dad for watching the kids. And thank you Brian for making the weekend so romantic and meaningful. Love you all!