While Daddy Was Away...

This is slightly out of chronological order (gasp!), but I wanted to do a quick blog post about my week alone with the kiddos.  Adam does the solo parenting thing fairly often, owing to my night and weekend shifts at the hospital, but I don't have the responsibility/opportunity as frequently.  When Adam had the chance to do a Canadian fishing trip with his dad and the LaBounty men in late May, my initial responses were to:  a.) say "Yes, you should go!" because I knew this was a bucket list trip for him and b.) start planning my agenda for my time alone with the kids.  Adam laughed when he realized I was putting so much thought into our activities for the week, but that's just how I roll.  :)  Here is a glimpse into our adventures...

We kicked off Memorial Day weekend with a Friday night pizza extravaganza.  The kids love the take and bake mini pizzas from Papa Murphy's, in large part because of the temporary tattoos, which they are flashing below.  (Sun's out, guns out?)

Daddy was largely off the grid, but he did send us one text pic to let us know that he made it safely to Larry's cabin in Minnesota.

I am happy to report that the children were bathed every night but one while Adam was gone.

On Saturday of Memorial weekend, we headed to Deanna Rose.  I just love DR and feel like I never get there often enough during the summer, so it was tops on my list.

The kids were shy about having their picture taken but not about devouring their Starbucks breakfast goodies.

We hit all the highlights at DR, but the main event was, of course, the baby goat pen.  I have often written about how Annalise has an unusual affinity for the goats, and it was so funny to see it in action.  She identified this small, shy goat in the corner, and, before I knew it, she had convinced Andrew (who initially wanted nothing to do with the pen!) to come on over and have a private chat with the creature.  So sweet.

Part of my Saturday strategy was to keep the kids moving, so we hit up Chick Fil A, had nap time, and then headed out again for a walk and playground time at a nearby school.

In the evening, we met the Mosiers for dinner at Cactus Grill.  By this point, I was starting to feel a little less in control of the situation, and it definitely was wonderful to connect with other adults.  ;)

On Sunday morning, we were up bright and early, and I had made up my mind that we would make it to church, no matter what.

Well, quite a bit of Mass was spent in the narthex and even outside on the church steps, but we did make it through Communion.  The kiddos also kindly indulged my request for a photo shoot afterward.  (It snowed on Easter, so I was dying to get some warm weather pics in their Easter outfits!)

It was opening weekend at the pool, so swim time also was on our agenda.  The kids were super excited to put on their floaties and get in the water after a long hiatus.

During the adult swim time, we enjoyed a few snacks poolside.

The Greens were kind enough to invite us over for a BBQ one evening.  The highlight was roasting mallows on their back patio.

We also attended cousin Kate's first birthday party.  The kids loved wearing party hats, playing with balloons, and eating cake, of course!

We also had plenty of quiet moments at the house, which were perhaps the most special.  We watched several movies in the theater room (making good use of the camo Snuggie!).

 We also had more than our fair share of treats.  Andrew thoroughly enjoyed Sweet Caroline's!

On our way home from an ice cream date one evening, we spotted some hot air balloons.  We chased them all the way to Windsor Hills, and the kids were able to catch a final glimpse from the deck.

The week certainly had its rough spots.  A few days after Adam left, Martini's orthopedic problems got worse, to the point that she could not bear any weight on her hind legs.  I ultimately had to make the difficult decision to hospitalize her until Adam got home.  Before that, though, I witnessed a moment that will warm my heart forever.  One night I asked Annalise to sit with Tini while I put Andrew to bed.  My hope was that they would at least be sitting in the same room when I returned.  To my sweet surprise, when I returned to the basement, I found Annalise sitting on the floor next to Tini, petting her lovingly.  To this day, it is one of my favorite memories of Martini.  :)

All in all, I loved the chance to have the kids to myself, but we certainly were happy to have Daddy back in the States!