The sun is shining, Alice is out of preschool for the spring, and I'm beginning to wonder if we need to find a new landscape company. These are the days when it would sure be nice to let the kids loose in the backyard, or have a meal on a patio. We have liked our landscaper's renderings, communication, quote, and work they've done so far. But the speed has gotten slow enough that we're wondering if it may halt to a stop before summer, or just creep along at a snail's pace until fall. We are willing to forgive some pacing issues because this is typical in construction, and beggars can't be choosers. But they have been not showing up for entire days more and more often as the weeks go by, even sunny weekdays. They are also working on our next door neighbor's yard at the same time as ours, and at least half of the days they are "here" they don't touch our yard because they are next door. Again, I'm ok if the yard isn't ready by summer (it won't be). But I'm suspicious it won't be finished until summer is completely over and that isn't my favorite. I'll keep you posted.
I had a wonderful birthday/mother's day weekend. I went in with lowwww expectations because Jared has been slammed with work lately, but it was a great day! We started the day off strong going to Original Pancake House for breakfast. I'd never been and was impressed! The kids didn't really touch their food but I devoured my eggs benedict and then ate their pancakes for leftovers the next few days. Jared had the day off from work and we spent a couple hours antiquing during Alice's preschool. This was my activity of choice because I figured, if everyone forgot presents I can at least pick something out for myself while antiquing. We found a cool original painting, and I tried to buy an old wrought iron bistro set, but Jared kept discouraging me and when I wouldn't let up (mind you the whole set was like $40) he admitted that maybe he already got me something for the patio for my birthday. So I let the bistro set go and off we went to pick Alice up from my sister-in-law's house where she was playing. When Jack got home from school we loaded into the car and drove to my parents' house to have cheesesteaks for dinner and open a sweet gift from them. We rented a Wes Anderson movie to watch after the kids went to bed, and I opened some nice gifts, including a sales receipt for my dream wrought iron garden bench that will arrive soon ! We need to go with heavy wrought iron patio furniture because our backyard is so insanely windy, but I actually might end up putting the bench in our interior tree room. The couch in there now is much too bulky for the space and there would be something lovely about having a beautiful garden bench in a tree-mural room.
The next day was another Saturday that felt like a real Saturday! Maybe we are moving into a new stage of parenting where we can catch the occasional weekend breather? Don't get me wrong, this is made possible in part by our longtime system where Jared and I will each take a couple hours for ourselves on the weekend while the other one handles the kids. It's a good system. We went to a football game for Jack that was a nail-biter and lots of fun to watch. I planted some herbs. 10/10
Sunday was Mother's Day. With my birthday so close to Mother's Day, low expectations are key. Good thing I've figured that out because the kids both woke up in weird, competitively clingy moods? I do think Mother's Day was the cause. Jack is an extremely competitive person, and inevitably he has rubbed some of that off on Alice. They can be quite competitive over me. "My mommy!" "No, my mommy!" Jared attempted a breakfast in bed, bless him. But Alice ended up in there with me while he was cooking it, which I loved until Jack came in swinging and competitive and neither of them wanted to share me. Eventually I had to get out of there and shove some breakfast down my throat before anyone could steal it from me. (Alice has a strong tendency to only want what I'm having. Like actually the food that is on my plate. My own food.) After breakfast I decided it would be a good time to sneak away to my mom's house to give her a mother's day gift of a peony plant and a promise to help with the interior design for her bathroom remodel. (I have 60 vanities of the right dimensions for you to filter through by the way mom!)
Jared's parents are moving to Utah !! and drove their first batch of belongings into town over the weekend. Jared and the kids took their mother's day present to his mom while I puttered around before church. Then after church we went back over to their new home for a delicious Mother's Day steak dinner. The kids had a ball running around the new house and yard--the previous owners left their hot tub in the backyard so at one point the kids stripped down and jumped in. It hadn't been heated but at least it looked clean. They had a blast, and no rashes . . . yet.
More I could say . . . including spilling the beans on Jared's Mother's Day present for me, but I don't have a picture of it on my roll yet so I'll save that treasure for next week (it is awful and also it made me laugh so so hard). Now onto some pictures:
^^Antique store date with Alice. We ran into my sister-in-law taking herself on a Mother's Day antique date while we were here. Such a wild coincidence.
