We Love Wednesdays

I missed a week of Wednesdays, so I have a lot to share.

Cherry Blossoms
A couple weeks ago, the cherry/crab apple blossoms were in full bloom! One of my favorite parts of spring:)  Nora, Mom, Murphy (the pup), and I took a stroll down Memorial Parkway that is lined with cherry trees.  It was a beautiful day and the aroma was amazing!

Brent’s 5 Month Milestone
May 16 was Brent’s five month milestone after his Achilles repair surgery.  Five months means no more restrictions on activity!  Now, I have to take a moment to brag on my guy.  I was SO impressed with how he dealt with this injury and recovery.  He was patient in the bed rest/restrictions, diligent in following the recovery protocol and physical therapy, and continued to be the most involved dad and husband that he could with his limitations.  I am quite sure I would not have handled the situation with such patience.  But, he's is at the end of his recovery protocol and has been easing his way back into walking and running for exercise.  He made it!  

Friday
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  I am so blessed to have Fridays home with Nora (and Luke when he’s not in school)!

• Lunch

Last Friday, I had plans to meet a friend/former coworker, Diane, for lunch.  It worked out perfectly that Brent could take lunch at the same time so he took Nora on a date to Panera.  She thought it was pretty special!  I was also very blessed by the one-on-one time with my friend.  She is a couple decades ahead of me in life, we share the same faith, and she knows me well from working together for eight years.  We talked work and life and it was so nice to hear her perspective on how life has changed for her and her family with each decade of her life.  I am so grateful for the women that go ahead of me in life who share their wisdom:)

  

• Library

After our lunch date, Nora and I met another friend, Laura, at the library.  She and I are the same age and both in the middle of mothering the two children we have each been blessed with.  It was great catching up in person (though we connect online often) and supporting one another through the places we currently find ourselves as moms.  I am grateful for the women I mother alongside in each stage of motherhood:)

• Birthday Celebration

Friday evening, Brent and I got to head out to dinner to celebrate a friend, Erika's, birthday!  (Friday was an awesome day!)  It was a great night of relaxing, chatting, eating very good food, and celebrating a wonderful person!

Shower Day
Saturday my mom, sister, and I had a ladies’ day trip to a baby shower for our cousin who is expecting her first child, a little girl.  We got to see more family at the shower and it was lots of fun sharing in the excitement of another baby joining the family.

Grandma, me, Tina, Bridget, Mom
Yes, Tina is the pregnant one,
though you can hardly tell in this pic!

Everyday Fun
Life isn’t all about the plans we have…actually, most of life happens in the time between planned events.  Even though I’m a planner, I love the moments in between when "regular life" happens.  This past week, I noticed how Luke and Nora have been playing together.  As siblings go, I’d say they’re pretty easy.  They rarely fight (though sassy words can be heard thrown around between them).  With their age gap and different personalities, they don’t always find the same things entertaining.  This week though, I noticed a lot of time together, playing, snuggling, and wrestling (the fun kind).  It melts this momma’s heart!

Snuggles watching their new favorite show on Netflix

Brent and I enjoy being active and our kids know that’s a part of our daily life.  Nora often joins us on walks and at-home workouts.   The other day, she started out on some exercises with me then came up with a fun idea: a picnic with her play kitchen food.  She started making her plans, which included “dress up” clothes for each of us to wear for the picnic.  Daddy got a crown, I got a sword, and Nora dressed as a cowgirl.

Real dad's wear crowns while working out:)

Ready for the picnic!

The other day I finally decided to tackle the pile of ironing.  I brought the ironing board downstairs so I could watch a movie with the fam while I ironed.  Nora decided she wanted to join me with her own play ironing board and iron, so she took off her dress and started ironing it:)  The even better part was when she said "Next I'm going to iron my underwear!"

Hard to see in this pic, but Nora is on the far right wearing just her pants:)
As you can see, I prefer ironing while fully clothed.