This weekend Hank, the boys and I were walking downtown to dinner when we passed a group of giggling teenagers. As we walked by, one of the girls squealed something like "oh my god, that family is soo cute!" And there was this weird moment, where I felt this divide. There they are, these young kids, not a care really in the world, and then there was us. Grown-ups. Honest to goodness grown-ups. And I don't know if it's the norm, but if I'm not thinking about it I still think of myself as one of those teenagers. Well maybe not a
teenager per say, but it's still hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that I am 31, a wife and mother of two. I still feel like I'm in the "them" camp, and all those adults over
there are in their own. Half the time I feel like I'm just masquerading as an grown-up, anyway. I pay bills and I still giggle to myself thinking, "this is so adult." I get both boys ready and get out the door on time and I think "oh my god, these are
my two kids! Crazy!" When I was a teacher I had this feeling a lot less, and never at school, because being surrounded by teenagers all day I was fully aware of the THEM and ME (impossible not to be). But now, I am feeling those "whoa" moments again. I think this may be kind of weird (do chime in if you can relate!), and I'm not sure if this is something that a lot of twenty-something, early-thirties people experience, but then again, maybe it is? Through all of it though, there are moments like the squealing teenagers where I'm snapped back to reality from the little bubble I live in, and I am hyper aware of how it
really is.
The point of this whole post though, was to write about our weekend, and as soon as I started to I got on that tangent. So let's focus. This weekend was a GOOD one. So good, because Hank had off Thursday and Friday, so we got to enjoy a rare four day weekend. And oh, was it enjoyable. How I wish we could both be at home, everyday. And like clockwork, at the end of the weekend, Hank said (like he always does after a few days at home), "I don't know how you do it! Your job is HARD." And then (like clockwork), I smiled to myself and said something back like "oh, it's not so bad." Even though I'm always secretly pleased because I feel like on occasion I feel like people think being a full-time Mom isn't hard at all. And truth be told, it is.
We did a few different things this weekend, between spending time in Flagstaff (see our previous Flag trips
here), and spending time adventuring around our own town, and by the end of Sunday evening we were all exhausted and ready for an early bedtime. I think any weekend that includes good food, time spent outdoors AND the first day of a new season is a good one...so by definition, this one was amazing. Sunday was the first day of Fall, my favorite season, and I got to spend it with the three people I love the most.
This bit below though, makes me laugh because you'd NEVER know it from the photos (and isn't that the funny part about blogging?):
Our first stop when we got to Flagstaff was Macy's, our favorite coffee shop that we go to every time we're in town. It's always such a fun time, between their delicious vegan treats and great people watching. Silly us, we assumed it would be just as fun this time, but we kiiiind of forgot we'd have two kids with us. I knew right away it would be a slight disaster when there wasn't any room to maneuver the stroller, resulting in Hank getting stuck between some chairs and kind of causing a scene. Then we ordered our food and Hank's coffee (I didn't get his in a to-go cup, a move I now know is imperative when dining with two little ones at a place like this), and the only table we could find was smack dab in the middle of the place, with little to no room for the carseat, let alone the stroller, let alone two children and two adults. This is where I usually start getting really hot and sweaty- I overheat in situations like this- anyone else? So I'm overheating, Henry starts to have a serious meltdown over his lemon tart getting all over his hands (his only freakout of the day, so I have to give our sweet boy some credit), and of course...Charlie wakes up and starts to cry. A total (excuse my language) clusterfuck. We hightailed it out of there, Hank chugging his coffee, me inhaling my eggs, and as we pushed the stroller as fast as we could from Macy's Hank and I just started laughing. Hard. THAT was a moment we probably won't forget for awhile- our first attempt at navigating a very child-unfriendly place with both of the boys quite unsuccessfully. Check that one off the list, although I'm sure it won't be the last time.
And now, some photos! I hope your weekend was just as fun and eventful...although I'm hoping you managed to avoid any coffee shop disasters yourself!
xoxo
