Mae Returns + Date Night + Carolina Raptor Center

This weekend was a good one. It felt like our weekend began a little early as my mom arrived in town around noon on Friday. Chase knew my mom was coming to visit but didn’t think she’d be in town early enough to pick him up from school. I was kicking myself for not videoing their reunion when Chase spotted her in his school’s parking lot. He sprinted into her arms and then jumped up and town after hugging her saying, “I’m so happy!” It was truly one of those moments I know will be etched in my heart forever. I know I am so lucky to have a mother like my mom but now I see my mom in another light and know my boys hit the jackpot with Mae as their grandmother, too.

After school pickup, we headed home and Chase, Ryder, my mom and I whipped up a batch of brownies.

You know Rhett wasn’t going to let the brownie batter go to waste when he spotted the bowl after his nap!

After a little brownie batter appetizer, Ryan and I took my mom up on her offer to watch the boys and headed off on a date night!

(Jeans: My fav pair I’ve raved about a million times from Old Navy / Clutch: My grandma Mimi’s / Block-Heel Booties: Amazon / Bralette: Amazon / Sweater: Old but this one is similar) 

Our first date took place on February 1, 2004 and I truly cannot believe we’re coming up on our 19 year dating anniversary. I’ve officially been with Ryan for MORE than half of my life which kind of blows my mind. He’s good one and as Ryan says, all of those pre-marriage years were good ones, too, and definitely worth celebrating and acknowledging.

Saturday

We had a nice, lazy morning on Saturday and didn’t make it out of the house until around 10 a.m. Our plans for the day took us to the Carolina Raptor Center which has quickly become one of our go-to places to take the boys when we want to get outside. It’s a fantastic spot because there are lots of boardwalks where the boys can run around and explore and just be kids as they scope out golden eagles, kestrels, hawks, owls and more.

Our kids are big-time animal lovers but their interest in raptors and birds of prey skyrocketed after we discovered Alaska Animal Rescue on Disney+ thanks blog reader Audrey’s recommendation in the comments section of a previous blog post. It quickly became one of our family’s go-to shows during our weekend movie night and prompted a serious fascination with bald eagles, owls and other raptors in our home. We joined the Carolina Raptor Center as members back in the fall and have made it there about once a month ever since.

(Beanie: Walmart / Leggings: lululemon Super High Rise Aligns / Hoodie: The Amazon lululemon dupe hoodie we all love!! / Socks: Gold Toe — so ridiculously comfy / Shoes: New Balance – gifted / Crossbody bag: lululemon Festival Bag — mine is old but this is the most recent version / Jacket: Columbia) 

Rhett absolutely loves this mini cabin toward the front of the Raptor Center so you know we had to spend some time ordering smoothies and burgers from his little shop.

We eventually made it back home in time for lunch and while we assembled lunch plates for everyone, the big kids ran upstairs and created their own raptor rescue center for us to visit in their room. After our second raptor rescue center visit of the day, I put Rhett down for a nap and then our friend Ben came over to join Ryan and Pepper on a walk with his dog Remi. Ryan took Pepper on the longest walk of her little puppy life so far (more than 3 miles!) and she did so great! She immediately napped when they got home but we’re excited to take her on some longer walks in the future. She’s come a LONG way when it comes to her ability to walk on a leash and we’re proud of our little lady!

My mom and I also had plans to tackle some picture-hanging around the house. I’m fine with hanging single photos or pictures on the wall but when it comes to hanging multiple pictures side by side and making them look level, my brain shuts down and it’s a task I dread. Thankfully my mom has endless patience and was a huge help… although Ryan immediately made us cocktails when he arrived back from his walk and found us in the throws of one particularly difficult hanging project. Let’s just say his Moscow mules were very welcome!

Fortunately a few of my hanging projects weren’t too tricky, one being these pennants I ordered for Chase and Ryder’s room from Etsy!

(Beds: Facebook Marketplace find / Varsity Letter Initial Blankets: BaubleBar / Rug: Chris Loves Julia x Loloi / Toy Baskets: I got them at a local discount warehouse but they’re originally Studio McGee x Target / Nightstand: Wayfair — we’ve had it for years and it’s held up so well) 

I love the way the pennants add to the playful atmosphere of our big kids’ room and Chase and Ryder were excited when we surprised them with the pennants over their beds! (We hung them using these command adhesive strips.)

Eventually it was time for dinner but  the real highlight of the evening took place after dinner when my mom made her biscuit donut holes for dessert! Rhett and I were in charge of toppings and put together a few bowls of sprinkles, cinnamon-sugar, powdered sugar and a simple glaze.

I am pretty sure we annihilated the donut holes in record time!

The rest of our Saturday evening looked like the normal bath time + story time + bed time routine for the boys but it was spiced up a bit thanks to these light-up bath cubes my mom brought as a surprise for the boys. They absolutely FLIPPED for these things!!! We were also super impressed with how bright the cubes glowed in the tub and the boys thought their “glowy bath” was the coolest! Highly, highly recommend them as a fun alternative to traditional bath toys. I will 100 percent be buying these as a birthday gift for

Sunday

Sunday was a chill day in our house. My mom left in the morning so she could make good time on the road back to Florida while the rest of us began the day with French toast and fresh berries. We then streamed a Bible lesson for our whole family which was a great way to start the day!

Since it was pouring outside, we were in the mood to keep things nice and cozy and opted for some late morning crafting. Ryder, Rhett and I picked up a few small wood toys to paint when we were at Walmart a few weeks ago so I broke them out, along with our paints, and the boys spent quite a while painting their cars and airplanes.

Eventually we made it out of the house for a few errands — Lowe’s, Kohl’s for an Amazon return and Publix for groceries for the week.

By the time we made it home, Rhett was ready for his nap so we ate a quick lunch, got Rhett down for his nap and then hung out with Ryan’s dad who came over for a bit in the afternoon. Eventually Rhett was awake and we rounded out our weekend with homemade pizza for dinner and early bed times for everyone.

I hope you all had a good weekend and really appreciate you making my blog a part of your day. Hope to see ya back here again this week!