We spent most of our weekend outside and eating… Not too shabby, right?
Saturday
Our friend Ben arrived in town with his friend Alan who is visiting from England on Friday night and we enjoyed having two guests stay with us for the weekend! Ryan and I have known Ben since our Orlando days (<- That blog post takes me back! Any longtime readers remember the mouse house!? Ah!) and it was so great to have him make the drive from Florida to stay with us again.
Ben and Alan were hoping to spend some time on the lake during their visit which sounded great to us, so after a filling brunch that included banana muffins (I loosely followed this recipe) and a frittata, we lathered up in sunscreen and headed out after Chase’s morning nap.
The weather was gorgeous and super sunny. We knew our time on the boat was somewhat limited since Chase’s afternoon nap loomed over our heads a bit, so we found a sandbar nearby and dropped anchor for some swim time!
My mother-in-law recently sent us a float toy that we used for the first time on Saturday and it was fantastic!!! Chase absolutely loved it and we really enjoyed watching him splash and play under a protective canopy.
We spent about two hours on the water before Chase was ready to head home, so Ryan dropped the two of us off and we headed inside for lunch and Chase’s afternoon nap while the guys stayed out for a couple more hours.
By the time everyone was back home and Chase woke up, our stomachs were rumbling and Ben requested Alino Pizzeria pizza for dinner.
We took Ben to the local pizza hot spot last time he was in town and apparently the pizza made a lasting impression on him. We were more than happy to drive up to Mooresville for a few slices of our favorite pizza and ordered three pizzas for four adults and finished every last slice, as well as two caprese salads. (Their mozzarella is all kinds of fantastic.)
Whenever Ben comes to visit, we’ve made it a tradition to have an “ice cream party” every night and after our pizza dinner, we swung by Publix to pick up everything we needed for another ice cream sundae extravaganza.
We ate our ice cream while playing Bang!, the way-too-amusing game our friends Kevin and Chandra brought into our lives before they moved away a few months ago. (We miss them way too much!)
I think the boat and the sun drained everyone’s energy for a rockin’ Saturday night, so board games and ice cream sounded great to everyone which suited me just fine!
Sunday
Ryan and I were up early on Sunday because Chase started making noises at 5:30 a.m., so I went in to feed him and he thankfully went back to sleep for a couple more hours before he was up for the day. This gave us a chance to ease into the morning a bit, so I prepped a batch of peanut butter baked steel cut oatmeal for everyone and while it baked, Ryan and I sat in our backyard and played fetch with Sadie while I sipped my coffee. I almost always use early mornings to get a jump start on work on the computer so it honestly felt rather special to actually take a moment to relax with my coffee while swinging on our backyard swing with Ryan. I’d love to begin every day that way!
Ben and Alan slept in until around 9:30 a.m., so while they were sleeping, we also managed to get Chase and Sadie out for a quick two-mile walk.
We arrived home just in time to say good morning to the guys and spent the next few hours hanging out around the house until Ben and Alan had to leave to make the drive back to Orlando around noon. Chase woke up from his morning nap just in time to say goodbye to the guys and after they left, we headed off to the grocery store to grab some food for the week.
Once we were back at home, we unloaded the groceries before hopping back in the car and driving to a nearby beach for an early afternoon swim in the lake. It was slightly overcast but we still had fun splashing around with Chase and throwing sticks for Sadie.
(My bikini top in the above pictures is from Victoria’s Secret this year which reminds me… Have you guys heard they will no longer be making swimsuits!? I’m so bummed!!!)
By the time we arrived back home, Chase was more than ready for his afternoon nap, so I nursed him and put him to bed before using his naptime to type up this blog post.
I’m hoping to spend the last few hours of our weekend prepping food for the week and relaxing. Hope you guys have a great Monday!
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Pizza and time by the water sounds like an amazing weekend! You were such a nice host preparing a home made breakfast each day. =)
Chase is quite the water baby! I have a random question, do you go to the gym/workout when you have visitors? I always struggle with feeling odd or guilty (in situations like you had weekend, not when the person works out too).
It depends! If it one of my friends, I usually take their lead and if they seem to want to work out, we will and if not, I just skip it (this seems 50/50 depending on which friends are visiting)! If it’s family or one of Ryan’s friends, I usually will stick to my normal routine (a workout on Saturday and a rest day on Sunday). This weekend was pretty easy because Ryan, Ben and Alan all wanted to work out and went to work out after I got home from boot camp on Saturday morning (I went to the early class before the guys were even awake). I guess I just try to get a read on the guests and don’t let my workouts take priority/override any real plans for the day. If they don’t, then I don’t see the problem with sticking to my routine and beginning my day with a workout that makes me feel great! 🙂
Ah, sounds like a perfect weekend! I did not hear about the bathing suit thing, did they say why? That’s a bummer, their swimsuits are so cute!
Sounds like you guys had a great weekend!
https://thedogtribe.com/2016/06/06/iceland-engagement/
How do you like your jogging stroller?!
Thanks!!!
We love it!! It’s the Chicco Tre and it has been wonderful so far. I was actually recently sent the BOB to review as well and it’s another great option for jogging strollers. I truly think you can’t go wrong with either, but I highly recommend checking out Lucie’s List for great jogging stroller reviews. It’s wonderful and very comprehensive!!
Ok… so a lot of fabulous-ness happened in your post that I was going to comment on… and then you said VS was no longer making swimsuits. Literally ALL of my way too many suits are from them! I’m so bummed too!
I am so glad you shared the bikin top info, it is so cute! That is really sad Victoria Secret wont be selling bathing suits anymore! Sounds like such a nice weekend! I am so glad summer is finally here!
bang is so fun! my family is coming to visit and we’ll definitely be pulling out the table top games.
What a fun weekend! I love that little baby floaty!
I had no idea about the VS bathing suits ending! Bummer! But your weekend sounds like it was great! Have a good week! (yikes…that’s a lot of exclamation points…)
Do you know why VS is going to stop selling bathing suits? It doesn’t make sense to me because I know so many people who only purchase from VS! I’m so sad about this. Guess it’s time to stock up for the next 10 years. 🙂 At least they are having a lot of good sales!
Looks like you had a wonderful weekend with friends. My son has that water floatie as well and loves it.
they gave some reason like, “to better focus on the core of our brand” or something… BOO! 🙁
Can’t wait to take our little one in the water this summer! Which sunscreen do you like best for Chase?
So far I’ve only been using The Honest Company sunscreen (they came out with a new formulation recently) and we’ve loved it! (We’re actually all using it right now and haven’t had any issues with sunburns at all.)
Food and fun on the water sounds like an awesome weekend to me!
So how close are you to the lake? Seems like you practically live on it!
I WISH we lived on the lake! That’s a life goal for sure. We live quite close but not on the water.
We love board games in our house, we’ll have to check out BANG!
Are the cute shorts you’re wearing in the stroller photo for running? I’ve been looking for non-super-short running shorts to replace my many pairs of trusty (but very old) Nike Tempo shorts that everyone had back in the day.
Yes!! They’re Lorna Jane and I got them on sale via Zulily! 🙂
They aren’t making bathing suits anymore?! That is tragic. I’ve heard so much about Alino pizza – need to get there soon!
I was just in Mooresville this weekend visiting my in-laws. Are there any public Lake Norman beaches? They live near the lake but not on it and there is an access in their neighborhood. I would love to take my little one swimming or the summer ! We went to toast this weekend on your recommendation. It was great to try something new!
Ramsey Creek Park and Lake Norman State Park both have public beach access! 🙂 And I’m so glad you liked Toast!
Victoria’s Secret is not making bathing suits?!?!? This is unacceptable- guess that means I better hit up the 40% off sale. 🙂
Hey Julie- My daughter is almost 8 months and we have a boat that is docked on the river. She’s a chubster so that may be our problem but what life jacket do you use with Chase? Also, do you feel comfortable with him in the floaty and not the life jacket? I’m thinking maybe because it’s the lake that is ok but the river needs a life jacket, still? Anyway I appreciate any help with the life jacket! We took Annabelle over the weekend for her first boat ride and she LOVED it! We had a life jacket from when I was little but it worked the best out of the ones we’ve tried!
We use this life jacket for Chase: http://bit.ly/1WC4CeJ I couldn’t say he LOVES it, but he tolerates it… 🙂 And YES, the floaty thing is MUCH preferred by him to the life jacket. He’s way happier in it — We still use the life jacket when we are ON the boat, but in the water, I feel safe with him in the floaty thing as long as we are right there and don’t let go/take our eyes off him.
This sounds like the most perfect weekend! I know I’m super bummed about the swim suits! I need to stock up before it’s too late.
I’m shocked Victoria’s Secret is no longer making bathing suits! That has seemed like such a core product line of theirs the last few years.
Love the idea of pizza & ice cream parties when friends come to visit….now THAT is a friend I want visiting often!
So sad about the swim but THANK YOU for saying something … I ran to their site and took advantage of the sale. I can’t believe it!
WOW! What a weekend with 4 cuties! I can’t wait to take our grandson to the lake. His mom is scared to let him. 🙁 He’s 6 months and I bought the cutest life jacket and hat for him.
What!? They aren’t making swimsuits anymore! That’s horrible news 🙁 That frittata you made looks amazing!
Fun fun! I’ve got that same water float picked out for Adeline on my Amazon wish list! Chase looks adorable! I’m cracking up at your old home, what fun memories!
Sounds like an amazing weekend! A great combination of fun and relaxation! I’m in Chicago visiting…. pretty much everyone… so this weekend was a busy, but wonderful one.
And WHAT?! I had no idea VS was no longer making swimsuits!!! I must invest at once (after I finish the Virtual Summit courses, of course. They’re SO GOOD, right?!)
Thanks for sharing your weekend with us, Julie! Chasers facial expressions in the last two pictures are the best.
UGH, I’m with ya! 80% of my bathing suits are from Vic Secret (I can always count on certain styles to fit me well, while some of the Target brand is just not made for our body type), and they always have affordable options. Waaaaaaah!
Terrible news about VS! Where will I buy my bathing suits now?! ??
I did NOT hear that VS wouldn’t be making suits. So sad. I love their suits. Looks like a great weekend, Julie! I will check out that board-game, because I always like to have a new one on hand for friends.
Sounds like the perfect weekend. Good friends, good food and great weather.
I remember the mouse house!! Yikes! Gives me the willies on your behalf!
Chase makes such adorable funny faces of concentration/glee. ha ha, fun to see! Love the sound of your weekend, and you reminded me that I have leftover pizza in my fridge!
Disappointed in the V.S. swimsuit news!
Thank you for sharing the info about VS! I don’t think I’ve ever owned a bathing suit from anywhere else (at least in my adult years!) The muffins look a-maz-ing. I may have to give those or your no-bake peanut butter bars a try for our road-trip this weekend! You are always such a gracious host- prepping/making such lovely breakfasts for your guests!
Have you tried Novanta 90 pizza yet at the Langtree exit? It is all kinds of good. We just discovered it in the past couple of months, and have really liked it. It is the true Italian style like Alino I believe. I would like to try Alino too, but it is a further drive for us. Novanta has a neat décor as well.
Sounds like you had a nice weekend. I love waking up before the house on the weekend and enjoying a cup of coffee.
I haven’t but need to make my way up there!! I’ve heard good things!!
Hi Julie! I love reading your blog, but never comment, haha. Your family is so cute and your posts always put a smile on my face 🙂 Hope you’re having a great week <3
Blessings,
Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com
Thank you for taking the time to comment, Edye!! <3
I love making a HA-UGE frittata for breakfast! I actually had a big fat veggie-filled omelet this morning–so tasty!
Sounds like such a fun weekend with great company.
Also I had no idea VS is not going to be making swim suits anymore. I love their suits 🙁
I just want to say that you look absolutely gorgeous in the lake photos – and I love Chase’s floating seat! So handy!
Thank you, Casey!! <3
That pizza looks delish. I’m sad VS is discontinuing swimwear, too. I’ve always loved their styles but have never actually bought one…which means I must do so before they sell out!
Sounds like you had great weekend!
We love board games and will definitely have to check this one out! I am so bummed about VS as well – it’s the ONLY place I buy my swim!! I’m hoping someone will buy their line? They’re having 60% off right now so I just stocked up!!!
Thanks for the reminder on VS, just went on and bought 3 tops and 4 bottoms from their website! I’m so upset, I love their swimwear!
Your swimsuit is so cute!!! It looked like an amazing weekend! Random question- do you waterski, tube, wakeboard on your boat? We owned an old ski boat for a few years before we had our son and it was always SO much fun to play in the water! I am jealous!
We don’t but only because we haven’t really looked into buying anything like that just yet but we would LOVE to! Ryan loves wakeboarding, so it’s probably just a matter of time. 🙂