It was so incredibly wonderful to have my sister and nieces under our roof and we had a crazy but amazing five days together.
Our time together stemmed from Ryan and my brother-in-law’s plans to head to Colorado for a ski weekend. Ryan had a feeling Chase would love to join the guys since he was obsessed with skiing after his first experience on the slopes during our short trip to West Virginia and Chase jumped at the chance to hop on his first flight in years!
I dropped the guys off at the airport early Saturday morning and Leslie and I FaceTimed them regularly and loved their updates!
Chase took two days of ski school and the videos Ryan sent me of him on the greens at the end of their trip were so, so cool to see.
I’m so glad they had that special time away and I’m even more glad they’re all home safely!
The Weekend
My mom joined me, Leslie, my nieces, Ryder and Rhett for the first few days of their visit and we filled our days with a trip to a local farm, a park and the marina near our house.
She left Sunday afternoon so she could be home for an early doctor’s appointment on Monday morning and while we were sad to see her go, we were so grateful for the time we had with Mae!
Before Ryan left, we joked that taking Chase with him was going to set off a tailspin of chaos in our house because Chase and Ryder often entertain each other and that can make things a little easier because the Rhett and Ryder dynamic is currently our most challenging. I ended up very pleasantly surprised because Ryder was so into his cousins and Kona, Leslie and Ross’ chocolate lab, that some of the brother battles that happen between him and his little brother seemed to disappear. (I also think this was due to the fact that without Chase around to initiate cooler games and bigger building structures, etc. there was less for Rhett to try to get into and less frustration for Ryder, too.)
And speaking of Kona, she got a LOT of love from our two boys over the course of the past few days.
I’m pretty sure there was one very jealous dog looking down on us in heaven (the Sadie-Kona dynamic was equal parts sweet and spicy) but there was no denying how much we loved having a dog in our house again. I think Rhett yelled out “daw! daw!” no less than 100 times and followed Kona around all weekend while Ryder took it upon himself to be in charge of feeding Kona and throwing sticks and balls for her in our yard. We aren’t ready for our own dog just yet but the time will come and the past few days only served to prove to me that when it’s time the boys will be thrilled.
Monday and Tuesday
Monday and Tuesday this week were chaotic in an unexpected way.
Three of the four kids ended up with some kind of a stomach bug that thankfully lasted only a few hours for each kid and involved vomiting but no fevers. We also took an unexpected trip to urgent care after Callie took spill and cut her chin. It was almost like a comedy of errors but in some weird way experiencing some of the more challenging moments of motherhood with my sister only served to bring us closer in this new phase of life. Thankfully we seem to have similar parenting styles and could swoop in for each other when we needed help with our kids which was invaluable.
Leslie and I have always been close and living far from her can be challenging especially now that we have kids and the desire for our children to know and love their cousins the way we love each other. Thankfully this trip only further strengthened the relationship between our two families and no less than 90 seconds after we said goodbye to Leslie and her crew this morning Ryder said, “Mom, I miss them. I miss Kona and Uncle Ross and Aunt Leslie and Callie and Colette.” (Yes, Kona was first. Haha!)
Thankfully we have plans to be reunited in Florida during the boys’ spring break in two weeks and you better believe I’m counting down the days.
As for the rest of the week, I know it’s going to pass by in a bit of a blur. I have an event at Chase’s school tomorrow and then I’m heading off to Connecticut early Friday morning for my friend Merri’s baby shower. I’m hoping to have time to type up my usual Things I’m Loving Friday roundup of favorites for you guys in the next two days and hope to see ya back here then! Enjoy the rest of your week!!
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Looks like you had such a fun weekend with family! Are you considering a Vizsla for when you’re ready to welcome another dog into your family? We lost our dog to cancer a little over a year ago and just now are feeling like we’re ready for a dog. We’re always looking at the local rescue agencies for a puppy – since our kids are young we want to be able to train a dog from a young age. We are also considering a Vizsla for various reasons but wanted to hear your thoughts and if you would choose a Vizsla again. Thanks!
we are! we love the breed so much. ryan actually wants to get two vizslas this time around — ah! of course the boys are crazy about that idea! i’ve actually been on a vizsla rescue email list for 8 months just to see if the right fit for our family might be out there. ryan and the boys really would like a puppy for the reasons you stated (i actually want an adult but think i may lose that battle) — they just really want a young dog that can grow with our family for years. i truly cannot recommend the breed enough especially for any families who are active and looking for a very, very affectionate breed that thrives on long walks, runs, hikes and outdoor family adventures. just be prepared to forgo all personal space once a vizsla enters your home — haha!
Ahhh that’s so great to hear! Our last dog was also a high energy velcro dog so we are up to the challenge. He was a rescue that we brought home when he was 2ish and although he was very sweet with us, he had some alarming behavioral issues we needed to work through (i.e. nipping children) that we were able to sort out before we had kids of our own. Hence why we would like a puppy this time around. There are definitely benefits to getting an older dog, too! Can’t wait to see what you end up with – good luck!
Just curious where do you find Vizslas at?
The weekend looked so fun! Just wanted to give some solidarity on the sick kid front—my older little guy (2) had this mysterious bug yesterday too! Two vomiting episodes, no fever, and everyone was back to normal after a few hours. So bizarre, but I was very thankful it wasn’t worse!
Sounds exactly like what went through our house! Glad your son is doing better as well!
So much fun to spend that time with family! My husband grew up in a family of three kids and their closest cousins lived a 6 hour drive away. They are still very close with these cousins and so are their kids now. I think the longer, overnight visits helped. It’s very special! I’m sure the kids look very forward to seeing each other for these extended visits.
As a long time blog reader, I thought Merri looked pregnant in the ski photos you shared. Very exciting! Have fun!!