Weekend Recap

We had a fun weekend at home.

W took the boys to the BMX park near our house for the first time. Ezra has been waiting and wanting to go for awhile, but we would tell him we'd wait until he could bike without training wheels. I cannot believe that time has come already...and that he would remember! He did great and the boys ended up making a trip there the following day. 

That afternoon, we dropped the boys off at Castlewood for our annual musical at Westminster. This year's production was Annie Get Your Gun, a great ol' western piece. Great entertainment. And of course, dinner at Homeroom didn't disappoint either. I know, we could totally venture out a little. There are some yummy eateries in that area, but why mess with a good thing?! Creatures of habit. Me included. My date night staples now include red lips, a bun, and two babes.

Sunday was lazy. I didn't get out of pjs until the late afternoon. We took some pictures for Theo's second birthday...which is less than a month and a half away. So wild! I swear he was the happy baby on my back just yesterday. Now he's full-fledged toddler. We'll be doing close friends and family style for his birthday, but I thought having a cute theme wouldn't hurt. This Mama has got to pick up creating again sometime soon! What better excuse than this sweet one's birthday?!

The later part of the day included a bike ride, soft serve, park shenanigans {including ice cream swiping}, and pool time.

Happenings {Via IG}

Our 4th of July was pretty mellow. We started the day with a family bike ride: the very first time Ezra joined us for the riding. We biked to the Corner Bakery for breakfast. Then headed out in the evening for dinner at our friends'. 

We put the boys to bed before fireworks because we had had so many previously late evenings {including a First Weds. downtown the night before}. We were so tired! Ezra and I finished our read aloud by E.B White titled The Trumpet of the Swan. Loved that charming story! My mom frequently sends us boxed collections like the Magic Tree House, Boxcar Children, and a small sampling from E.B. White. We have worked through them all and this one was my favorite. Which also explains why Ezra was so excited to try a high schooler's trumpet at the band booth on Weds...

Speaking of the gparents, they went on a two and a half week motorcycle trip and made sure to send the boys postcards. I was so happy to have my support team back-- I celebrated by crashing on Friday afternoon for a nap and dinner. ;) We also started Family Dinners back up and last week's did not disappoint. It was amazing and we were so happy for the leftovers. 

In addition to my cousin's wedding, this past weekend looked like a lot of laundry, our annual Free Shakespeare in the park, and a trip to Urgent Care for Vesper's fever. She checked out fine and was fever-free by the following day. I'm not complaining, but it was so odd. If nothing else, it let us know that she gained a whole bunch since the contraception fiasco was fixed and plumping up again. Phew!

It was so fun having two date nights in a row since it's been awhile. That and our weekend travels have been making this Mama happy. I must say, this summer is shaping up quite nicely. ;)

16+ weeks

So, it's obvious. Third babe already just has the odds stacked against him for micro-moment attention. It's all good though. We'll just start saving now for those hoooooours of therapy. But at least he'll be able to take on a loud, rowdy, semi-chaotic crowd easy-peasy. Cuz that's kinda what our family is like these days. Mastering life skills already, this one. 

We got away for a date night last week for some drinks and dessert. Just a little sliver of loveliness. I'll take any time I can get with this stud. 

{the pumpkin gelato was a.MA.zing!}

This pregnancy hasn't really been all that different from the others. Granted, it took me a bit longer to figure out I was pregnant in the first place since I was still nursing T. Ha! I definitely don't have the monster appetite I did with the boys. And I actually tossed my cookies a few times this go around during the first trimester. Probably my least favorite activity of all time. Would rather hit my head against a wall.

No major cravings although Mexican food always sounds good. So does the bread and butter pickles. I haven't gained as much this time but I also wasn't completely and comfortably fitting back into my pre-baby clothes either. So I'm sure it'll all even out and be the same in the end. I do know that I must be in the worst shape ever in my life. Where'd all my muscle tone go?! Got lots of work cut out for me post-third. {Elizabeth, I'm joining your gym and you're FORCING me to go with you!} 

It's going by so fast. Especially with the fall and holiday seasons jumping up on us. I'm going to have another sweet adorable baby in my arms in no time flat! And although I have some anxiety about it, I don't think it would really be any different if we had waited. With each new little family member that's added, there's some worry about family adjustment and change in dynamics anyway ya slice it. 

The other day, I finally felt the lil' guy move and it was so perfect. Loved feeling that squirm and was reminded that these days are precious and they are few. I really can't soak them up enough. I can't wait to meet him and get to know his BIG personality: Swenson quirks and all. {I'm pretty sure now that we just don't have "blob" babies..you know, the ones that just sit there passively and quitely, you almost forget they're there. Not possible with these genes.} And he will be dearly loved just like his brothers.

Three weeks left until we can confirm what this guy's gonna be...

Craft Date Night

Okay, I know. I'm head deep in craft posts lately. And I love it. I really do. I was in such a dry spell during W's tax season and subsequent lay-off that I'm really embracing my motivation and just going with it. I thoroughly love the recent projects I've done, the monthly contributor news, the girls' craft night and a future craft night. I also got some really fun and exciting news that I hope to share soon. So I'm up to my ears in crafts. And that makes my heart happy.

William had a recent "aha!"-totally-awesome idea for our stay-dates {time we set aside for just us when we're at home}. We both have some strong interests that we talk about with each other and will often dabble in. But most of the time we're just shoulder-to-shoulder. I'm crafting, he's listening to podcasts about gun safety. I'm researching my next project while he's cleaning his fire-arm at the same table. In child development speak: we're parallel-playing. Nothing wrong with that. A few weeks ago, he came up with the brilliant idea of setting aside some weeknights to do some face-to-face time while doing one hobby together. We're not only interacting but we're also learning more about the others' passions. That man of mine!

We started with a craft. :) I gathered some supplies for a basic project that I was wanting to add to our master bedroom. I figured it was a great start...it including maps and all. That caters to a man, right?! Once the kids were down, we got to crafting. 

Supplies:

-Maps {free from AAA}

-Three picture Frame {clearance from Marshall's}

-Cricut

-Scrapbook paper {gray, light blue, and red}

 -Glue dots {or glue stick}

-Scissors 

-Pencil

Steps:

-I used the cricut to get a heart for tracing as well as the labels: "Met", "Married", "Live" and the little arrows

-W located our "spots" on the map then traced the hearts with pencil and cut them out

-I introduced W to glue dots while placing the arrows to mark our spots {he didn't love them but gave them a valiant effort}

-We glued the maps and labels to the gray background paper

-Put it all into the frame

And got this final product! :)

 

Now it's his turn to cook up our next activity!

Date Night in Oakland

This past weekend, with our babysitters my parents back from a wild vacation, W planned a fun evening out in Oakland. Our church does several local community events and goes a group to them. When W heard they had discount tickets for "My Fair Lady" at the outdoor Westminster Amphitheater, he knew I'd love it. 

He also took me to a new restaurant. One of the perks of driving people around the area is discovering new places; the last being the Airplane Museum. This time W discovered an awesome awesome place: Homeroom. A restaurant with one simple concept: Mac and Cheese. And they do it well!!

Saying it was delicious is a understatement! I got the Gilroy gouda and W got the pesto basil. Both were straight out of heaven and we were both too stuffed for their homemade desserts. We're definitely coming back! Homeroom has only been open for 6 months and we got to learn the fun story behind the owners. I loved the giant chalkboard, whimsical light fixtures, and succulent plant wall, but really, they had me at the Mason jars.

After dinner, we joined the rest of the group and enjoyed a beautiful summer evening watching the musical, cozied up underneath a blanket . One of my favorite dates to date!

Making This Possible

iphone text conversation this weekend...

William Swenson to Dave Arterburn--

Thanks for making this possible.

Dave Arterburn to William Swenson--

Thanks for making this possible!!

Happiness Is...

...getting out of the house early with my boys, grabbing donuts and hunting for treasures at yard sales.

...heading into one of my favorite cities and grabbing a yummy treat.

...waiting for our adventure to begin.

...getting the best seats on the boat.

...getting some great quality time with my hot hubby AND the added bonus of a beautiful view!

{thumbs up to groupon and SF sailing co.}

...eating the most delicious food at Wood Tavern, a place we've been to once before!

...accidentally falling asleep at 8:45 and having one of the best nights of sleep that I've had in a long time!

It was a good day. A really good day.

Sweet Getaway

A weekend away including...

great food and coffee

naps

cable car rides
an outdoor art gallery

shopping

relaxing
one adventurous walk in the rain huddled under an umbrella

A huge thanks to my girlfriend, Erin, for hooking us up royally at the Fairmont. It was absolutely heavenly and so hard to leave the room. We had planned to redeem a Groupon for sailing but it rained long enough for it to be cancelled. We're getting really good at this Plan B stuff. Guess we'll have to come back...I do love any excuse to head into fog city, so it's all good!

Bankhead Theater

I'm really enjoying our current dates nights!! My parents are getting into the habit of switching Ezra for some theater tickets, and this week was no exception. :) We had a delightful downtown dinner at Amarones using one of our discounts from restaurants.com . This was after a hectic dash back to my parents' place because we forget to get the tickets from them.  

And of course I was really excited about this venue. No surprise, but I've been wanting to go since the Bankhead opened in 2007. The night's entertainment was the phenomenal Ottmar Liebert, a German with amazing guitar skills. His flamenco style was very sexy and cool. It would have been perfect outdoors with some room to dance, although we have no dancing skills whatsoever. We so enjoyed the time together!

SF Ballet

We did the unthinkable! We let the grandparents take Ezra for the night while we spent it in the city! And it turned out to be such a success, surprisingly! Last week, I got a steal of a deal thanks to a friend. So for less than the price of a movie, we saw SF Ballet's Program 4 last night. And it was beautiful! The War Memorial Opera House was packed & the performance was amazing.

(photos courtesy of SF Ballet)

I'm so privileged to have a husband who will attend performances like this with me. Although on the ride home, he reminded me I owe him BIG time! :)

Celebrating Love Day!

We spent Valentine's Day up in the vineyards near Fairplay & Somerset (in the Sierra Foothills). My parents have a client who owns Oakstone Winery up there so we decided to make a day of it. My dad & this guy are both Grandpas and apparently swap grandkid pictures frequently! So he was very eager to meet Ezra, and Dad was very excited to show him off.

On our way up to the winery, we stopped for lunch, nursing & a diaper change at Bocconato Trattoria. And to enjoy the gorgeous sunshine!

Oh, and some zzzz's

And cuddle time with Grandma!

It seemed like a grandparent fest at the winery as everyone compared stories. We were some of the younger people there, but they were all so sweet even when Ezra got a little fussy towards the end. Perhaps a little too much excitement, but he did really well considering it was a full day of adventure!

When Ezra got fussy for his nap time, we popped him in the wrap & out he went. 

Hope you had a fabulously wonderful Valentine's Day too!!

Date Night

On Saturday we were able to get a lovely night with just the two of us. Grandma, like the wise woman she is, encouraged us to get out & we are so thankful!! W let me pick our cuisine & there was no pause to think: sushi, of course!! I had been missing it so much since I was pregnant! So after dropping Ezra off at the grandparents, we went home to get ready and headed to dinner. Yum!!

Then we headed over to a friend's concert for a bit & hung out with some friends before picking up the little tyke. It was so nice to be together & able to focus on one another! Such a great evening! We sure missed our little Ez, but loved the time together!

Cafe Art Date

So W is done with finals & we're still awaiting baby's arrival. What better way to pass the time than with a day date?! I've had some discount cards for Cafe Art for two years now that a former student gave me and have wanted to use them so much! We decided to head there for a mid-morning art-fest today! I'm guessing it's more of a ladies thing since W was the only grown male there, but I totally enjoyed doing this with him. And was so glad that he was willing to join me. :) It's really a great date idea & perfect for this winter weather. We talked the whole time. We both thought it was so relaxing and therapeutic just to sit, talk and paint. Plus we get some usable souvenirs from the trip. (we seriously spent most of the afternoon there.) W painted a beer mug, and I did a coffee mug & ornament.

Here's our final products before being glazed & baked!

P.S. Our baby is still 0 days old, please disregard that silly ticker... ;) Apparently, it has no regard for tardy babies!!