Just The Three of Us

Andi went away for a boys' hunting trip in Canada this past weekend, so I decided to embrace the calm and stay put for a change vs. driving to our lake cabin. I bet I could count on one hand the number of times we've spend a Saturday or Sunday in the Twin Cities ... which is crazy since we live here!

I typically dread the weekends Andi's traveling because it seems like everyone in the world has their own family's plans. Saturday and Sunday drag on forever; it's different from the weekdays when the kids and I have our regularly-scheduled activities to keep us busy. This weekend though, I welcomed the chance to chance to take things at our own pace. Now that Tory's in school half-days, we've got somewhere to be every morning by 8:25am. I made a list of things to do this weekend, but loved the idea of picking and choosing where we wanted to be.

Friday afternoon, I took the kids to Westwood Hills Nature Center for an outdoor scavenger hunt. Going for a nature hike has become one of my favorite pasttimes, though admitedly, not much ground is covered with four little legs along. Before we left home, I printed a nature scavenger hunt in hopes it'd spur Tory and Aden to walk with a purpose. It definitely worked for Tory! We had the entire grounds to ourselves and enjoyed an absolutely perfect fall evening outdoors.

These two make my heart burst with happiness! I hope they'll always be the friends they are today.

We made homemade pizza for dinner, ate popcorn, and watched Curious George Halloween Boo-Fest that evening. I don't personally love how dark it gets at night now (the sun sets at 6:30pm!), but I do love how easy it is to pull the wool over the kids' eyes and make them believe they stayed up super late when it's really their regular bedtime. Movie night at 6:30pm, bedtime at 7:30pm and Mama's time by 8:00pm = winning for everyone!

Saturday, the kids decided they wanted to see the Thomas the Train exhibit at the Minnesota Children's Museum. We haven't been to the museum in ages (like, three years at least!) so I thought it sounds like the perfect plan. Plus, Aden loves trains these days so I knew he'd enjoy it.

The Children's Museum is currently under construction so it was a little underwhelming compared to the past, but Tory and Aden didn't expect anything less. They had a great time!

 
Later that day, the three of us walked to a nearby park and played for several hours. We had a great time.

One thing I love about the lake cabin is the way it feels like a mini-getaway every single weekend. We always have something fun planned, but fun takes planning and preparation. This weekend, it was nice to stay home for change and enjoy some local fun and relaxation.