My last post was from earlier this month, about our trip to Alexandria, and here we are, coming up on Memorial Day! We’ve been SO BUSY, but haven’t really done anything…how is that possible?
I’ll tell you how: #toddlers
I really didn’t appreciate how life with a little one can seem so busy, while accomplishing so much less than before. I truly love being home with my girl, and appreciate not having to juggle working outside the home and being a mom. However, the ‘fatigue of the everyday’ weighs on me, and there are days I live for naptime. Sometimes, I spend two hours weeding and planting; other times I spend that time relaxing on the couch or doing my nails.
So, what HAVE we been up to?
Maelle discovered a newfound love of trucks! When her friend, Emmett, came to visit earlier this month, he brought a bunch of ‘boy toys,’ and Maelle took an interest. Lucky for us, our village was re-doing the running track across the street right then! So, we took a few field trips to see the excavators and dump trucks.
We’ve also had two VERY busy weekends, which really just means it’s felt like three weeks with no rest, at least for me.
Two weekends ago, Andrew spent all day Saturday doing our taxes (he literally does them April 14th, EVERY YEAR, so this year he did them May 15), and I single-handedly set up our outdoor furniture and umbrellas. It had been warm, and BY GOD, I was going to enjoy our backyard whether the patio had been cleaned or not.
After our taxes, Andrew’s ‘break’ was mowing the lawn. At least he had a little helper…
Andrew also spent a lot of time at the office that weekend, including taking his girls there for a quick field trip. I prepped meals for not one, not two, BUT THREE families with new babies, which is no small task. To say we both needed a break by Monday was an understatement.
Fast-forward through a busy week that included meal drop-offs, school-board voting, Andrew’s monthly co-op board meeting and two miscellaneous appointments…and we were onto another weekend.
Maelle and I spent Friday morning shopping for plants at Home Depot and Murray Brothers Hosta Farm, and then I potted them during her nap. (You didn’t think I was going to let her help, did you? I may be WAY more laid back than before, but deep down inside, there is still a girl who wants everything to be JUST SO.)
Maelle is such a good shopper and I truly enjoy her company. She got to see two puppies riding in carts and enjoyed yelling ‘FLOWERS!’ the top of her lungs as we walked around the garden center. I grabbed everything that looked pretty and decided I’d figure out where they’d go later.
On Saturday I had a baby shower to attend, so Andrew took Maelle with him to run some errands. Around nap time, I shot him a quick text to check in. The following two images should give you all the information you need to know:
So, let’s just say Andrew may need a *bit* more practice going solo with the babe, and he also got a taste of #momlife.
He spent the rest of Saturday digging a drainage trench WITH A TROWEL (to avoid tree roots), and I was on mom-duty. (I figured I owed him.)
After a fun, bagel-filled breakfast on Sunday, Andrew headed BACK to Home Depot (this time to a different location) to rent a tool and Maelle and I worked in the backyard. She and I watered the plants and I cleaned out an old sandbox we’d been given.
Andrew arrived home with not one BUT TWO rented tools, which sent me into a tizzy. Apparently, he thought he could power-edge our entire backyard landscaping AND power-clean our entire patio before sundown. It was Sunday afternoon, we’d not yet had lunch, and he still had a trench project to finish up. I had a massage scheduled that afternoon and I wasn’t quite sure how he thought he’d be able to complete both tasks with the rented tools.
But, in true Andrew-and-Holly-fashion (we once de-thatched the lawn of our first house at approximately 10 pm using flashlights, which drew the attention of our 60+ year-old neighbors…), we managed. I used the edger (Glad I had that massage scheduled!) while he finished the drainage project, and when I had to scoot off to my appointment, he dropped Maelle off with the Nyes and returned to start cleaning the patio.
After a dinner break at the Nyes, our Sunday evening tradition, I joined Andrew outside after putting Maelle down. Together, we all but finished scrubbing the patio and returning all the furniture to their places.
And now, our patio is BEAUTIFUL.
Unfortunately, we still have to clean and oil the deck…guess that’s on tap for next weekend! What are your Memorial Day plans?
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