As we close in on the end of a beautiful Mother’s Day weekend, I just wanted to give a quick update, and pay homage to my partner in crime. Luckily Jessica didn’t have to work this weekend, so we were able to take full advantage of the weekend by combining some hard work around the house with some good meals, beautiful weather, and nice family time. It was exactly what Mom wanted, and I’m glad she got the weekend she deserved.
We decided to make Saturday a work day around the house. This was the second consecutive Saturday that Jessica spent the entire day outside doing yard work. I wasn’t able to help out last weekend because the impending Microsoft Build conference (which ran Monday – Wednesday), forced me to work a 7 day week last week, then I was on-call this whole week, so getting through all that and simply making it to this weekend was my main goal.
Anyway, the weather has been beautiful all weekend, so Jessica focused on the backyard, while I took on power washing the driveway. She did a great job edging and pulling weeds, while I spent 7 straight hours erasing away years of dirt and grime from our driveway. Once I finished the driveway it got really meta because I had to power wash the power washer, then Jessica had to power wash me. By the end of the day we were both exhausted, but I still had to go to Central Market to get groceries for our annual homemade Mother’s Day breakfast.
We were too tired to cook, so we all went out to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner, then per Mom’s request, picked up Dairy Queen for dessert. We definitely felt like we deserved it after such a long day out working in the sun. Jessica was hunched over in the yard all day and I felt like Ralph Macchio out there learning a life lesson. It was rough, but the end result looked really nice.
As you can probably guess, we all crashed early last night. I was up pretty early this morning so I could get going on my annual Mother’s Day breakfast/brunch. I made the same Crab Prosciutto Benedict I have on the family recipes site, and everyone seemed to enjoy.
After breakfast we had a video chat with Nana, then it was time to get Ava ready for hockey. After Ava finished hockey she and I ran to the store and picked out a nice bouquet of flowers for Mom, then headed home to prepare for our afternoon hike.
Jessica found a new wooded trail about 25 minutes from the house to check out, so we all loaded up in the van and headed that way. On our way we called Grandma Amy to wish her a happy Mother’s Day. The trail was beautiful, with lots of sights and sounds to consume. We saw trees with mushrooms growing all the way up their trunks, the birds were singing to us, the bugs were biting us, there were lots of winding paths to explore, and a bench near a pond to relax and have a snack on. We left a Mother’s Day themed painted rock, and found a painted rock, which will be a Mother’s Day keepsake. It was a nice way to spend our Sunday afternoon.
As is the case with all weekends, they go by way too quickly, but we’ve got a lot to look forward to in the near future. We’ll be meeting Auntie Dana and Uncle Brad for a hike in North Bend on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, then doing a BBQ at Laurel & Mark’s house the following day. I’m very much looking forward to Elise’s ballet recital in mid June, then at the end of June we’re heading down to Las Vegas for a week of sunshine.
It’s hard to believe that Ava is about to finish Kindergarten and Elise is about to finish pre-school. Their growth, as well as Enzo’s, over the past 6 months has been incredible. Elise is definitely ready to start Kindergarten in the fall, as is Enzo with pre-school. Ava is now playing hockey two days a week, and her progress has been amazing to watch. Just today I was watching her skate and couldn’t believe how fast she was, and how tight her turns were. She also started riding a bike without training wheels last weekend, so that was an exciting milestone to cross for the first time. It was almost a little too easy for her, so hopefully my help will be more necessary for the next two.
We’ve been putting a lot of work into the house lately, and it’s going to be continuing. About a month ago we had the house power-washed, plus had the roof and gutters cleaned. Now we’re getting ready to start a much bigger project with the same guy who did all that work, which is to replace and extend our front porch. It’s something we wanted to do last year but never quite worked out. This year we’re more on top of it, and are hoping to have the project start in the next few weeks. It’s going to be a major upgrade for our house, and is something we’ve wanted to do since buying the house four years ago. One thing I’ve learned about home ownership is that there is always another project looming on the horizon. Some are easier than others, but this one is going to be a big deal, so I can’t wait to get it done.
Before I go I just want to thank Jessica for everything she does, and is. I feel like we’re an amazing team, and together there’s nothing we can’t get through. I’m lucky to have her by my side, and the kids are lucky to have her as their Mom. She always puts everything and everyone ahead of herself, and never asks for anything. Her dedication to our family always comes first, and I hope she knows how much we all appreciate it, even when we’re being a bunch of tired jerks. We love you to the moon honey.
I also want to send our love and thanks to all the other Moms in our lives. Whether it be sisters, aunts, cousins, or our own Moms, we love and appreciate each of you very much, and you’re all in our thoughts today. As for my own Mom, I can’t wait to see you next month. It’s going to be a great week and we definitely need the time away.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Having a little down time during today’s hike
They loved celebrating Mom’s day
Getting to visit with Lyndsey Fry – U.S. Olympic Medalist from the Women’s Hockey team that won silver in the 2014 Sochi games. She came in to visit Washington Wild and gave a very inspiring talk about her journey as an Olympian.
Happy Mother’s Day honey, we love you so much!