Weekend Recap

A and I celebrated our 12^th anniversary over the weekend!  I can’t believe how fast 12 years has flown by!!

Nani kindly offered to take the boys on Saturday night.  A and I never get to go out near our actual anniversary.  We usually end up going out to dinner at some point in late November.  So this was a special treat.  While the boys were making pizzas and cookies with Nani and Papa, A and I enjoyed dinner at a nearby restaurant.  We ordered entrees, drinks, desserts, and the waiter even brought us Prosecco and chocolates.  Everything was delicious and we ended up staying for 2 hours.  From there, we headed home and watched a cute movie called Always Be My Maybe on Netflex. 

We met up with the boys at church and soon enough it was time to get ready for our town’s trick or treating.  The weather was perfect and our friends even joined us as we walked the neighborhood.  I’m really glad our trick or treating was on Sunday because we’re supposed to have some rain/snow mix on Halloween Day.  Ugh – so not ready for snow!!

W wanted to be a Starbucks barista and S wanted to be a pilot.  Both costumes were super easy and the boys looked so cute.  

After about two hours of walking around the neighborhood, we called it quits.  

The boys couldn’t wait to examine their candy (though they hardly eat any of it).  It always surprises me that they receive a few full size candy bars.  That didn’t happen when I was a kid!  You should see the amount of sweets in my house right now: A taffy apple from A, truffles from A, cookies from Nani, tons of Halloween candy, apple cinnamon donuts, and chocolate covered Oreos.  So if you see me looking like I gained a few pounds, well, you’ll know why.  I have such a sweet tooth!!

Weekend Recap

I really have no idea where the time goes.  I feel like Christmas will be here before we know it.  Let’s see what I can remember about last weekend…

Friday.  The boys started the next session of their tennis class annnnd I hate it.  Ok, hate is a strong word.  But as soon as we arrived, another mom leaned over and whispered, “I miss Coach Ryan already.”  Not a good sign.  The class is huge – 10 kids for 1 instructor and all the kids are older than the boys.  The instructions were a bit advanced for the boys and I feel like they got nothing out of the lesson.  It was really disappointing since the previous session was through the same company and we all loved it.

Saturday.  Coffee, Juice and breakfast with trivia questions mixed in.  The boys got much needed hair cuts.  And then it was time for Nani and Papa’s surprise 45^th anniversary party!  Great food, great company, and I think everyone had a great time.  I also think Nani and Papa were really surprised. 😊  Also, the boys got to play with their cousins, which always makes for a fun (loud) time.  All the kids behaved really well.  We left with really full bellies and a little too much wine (me).

Sunday.  We began our day with church and Starbucks.  W and I took Charlie to the dog park.  He loves going and the people are always so friendly.  Charlie gets to run until he collapses and then he gets belly rubs from anyone and everyone.  After that, we headed to my mom’s house.  The boys had been asking to go to grandma’s for awhile.  They love playing with my brother’s old Legos and cars and it warms my heart.  We ordered pizza and watched football and after a busy weekend, I was grateful that my mom was willing to entertain the boys for a bit.  It’s funny to me that I was really tired out from the party.  The boys, on the other hand, went to bed way way late and still had tons of energy the next day.  Oh, to be young!  A and I finished the weekend catching up on shows.

CF in the News

I still need to post my usual Weekend Recap (late as usual), BUT…

Monday was a huge day for the CF community with the approval of Trikafta.  I actually receive emails from FDA because of my job so I saw “FDA approves new breakthrough therapy…cystic fibrosis” and was very confused.  I consider myself to be in the know regarding upcoming CF approvals and the triple combination therapy approval was targeted for early 2020.  March 2020 to be exact.  I think I read the email at least 10 times convinced this could not possibly be the news I’d been waiting for.  But it was.  And major kudos to Vertex because their application must have been on point - that was an incredibly fast approval.  This is the very first drug targeting CFTR function approved for A’s CF mutations.  I’m cautiously optimistic and really hopeful.  I’m so curious what will be discussed at A's next clinic appointment in November and if he'll be able to start taking the new drug soon.

Speaking of clinic, I never provided an update after A's last CF clinic appointment.  I was waiting until I learned his PFT numbers, but I still haven't seen them. A's clinic doesn't provide them at the appointment so he has to check them online and although I'm always super curious, he is NOT.  I do believe they were up slightly and in line with previous appointments.  I still wish they were higher and I'm not sure how much the antibiotics really helped.  If nothing else, maybe they prevented him from feeling worse.  A has also had a lot of GI issues since he was on the antibiotic.  We're not sure if there is a correlation, but he has an appointment with a GI doctor next month.

Weekend Recap

Way late on my weekend recap per usual.  All day work meetings, school board meetings, and everything in between has made for a hectic week.

We had such a fun weekend!!

Friday.  It was the boys last tennis lesson for this particular class.  I actually signed them up for the next session, but we aren’t sure who the instructor will be.  This last class was dubbed parents versus kids and I was super excited to bust out my old tennis racquet.  You guys, I was totally in my element.  I had so much fun hitting shots and served an ace to A.  And it was definitely an ego boost when my boys called me a tennis pro and the instructor referred to me as one of the Williams sisters.  I will be participating in parents versus kids at every opportunity.  Haha.  But seriously, I think we all had a great time.  Why aren’t family tennis lessons a thing?!

Saturday.  A took Charlie to doggy day care where he’d be spending the weekend and returned with coffee and breakfast.  We packed our suitcases and began our little road trip to Michigan.  I’m not sure why, but the boys were really excited to stop at Denny’s for lunch in Indiana.  Our waitress was really sweet and before we knew it, we were in Michigan.  Total, it was about a 3 hour drive so not bad at all.  The boys were super excited to discover they had their own little room with a bunk bed.  Side note:  A and I debated whether or not we should visit Michigan and then went back and forth about which hotel we should stay at.  Ultimately we decided that the boys would like the bunk beds even though the hotel wasn’t quite as nice as other options.  I’m so glad we chose the one we did because they LOVED the bunk beds.  I pack all the boys clothes and necessities, but they always pack an additional suitcase for their blankies and “stuffies”.  We noticed that W was setting up the top bunk and when we looked at what he did, he had arranged snacks, a travel kit with nail clippers, small scissors, etc., his slippers, his alarm clock, and probably a few other things.  He was prepared!!  No idea who he gets his analytical packing skills from. 😐

We decided to head to the beach.  It was chilly and windy, but we were able to watch the sunset and the boys got to play on the beach playground.  They loved it.  The beach also has an indoor carousel and the boys enjoyed that as well.  We ordered food from the restaurant next to our hotel and called it a day.

Sunday.  W woke up and excitedly announced that he had a loose tooth.  I’m still not sure if it’s actually loose, but he seems convinced.  We headed to lunch at a brewery.  I’d perused the menu beforehand and really wanted to try the food.  It was also packed on Saturday night so I hoped that was a good sign.  The food was awesome!  It was pub food, but better than what you’d usually get.  From there, we went to a nearby apple orchard.  We had fun going on the hay ride, picking apples, and playing at the playground.  On our way out, we bought apple donuts.  It was lots of fun.  We headed back to the hotel for a bit and then grabbed dinner at Silver Beach Pizza.  This was a recommendation and it was a really cute place.  The pizza was ok – not the Chicago style pizza we’re used to.  But the boys were given pizza dough to play with and the restaurant is located along railroad tracks so we had fun watching a freight train go by.

Monday.  We headed back home.  After a few bathroom stops (one in a VERY sketchy part of Indiana where A noticed a gun in some guy’s pocket), we were home.  Several times the boys said they were so sad to leave the hotel and they’ve been asking for bunk beds.

Weekend Recap

I’m late with my weekend recap again.  I have no idea where the time goes – I only know that I have a never ending to do list and nowhere near enough hours in a day. Let’s see what I can remember…

Friday.  S totally wiped out at tennis practice and in ultimate momfail mode, I didn’t even see it.  I heard a crash and looked up, but missed how it happened.  Oops.  And I hate to admit it, but I was looking at my phone.  The boys occasionally ask to use my phone because they want to take a photo or make a video.  But somehow, they’ve also friend requested people on FB.  So I was trying to figure out who the heck accepted the friend request that I didn’t make.  Anyway, he didn’t cry and he was fine, but I felt extremely guilty. 😐

Saturday.  We had a really great morning.  A took S and Charlie to Starbucks.  Charlie has been getting a pup whip and loves going for a ride– haha!  W stayed home, but played quietly.  We ate breakfast together, asked each other trivia questions (for some reason I receive trivia questions via email and the boys love guessing the answer), and chatted at the table.  There was nothing extraordinary, but it was peaceful and made for a joyful morning. 

We had our annual photos scheduled for the afternoon.  Cue major anxiety.  The forecast had called for rain all week, but when I checked that morning, the rain was supposed to hold off until 4.  Our photos were scheduled for 3.  We met at the forest preserve and after our family photos were taken, I realized that W’s hair was looking funny.  Ugh.  We tried to squeeze in a few more photos and it down poured around 3:30.  Every freaking year, it rains when I schedule photos.  I’m convinced that we could be in the longest drought and it would still rain on picture day.  I love our photographer and she usually surprises me with a great family photo -  I’m really hoping that’s the case.

I had bribed the boys with a small toy car of their choosing if they cooperated during photos so we headed to Target.  Somehow they convinced me to buy some car set that they would share.  Another momfail.  In my defense, they did work on setting it up and putting all the stickers on together.

After that, since we were all looking nice, we headed to church for Saturday mass.  The boys were so well behaved.  A had given them a little pep talk before mass and I think it really helped.  Usually Saturday mass is tough because the boys are tired and hungry so this was miraculous.  And I and even got to stand for a special blessing since our anniversary is in October. 😊  

Sunday, we got to sleep in and it was blissful (and by sleep in, I mean sleep until 6:15).  The boys and I took Charlie to the new dog park just down the street and we all had fun.  Charlie loved running around with the other pups and he was worn out by the time we left.

 Our dearest friends came over in the afternoon to watch a little football and eat pizza.  All 5 of the kids played so well together and it was the most football we’ve watched all season.  It was great to catch up with them.  And that was our weekend.

Weekend Recap

I actually wrote this on Monday and forgot to post... oops!

Monday started with me oversleeping by 45 minutes.  Mornings are pretty hectic and even when I wake at my usual 5am, I’m still scrambling.  So I basically put on some makeup, hurriedly styled my hair as best I could in limited time, and ran out the door.  And you know what?  I looked pretty much the same as I always do.  Moral of the story: instead of trying to look perfect, I should probably just sleep an extra 45 minutes.

Anyway.  I mentioned previously that the boys have been taking tennis lessons on Friday evenings.  The lessons are a little advanced for S, but they are also very laid back.  Most of the lessons consist of some type of games and just trying to hit the ball.  I think it’s probably tough for the instructor because they combined the 4-6 year old class with the 6-8 year old class.  So all different skill levels.  Anyway, the boys seem to enjoy it and A and I spend much of the time laughing.  I decided to sign both boys up for the next session.

Our weather has been really awful.  Every weekend seems to be rainy.  Much of Friday night into Saturday morning, we had heavy storms.  Finally, Saturday, early afternoon, the rain stopped.  After last weekend, I was determined to get the boys out of the house no matter what.  We decided to head to a local farm and do their corn maze with Nani and Papa.  It was a little chilly and windy.  The maze was muddy.  But that meant there weren’t many people there.  We all wore our rain boots and had so much fun.  We found all the check points in the maze and the boys loved going down slides, hanging from the zip line, picking out pumpkins, and munching on donuts, popcorn, and fudge.  I’m so glad we went.  I heard quite a few people remark on how smart we were to wear rain boots.  Someone even called me a smart mom.  Seemed like common sense, but I’ll take the compliment.  Afterwards, we visited the same restaurant we do every year.  It overlooks a lake and we always enjoy it.  Such a fun day!

Annnnd then Sunday.  Two cranky boys who were just whiney and complainy the whole day.  It was rainy.  Again.  I wasn’t feeling great (I think allergies?).  I’m sort of at my wit’s end.  A and I can’t entertain the boys all day.  And usually, they’re fine playing on their own.  But there’s something about the weekend that turns them into bored, needy, argumentative, whining little dudes.  We usually try to do something fun on Saturday and then relax on Sunday.  Sunday is also a day for cleaning up, grocery shopping, making a big dinner, and hopefully watching a little football – though this has been near impossible.  But the boys haven’t gotten that memo (though, it’s been our routine forever).  I’m not sure what to do.  On the bright side, our team won, I made Instant Pot chili that turned out awesome, W’s reading skills amaze me, and S built an awesome building out of magna-tiles.

And it’s already supposed to rain all of next weekend.  Of course we have our annual photos scheduled so rain seems inevitable.  I’m going to lose my mind.