Our little family of 5 (don’t forget about the 2 doggies!) packed up and headed to the cottage this weekend to rendezvous with Sarah, Brian, Tommy, and Rita. It’s a 2.5 hour drive for us, 3 hours for Rita, and 5 hours for Sarah, Brian, and Tommy. We definitely got the better end of the deal!
The cottage was built in 2001, and there were no babies in the family until Lucy came along last year. That means we had 14 years (what?!) of summer and winter cottage trips without babies. Cottage life is way harder different with babies. I remember once when I was visiting Matt in college and a few of us decided on a whim to head to the cottage for a few nights. Not having packed for this, we made a stop at Target so I could grab a random swimsuit, we threw in a few snacks and beverages for good measure, and away we went. HA!
I repeat . . .HA!
We left Friday morning for this weekend’s trip, which meant that the list-making and packing started Monday at our house. The diapers, toys, books, food, bottles, clothes, extra clothes, extra diapers . . . none of it gets packed on a whim! It’s all a carefully planned, well though out, ordeal.
Prior to babies, we could cram 12-14 people into the cottage on any given weekend. This weekend between the 5 adults, 2 babies, 2 dogs, and carloads of baby stuff, we weren’t quite sure where anyone else would go. I believe Rita walked down the hallway and peeked in all the bedrooms at one point and commented that it looked like a baby explosion had occurred. haha
Despite all the work it took to get there, we had a great weekend with the babies. I look forward to heading back up in the summer when we can get outside and get some babies in the water . . . but probably not tubing behind a boat, much to Uncle Brian’s dismay!
It’s hard to pack up books and toys when this little cutie keeps pulling them out of the bin!
I snapped this right before Matty started loading up on Friday morning. You can’t really even see everything because there are storage bins hiding behind the duffel bags. I have to give credit where credit is due . . . Matty never once complained about the amount of stuff I packed. He very nicely loaded it up, unloaded it at the cottage, then loaded it all up again on Sunday and unloaded it back at home. He is a good man!
Lucy did a great job in the car. She napped for a little over an hour, played for a bit, and only got fussy during the last 15 minutes. I have no idea where those long eyelashes came from!
A little play time in the mirror with mama! Oh, and I know you’re all wondering. My crazy pants are from Kohl’s and they are super comfortable! 😉
Couch time with Daddy.
Matty likes to let Lucy have play time with the dogs right before bath time. Sydney laid there and took it like a champ.
On Saturday Matty, Brian, and I got out for a little walk with the dogs. It was sunny but COLD. However, because the weather had been warmer earlier in the month we didn’t want to chance walking on the lake so we walked around the subdivision instead.
At one point, we managed to have Brian walk both dingos.
No dogs to walk and no baby to carry. I had BOTH hands free! When’s the last time that happened?! I felt like this . . .
Sarah baked up a delicious treat on Friday. Check back later in the week to find out what it was!
In honor of Matty’s birthday next weekend, Rita made a pecan pie on Saturday. Yes, dessert two days in a row. We are nothing if not healthy at the cottage! Here she is with her pie, babies, and grandbabies. Apparently Lucy feels the same way about pie that I do! #wheresthecake
Rolling the ball with Lucy turns into ball play with the dingos every single time!
Sunday morning breakfast. No, I did not eat my Golden Grahams with the breastmilk.
Lucy and her banana.
Give me the camera, daddy!
Look how big Tommy is getting! He’ll be 4 months old soon.
Rita bought a rocking chair and brought it up this weekend. It was, by far, the most used chair at the cottage. Super comfy and a great view!
Five months age difference is pretty significant now, but in a few years these two will be best buddies!
Those eyes! And that adorable outfit!
And just when I thought I forgot to take any pictures of the frozen lake, I remembered that Brian sent me this one. If you look beyond the beer you’ll see the lake!
So that was our weekend. Very fun, somewhat relaxing, lots of yummy food. Unfortunately, Lucy developed quite the cold while we were away so we’ve had to hunker down and cancel some play dates this week. Booo!! Hopefully she’s on the mend soon.
Have a great week!
Looks like everyone had a great time!! Too bad Lucy brought a cold home with her 🙁 And I love LB's ponies these days!!! So cute!!