“I expected the weekend to be crazy, loud, and chaotic. This way exceeded my expectations!” That’s a direct quote from Rita at the end of our four days at the cottage! Five adults, four children under the age of three, and one dog makes for a loud and crazy time!
Matty didn’t get back from Mexico until late Thursday afternoon, so I packed up the girls, Rita, and half of our house and headed to the cottage at nap time. Ems only napped for about thirty minutes, but both girls did exceptionally well. As soon as we arrived, they both sat down and ate a snack. #cottagelife.
After much unpacking, organizing, and entertaining of the girls, Rita went to pick up pizza for dinner while I played outside with the girls. First, Lucy tried out the new bubble mower . . .
. . . and then we headed across the street to play with our neighbors.
This was Lucy’s first time sleeping on this cute toddler air mattress, and she did a great job!
Emily and Eleanor sat next to each other at every meal, and they could not have been cuter! Every once in awhile, we’d catch them passing a water cup or some food back and forth. So cute!
It should be noted that my SIL is not strangely proportioned! She was wearing Eleanor in her carrier and then wrapped this big coat around her to keep warm. There was much debate as to whether or not I’d be permitted to include this picture, and I’m so glad she said yes, because this is definitely mom life!
There was a lot of riding bikes/walking up and down the street.
No one’s going to steal Emmy’s car . . . she put the club on it! #bubbleclub
More playtime!
This was Lucy’s first time really playing with sidewalk chalk, and she’s hooked!
Nemo, Big ‘ol Bunny (aka Debbie), and Monkey Man were Lucy’s stuffies of choice for this trip.
Life at the cottage sure has changed!
We took the big kiddos on a walk through the woods to find rocks and sticks to throw into the lake. How cute is this picture?!
Lucy was super pumped about her rock and stick!
The kids had a blast throwing the rocks and sticks into the lake. The water is shallow in the bay, but kind of gross and mucky. We were careful, but had a few close calls in terms of the kiddos not stopping as soon as they should while walking toward the water. I’d like to think one of these guys would have put down their beer and grabbed any kids that ended up in the lake!
A monkey butt, a Lucy butt, and a bunny butt!
Saturday was chilly but sunny, so we loaded everyone up and headed to a local orchard/farm. Lucy and Tommy had a blast looking at all the animals. Emmy was in the stroller and had a blast eating her snack. Eleanor was in the car and had a blast taking her morning nap.
They have some delicious baked goods in the store at the orchard, and we let the kiddos pick out whatever they wanted. After I vetoed Lucy’s first choice of a GIANT sugar cookie with crumbled Oreos and Reese’s on top, she chose this Oreo cake pop and loved it.
Emmy was a champion sleeper at the cottage, and she wasn’t the only one! While she was busy taking her three hour nap on Saturday, we all hung out in the living room and watched Moana. Matty wasn’t tired, so he used his time to photograph everyone else snoozing!
We decided to bring Ems with us for this rock collecting walk. She doesn’t go in a carrier anymore, so Matty and I took turns holding her. #heavybaby
We have 65 stairs to climb from the water up to the house. I figured it was going to be way too hard for me to carry Ems up all those steps, so Matty took her so I could help Lucy up. She was getting tired and grumpy and only wanted to be carried. Boy did I mess up! Instead of carrying a 25 pounder, I carried a 36 pounder! Halfway up, Lucy wanted to stop and snuggle on the swing, and I was happy to oblige!
Emmy Roses was so happy that she got to hold the hula hoop during our walk.
**Please note, for some reason, from this point on the pictures got out of order. It’s 11pm on Monday night, and I don’t have it in me to go back and put them where they should go. Let’s just roll with it!**
Craziness! All. The. Time.
Those stairs lead up to the loft, and all Emmy and Elle wanted to do was climb them all day long. Emmy finally took an interest in the buckles on her booster seat instead. #thankgoodness
Matty caught this funny pic of sweet Sydney. The poor dingo is not doing well, and this may have been her last trip to the cottage. Insert “crying emoji” here.
This was some amazing Monkey Bread from the farm we went to. Sarah bought it while we were there Saturday morning to have for breakfast on Sunday. This was about 4:30pm on Saturday. #oops
It was 35 and sunny on Sunday morning . . . and we chose to pick our battles. The big kids were having a great time using their imaginations and setting up for a picnic. Who was I to interrupt imaginative play for a measly thing like clothes for my child?? After about 15 minutes we finally made Lucy come in and put on clothes, and she was NOT happy about it.
Sweet Eleanor!
And this was my view for the drive home on Sunday. That fresh air and cottage life really takes a lot out of you!
We had a fantastic weekend and can’t wait to do it again for Memorial Day. And this time we’ll add in sunscreen, swim suits, and boat outings. Shouldn’t be too hard at all! 😉
XOXO
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