Friday after work, I was supposed to meet up with a girlfriend to go for a run (we are both re-entering the world of running and were going to suffer through a run together). Of course, margaritas sounded much more fun than running, so that’s what we did.

Saturday, we were up and out of the house by 8:30. As we were heading out to see Sweets’ family, we saw this billboard:

Ummm, yeah. Do you get it? It was hard to contain my giggles.

After brunch with Sweets’ family, we met with our tax accountant (sounds super official, doesn’t it … does the tune change if I tell you our accountant is one of Sweets’ childhood friends?). And, then we headed out to the far suburbs to see friends. It was wonderful watching Gavin follow our friends’ two-year old, marching on the fire pit wall (no fire in the pit, thank you very much). It was also hilarious watching friends of our friends – their son putting vinyl dinosaur stickers up on the window, only to have Gavin take them down. At one point their son said NOOOOOO to Gavin and shook his finger at him, though it might have been unrelated to the stickers.

When we got home, we didn’t forget to change our clocks.

Sunday, we had a lazy morning (Gavin seemed unphased by the time change). We went to his noon music class and let him nap in the car afterwards while we dropped off donations, dropped off recycling and went grocery shopping (one of us stayed in the car with him while the other went shopping). After a late lunch, we could not deny the weather. It was in the 60s and sunny – that never happens in March in Chicago! So, off to the park we went – it was a great day for a walk (turns out it was 68°!).

Gavin and I went to the playground, while Sweets and SoMi loitered around the perimeter (dogs aren’t allowed within the gated playground). Gavin loved the slide. I cursed them – they’re plastic and I kept shocking Gavin if I’d go down the slide with him. I guess it’s better than the alternative, super hot metal slides in the summer. After a bit, I walked SoMi around the block while Sweets played with Gavin on the playground.

Once we tired of the playground (that is, Sweets and I – Gavin could’ve stayed there for HOURS), we took out Gavin’s new soccer ball and let him play with it. Unfortunately, the dog and other kids were way more interested in the ball. We made our way over to an open field to let Gavin explore. It was here, we ran into one of the families in Gavin’s music class. The boys played and we chatted with them for a bit – turns out the husband and I know quite a few people in common (small world!).

On our way home from the park, we ran into one of our neighbors walking her dog (the dog is one of SoMi’s favorite buddies). She turned around and walked home with us, so we could let the dogs play in the front yard. Gavin did his best to avoid the two rambunctious dogs, though he did get knocked to the ground once.

By the time we walked in our front door, it was 6pm and we had been outside for over 3 hours. What a day! We’ve decided that one of our goals this summer is to do something outside every weekend. Whether it’s spending time at the park, going to a local beach or going for a bike-ride … it’s important for all of us to get outside more. (Plus, last night? Gavin slept like a rock – we like nights like that!)

Earlier this week, Gavin showed an interest in feeding SoMi. So, I showed him how to scoop her food into a cup and put it in her bowl. Last night, when feeding her, I let him help to reinforce what I had shown him the previous night. After we finished dinner, Gavin was playing in the kitchen. He went to the cabinet, pulled out SoMi’s food container, took off the top, scooped up a few kernels into the cup we keep with her food, walked towards SoMi’s bowls and poured out the food a couple feet shy of her bowls. Takes two and three involved pouring her food in SoMi’s water bowl. Fourth time was a charm and I was able to capture the successful take with my phone. I think we have finally assigned Gavin his very first chore!  =)

I haven’t been in the habit of posting on Fridays in a long time. But, we had a little fun around here this week, so I thought I’d make an exception this week and share the fun with you. To give a little background, not too long ago, Sweets decided he was going to be serious about cycling to work. He started when the weather got warm-ish in 2011 and continued up to the winter months. To be a true commuter in the winter, though, he needed a few additional clothing items, such as goggles (cold wind in your eyes makes it difficult to see!) and a balaclava (think of it as a hat that also covers your nose and mouth and neck). He got the goggles a couple weeks ago and the balaclava arrived this week. Gavin wasn’t particularly pleased with the new get-up, as you’ll see in these photos.

Even the dog was unsure of Sweets’ new look. Thankfully, as Sweets peeled back the layers, the mood lightened up a bit. Speaking of our poor dog, SoMi is a pretty understated dog. I mean, she barks insanely whenever our buzzer rings. But, other than that, she rarely barks, she doesn’t “speak” and never complains. Let’s put it this way … when she impaled herself with a stick last year, she didn’t yelp once. The only reason I knew anything might be wrong was she kept batting her face with her paw. But, not a sound did she make. That’s why we had trouble keeping our laughter in the other night when Sweets was “playing” the harmonica and SoMi just had to chime in.

That’s all from here. Hope y’all have a fabulous and very happy weekend. See ya on the flip side!

Thursday was Thanksgiving #1 for our family. (Well, technically, it was Thanksgiving #2, since Thanksgiving #1 took place in October.) My aunt and uncle hosted almost 20 guests. The best part about the meal? My aunt and uncle only cooked the turkey and mashed potatoes. Every guest provided another part of the meal, which was DELICIOUS! (I made a butternut squash / leek / Granny Smith apple soup with a cider cream and bacon bit topping from this amazing book and a pumpkin pie, thanks to the sassy Paula Dean.)

Friday, Sweets had to work (a travesty!), so I packed up the truck with Gavin and SoMi and we went to visit our dear friends who left the city for the far out suburbs. Gavin got to play with some girlfriends (he’s a lady’s man, for sure!). I got to catch up with our friends (and talk about future overnights at their home – fun stuff!). And we all took a fabulous walk to a local farm, where Gavin met his first horse and SoMi chased a cat into a barn (while I frantically yelled at her to come back)!

Friday night, a dear friend celebrated her anniversary with her husband while I babysat her adorable children. (I should write an entire post dedicated to the art of establishing a baby sitting exchange with friends – it’s brilliant!)

Saturday was Thanksgiving #2 with Sweets’ family. Gavin adores his older cousins, so it was fun to watch them make him laugh. Gavin also had the opportunity to learn how to play his grandfather’s drums. One day, I’ll regret the decision to let him learn the love for all things loud. =)

Sunday was our day of rest … snicker, hahaha, yeah right. (Just imagine Sweets saying, “we can sleep when we’re dead,” because that was pretty much his mantra all weekend.) We went to Gavin’s beloved music class where he was largely quiet until the last 15 minutes of class. By that point in class, he began giggling, dancing, playing with other children’s shakers, chasing bubbles, screeching with joy, playing the drum and guitar, and generally having a wildly good time.

After class, we met friends for lunch and sat at a table next to a fireplace. I think it was our first time teaching Gavin about the dangers of hot fires. He seemed to get it, though he also needed to be reminded from time to time to “make a different choice” as his course seemed to be heading straight towards the flames. After Gavin took a 3-hour nap that afternoon (score!), we went over to my bestie’s home for dinner. She made an outstanding spread (she always does) that included an early birthday cake for me (yummy!). It was a good thing we had SoMi join us, because she did a magnificent job of cleaning up after Gavin. ha.

And now we’re back to work. I’m full. Full of yummy food and time well spent with cherished people. Hope you had a most excellent weekend full of good food and good times, too!

I mean, seriously, look at these two adorable faces!!!

Vote for Gavin here.

Vote for SoMi here.

You can also directly access the contest here. Though, I’ll warn you – there are A LOT of VERY CUTE babies before you reach Gavin (10-15 pages in). And don’t forget to hit the Complete Vote button after you’ve chosen your favorites!

Thank you in advance. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, y’all!!! xoxo