Yesterday I recapped my first experience traveling with a baby but today I wanted to share a little bit more about the FUN part of my weekend: A trip to Denver to spend time with friends!
Michaela, one of my very best friends of 20+ years, lives in Denver and my friend Leah and I made plans to fly out to see her and James, her adorable two-and-a-half-month-old baby boy in the beginning of January.
(The above picture kills me. Teeny tiny baby BFFs.)
Though Leah came to Charlotte to meet Chase back in October, the last time Leah, Michaela and I were all together was last February when I was 17-weeks pregnant. I actually broke the baby news to them during a trip to meet Leah’s baby boy (who was 6 months old at the time) and on the same trip, Michaela told us she was actually four weeks pregnant, too! (I announced my pregnancy news on the blog the following week.) The timing of everything was rather crazy and we’ve been looking forward to getting our little guys together ever since!
After a somewhat stressful first flight with Chase, we arrived in Denver at 9:15 a.m. on Friday. I rode in the backseat of Michaela’s car with our two babies as we made our way to her house and could not stop staring at her sweet baby boy! It’s crazy how quickly babies grow, so seeing James behave in such similar ways to Chase at that age made me nostalgic for Chase’s earlier days. Time really does FLY with a baby, I’m tellin’ ya!
Once we arrived at Michaela’s place, Chase desperately needed a nap and passed out for a solid two hours the minute I laid him down. This gave me a chance to soak up some quality time with James, Leah and Michaela as the three of us polished off two bags of Food Should Taste Good sweet potato chips in one sitting. (No shame. Have you guys tried those chips? Oh my gosh, they’re the BEST.)
The great thing about getting together with old friends is that you can do absolutely nothing together and still have the best time. With two little ones in the picture now, I knew our trip would be rather low key and it was perfect. We spent most of our visit lounging around in our pajamas, talking about anything and everything. Before we knew it, dinnertime rolled around and we ordered Thai food from Michaela and her husband Kyle’s favorite local spot. I selected the pad kee mao (drunken noodles) which is quickly becoming my favorite Thai dish. So tasty!
Saturday
On Saturday, Chase and I were up at 4:30 a.m. I figured we should try our best to stay on Charlotte time, so we had a couple very early mornings during our trip to Denver.
One member of Michaela’s family was up early with us though…
Sully is a goldendoodle and the absolute sweetest dog. She LOVES babies and it was so cute to watch her fascination with Chase. Wherever I went with Chase in my arms, Sully followed. Michaela and Kyle are working with her so she knows she cannot lick babies, so she laid her head as close to Chase as possible without licking him. It was adorable!
Since Chase is all about Sadie these days, I figured he would be extra interested in Sully, too, and he kept reaching out to touch his new furry friend. They were quite the little duo!
By the time Chase was ready for his morning nap around 6:30 a.m., everyone else started to wake up and we snacked on the most delicious gluten-free pumpkin muffins Michaela made (I’ve already requested the recipe and will share them with you guys ASAP!) and I threw a quick frittata together for the group as well.
After more lounging around the house, we finally changed and took the babies out around 11 a.m.
Our first stop of the day was the stop I was most excited about going into our trip to Denver!
Michaela and her husband Kyle are both optometrists (they met in optometry school at Indiana University) and Leah and I could not wait to stop by Elevated Eyecare, the beautiful practice they opened together earlier this year in Stapleton. I am so proud of Michaela and Kyle and the hard work they poured into opening this gorgeous practice.
The space had such a light and airy feel and Leah and I could not stop complimenting their design choices. I also got to watch Dr. Michaela in action as she gave Leah an eye exam which was too cool. (Major proud friend moment over here!) If you live in the Stapleton area and are on the lookout for an optometrist, definitely check out Elevated Eyecare. Michaela and Kyle see patients of all ages and have only positive reviews online so far. They are both incredibly intelligent, passionate and such genuinely kind people.
Since I didn’t need an eye exam, Chase and I spent some time checking out glasses for fun with the help of the friendly optician, Chris.
Though I’ve never worn glasses or contacts, I was super impressed with the lightweight feel of the MODO frames! (Chase was clearly unamused and thought his Wubbanub was way cooler.)
Once Leah’s exam was done, it was time for lunch so we made our way to Dos Santos for tacos!
We shared an order of chips and guacamole to start and went to town.
I opted for an assortment of their tacos for my main meal and the pulled pork taco was the standout. SO good!
Michaela picked a lunchtime winner, that’s for sure!
After lunch, we headed home and Chase took a much-needed nap (he isn’t doing very well with sleeping in his car seat like he used to) and we spent the rest of our evening sipping on wine, eating pizza and baking cookies. (<— Basically my perfect Saturday night.)
Sunday morning was a bit of a blur thanks to packing and juggling two excitable babies and before I knew it, Chase and I were on the plane headed back to Charlotte.
To say my time in Denver passed by quickly would be a huge understatement, but Chase and I had such a great visit with two (and now three!) of my very best friends in the world, even if our time together was short.
Thank you to Michaela and Kyle for hosting us this weekend. James is the cutest and Chase loves his new baby BFF!
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Looks like a great trip! I love getting together with my friends who have babies, too. Especially childhood friends – crazy how fast time flies!
Lol, dogs and babies are just the cutest thing. When I was doing middle of the night feedings, my dog would get up and lay down right next to us. Ha, they always have to be involved!
Oh my goodness, I LOOOOVE those chips! It’s kind of ridiculous how quickly my small group can tear through a bag. If you haven’t tried them, the Harvest Pumpkin are really good, too. A little sweet and delicious with almond butter… Ok, now I’m making myself hungry!
The only thing cuter than one baby is 2 babies or more babies. Adorable pics! Swooning.
Sounds like a great weekend with great friends! While I don’t have any babies in my life, I absolutely LOVE the low key weekends with my best girlfriends! Wine and baking cookies, does it get better?
Good friends, good food, and cute babies…AND WINE?! Sounds like a great weekend to me! :)How was the weather there this time of year?
It was ALL over the place during our visit! It was in the low 70s on Saturday and then SNOWING on Sunday when we left!
Dogs and babies make my heart swoon!!
I can’t handle the baby cuteness!! And what a beautiful eye practice!
Baby bffs are the BEST! That’s how Ellie is with her cousin Noah who is only 2 months younger. 😀
Baby friends are the cutest! Also, love how sweet that dog was with Chase. Wine, pizza, and pjs sounds like my kind of Saturday night, too!
We are still working on getting our husky not to lick babies. He just can’t help himself! We usually give in if it’s right before bath time for the little one 🙂
That picture is adorable! The 2 babies look like best friends 🙂
There is so much epic baby cuteness here! I can’t stand it!
Those chips look amazing too– yum! yum!
This post has my ovaries bursting! Too much cuteness!
Those tacos look amazing. I’ll definitely have to stop by dos santos next time I’m in Denver 🙂
Ah! Baby BFFs…seriously so cute!!
I’m so curious, what are drunken noodles?
Oh my gosh they are the BEST! They’re typically broad rice noodles with the most delicious sauce! I honestly have NO idea what’s in it, but I love it so much!
I just found your blog and I love it! Those tacos look amazing, and wine, pizza, and cookie baking is one of my fave ways to spend a weekend (or week!) night as well 😀
I really like the decor at your friend’s office too – the front desk looks like it was made with pallets, which got me thinking about making a similar island for my kitchen with pallets when we redo it. It would look amazing!
So glad you found me, Gina! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
That is the most beautiful eyecare clinic! Oh my goodness, I LOVE it!
so glad that Chase didn’t have to go through “puppy withdrawal” … I go nuts when I am away from my pets for even one night!
Chase is the cutest! The pictures with his new human and fur friends are adorable!
SO sweet, , and I love to see the wee babes becoming besties already! Such a fun time. 🙂
…And, it sounds like I may have a new eye doc out here in the Denver area. With that reclaimed wooden desk, how could you go wrong!
Thanks for sharing your trip. Glad you enjoyed my new hometown!
They really are wonderful people with such a strong work ethic! If you decide to visit their practice, send them my love!! 🙂
I can only see a bit of it, but that sweater looks so cozy! Could you tell me where I can find it?
They’re so cute!!! They will be best buds for sure! Those Tacos look amazing!!!
Was Leah’s little boy home with dad? Would be fun to see a pic of all 3 boys!
The friends that you have where you can do NOTHING and still have a BLAST are the best friends in the world. I cherish mine! I’m so impressed (and happy for you/anyone) that you’re able to work hard to stay so close to your many friends. It’s SO important, and the effort you (all) put into it is something to be admired and a model for anyone! As they say, “you can’t make new old friends”. I have friends that I’ve worked hard to maintain, despite moves, despite distance, for 25 plus years, and they are my bffs forever – picking up right where we left off. The best! Cute pics of Chase and his new baby bff, and congrats on your friends optometry practice! (For a short time in my life, I was an optician, so I’m super impressed with their elegant practice.)
And now I want chocolate chip cookies too!
Baby BFFS! To cute!
What a fun trip- they make an adorable pair!
How fun that your babies are so close! Your food looks so yummy! 🙂
Awww! The picture of Chase with Sully laying next to him just made my day! So adorable!
I can’t even handle that dog with Chase! How stinkin’ adorable! 🙂 That put a huge smile on my face!
yay for optometrists!! their office is gorgeous. let me know if they’re hiring…i’ll do all the PEDS exams 😉