Greg flew in town from Bradenton, Florida late Thursday morning and ever since he arrived we’ve filled our time with lots of good food, outside playtime at the park (it was in the 70s on Friday!), exploration and relaxation.
Saturday
On Saturday morning, we started our day the sweaty way! Ryan and his dad took off for a father/son workout at the gym first thing in the morning while I got Chase dressed and ready for the day and whipped up a batch of peanut butter baked steel cut oatmeal for everyone for breakfast.
The baked oatmeal did a decent job of fueling me through my own workout after the guys returned.
Once I was done, we all headed off to Discovery Place Kids where we met up with my friends Carrie and Alexis and their families and spent the rest of the morning watching the little ones cause a ruckus and have a blast.
By the time we made it home, Chase was in need of a nap and the guys decided that sounded like a great idea, too! After lunch, while everyone took an afternoon rest, I showered, worked on blog stuff and caught up on my small group Bible study for Monday night. When everyone was up again, we hung out at home, snacked on smoothies and watched some football until our wonderful babysitter Elisabeth arrived to watch Chase for the evening. Chase absolutely ADORES Elisabeth (she is his favorite Gymboree teacher) and he lit up when he saw her and couldn’t wait to show her his “cahs” and race them all over the house.
Ryan, Greg and I thanked Elisabeth before heading into the city for an adults-only birthday dinner with the birthday boy!
Birthday Dinner at The Cellar at Duckworth’s
We had reservations at The Cellar at Duckworth’s, a hidden speakeasy restaurant tucked away uptown below Duckworth’s restaurant.
Ever since The Cellar opened a little more than a year ago, I’ve heard only the best things about the restaurant, their craft cocktails, gorgeous beer cellar and the oh so cool and unique atmosphere. Ryan and I have been dying to try it out and thought Greg’s birthday was the perfect occasion.
From the moment we arrived, the evening felt special thanks to the soft lighting, eclectic décor, out of this world cocktails and incredibly attentive and enthusiastic service. (Our server told us the building where The Cellar’s underground space is located was originally built in 1912 and operated as a pharmacy.)
(My drink, which I left totally up to our server, was unreal.)
For the most part, we followed our server Darren’s recommendations and ordered many small plates to share. Everything from the char-grilled oysters and caramelized Brussels sprouts to the truffle mac and cheese, shrimp and grits and the s’mores dessert was a complete slam dunk.
I have been an oyster fanatic since I was a little girl (my dad says they were one of my favorite foods at 5 years old) and the oysters we had on Saturday night may have been the best I’ve ever had in my entire life. I could’ve ate a million of them!
I think it’s safe to say The Cellar and Kindred (located in Davidson) are now our two favorite Charlotte-area restaurants.
We toasted the birthday boy and enjoyed every second of our special night out in honor of Greg’s 70th!
Sunday
I think I was STILL full from dinner when I woke up on Sunday morning! We all took our time easing into the day on Sunday and eventually made our way to 7th Street Public Market in the heart of Charlotte for coffee and crepes… But not before wishing Greg a Happy Birthday first thing in the morning and surprising him with balloons and decorations for his special day.
By the time we made it to the market, we were ready for some food and I immediately ordered a bunch of mini doughnuts to share while we browsed around.
Once we had lattes from Not Just Coffee in hand, we placed our orders for crepes (the pesto capri vegetarian crepe was on point) and dug in.
NASCAR Hall of Fame
Our big adventure of the day took us just down the street to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Greg suggested visiting the museum for his birthday since he knows how much Chase absolutely loves cars right now. We figured it would be a fun time but had no idea just how much Chase would LOVE it.
(That’s Chase saying, “Let me GO, Mom! I’ve got CARS to see!”)
He was like a kid in a candy story and I think we heard him yell out “CAH!” (his version of “car”) and “vroom” no less than 50 times. (Seriously.) The exhibits at the museum included lots of interactive steering wheels which entertained Chase to no end.
We all agreed watching Chase light up and have the best time made the NASCAR Hall of Fame 10,000 times more fun for all of us! Even with my very limited knowledge of NASCAR, I still thought the Hall of Fame was really fun to explore.
Clearly Chase had the best day ever because he passed out hard in his car seat on the way home. (Thankfully he transferred well to his crib for his nap.) While Chase slept, Ryan helped me out by snapping a few workout tutorial pictures for an upcoming blog post before he and his dad took Sadie on a walk while I began working on today’s blog post.
In case you were wondering what taking workout photos outside with a vizsla looks like, here ya goooo…
Thanks so much for the motivating kisses, Sadie!
The rest of our Sunday passed by in a flash of Thai food, birthday cake and quality time with Grandad. It was such a nice weekend and I hope Greg enjoyed every minute of his birthday fun!
Today will be a busy one as we say goodbye to Greg late this afternoon and take him to the airport but I’m hoping we can enjoy some last minute playtime with Grandad at the park if the weather holds up before he goes.
I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!
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Hey Julie! What is the back pack diaper bag you are wearing?!
Hi Sam! It’s the JuJuBe diaper bag backpack and it’s the best!!! I got it after I traveled with Chase to Denver because I was so overwhelmed with cumbersome shoulder diaper bags when I traveled and it’s my go-to bag for activities that require my hands to be totally free! I love it!! Here’s a direct link (I bought mine at Nordstrom and they have tons of different patterns) — http://bit.ly/2jPTD0H
Your photos in this post look so crisp and professional! Are you using a new camera or new software? That smores dessert sounds amazing.
Thank you!! I bought a new camera in December (a Canon 6D) and have been loving it!!
I’m loving the father/son matching hair do’s HA! My dad and brother have the same thing going on too!
Ha!! They totally do!
I love the Cellar! All of their cocktails are good and their beer cellar is so cool. I remember loving their burger and octopus tacos. Since it was so nice on Friday, I had to get a acai bowl at Clean Juice 🙂
Oooh I’m going to the Cellar this weekend! Do you mind sharing what was in your cocktail? It look delish 🙂
I honestly don’t even know other than that it was delicious! I read an article on the Charlotte Agenda ahead of time that said to trust your server’s drink recommendations so that’s what I did and told him to surprise me!
What a fantastic weekend! The restaurant really sounds amazing. I’m interested to check it out. It’s just too. As Chase didn’t have any fun 🙂
What a fun weekend! I love how much Chase loved the NASCAR hall of fame!
Great weekend! Restaurant is really fantastic. Even my mom said, when I was little, then I couldn’t leave my father. This post is really excellent and I like this.
Looks like a great weekend! I’m going to check out your diaper bag. Question- will Ryan carry it? I got a really nice Kate Spade diaper bag for Christmas, but I’m still thinking it might be nice to have a backpack version that my husband can use and for travel.
He will but it’s kind of like any diaper bag where it does look more feminine. 🙂 I think they make it in solid black which might help it look more neutral!
Your photography is looking fantastic lady – loving that lighting. (All the heart eyes.)
Looks and sounds like a wonderful weekend! We go to the Indy 500 every year, and much of my family has grown up in love with cars. I’m so glad that you guys enjoyed the museum so much! But be aware – it’s an obsession that never fades in some families. 🙂
Hope you have a great last day with Ryan’s dad in town!
XO, Jessica
http://www.semisweettooth.com
Looks like you guys had a fun birthday weekend with your father in law. Chase looks like he had a blast with the cars.
Those pictures of Chase with the cars is too sweet! Love it! Looks like you had a great weekend!
What a fun weekend! I need to make that pb baked oatmeal for my little boy. He is peanut Butter obsessed!
Chase really loves it, too!! Well, most days anyway, because isn’t that how it goes!? 😉
Omg that dinner sounds amazing! And I bet Chase LOVED all the cars at the museum. What a fun way to celebrate a 70th birthday!
I agree on the photography! Question- how do you manage lugging around your camera, diaper bag and Chase? I struggle with that!
What brand boots are those? They are so cute!
I love reading about Chase’s love of cars 🙂 It’s so fun to watch them discover what they are into! I think it’s such a blessing you have a babysitter Chase loves! We have yet to find that and our son is going through a clingy stage 🙁 I agree with all the comments on your lovely photos!
Aww that photo of the three Fagen “men” is one that should be cherished for a long time!! Looks like a great weekend!
We recently moved from Charlotte to Tallahassee, and I am sad we never ate at Duckworths. But 7th street is absolutely one of my favorite places…I always have such a hard time deciding what to eat!
Where are those leggings from in your workout picture?! I LOVE THEM.
http://www.poweredbysass.com
Looks like you guys had a fabulous time!
I always love reading your posts and looking at your pics!
I just got those workout pants from Old Navy! I’ve gotten many compliments on them, but someone told me they look like a mummy and now I feel like I should hang on to them and only wear them on Halloween!! LOL
My Vizsla is the same way…I can’t work out at home with him around or it’s very unproductive! Way more kisses than reps!