Hey guys! How was your weekend? Our weekend was a good one. It’s been a while since we’ve had a weekend at home with just our little family and it was a much-needed reset. I love our simple weekends in Charlotte and am looking forward to a bunch of them in the coming weeks leading up to the holidays.
(Daddy gets smiles at the camera for his pictures with Chase… Mommy gets doggie woofs! Haha!)
I felt like my weekend officially began early Friday evening when I met up with seven of my girlfriends and their little ones for a play date in Davidson. I haven’t had the chance to drive through one of my favorite towns since the leaves began to change and found myself continually taken aback by the beauty of Davidson in the fall.
I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of this neighborhood street because it was just so picture-perfect.
I arrived home from our play date around 6:30 p.m. as Ryan was arriving home from work and we spent the rest of the night chasing Chase around the kitchen with his ride-on plane toy (he loves “racing” right now) before it was time for bed. Once Chase was asleep, we spent the rest of our Friday enjoying a low key night on the couch. Perfect!
Saturday
Saturday morning began before dawn thanks to an early morning wakeup call from Mr. Chase. (We are still adjusting to the time change over here!) We were up before the sun but made the most of it with a leisurely breakfast of whole wheat pumpkin muffins and scrambled eggs. Ryan headed off to the gym for his workout first, so I spent the rest of the morning trying to make household chores into games that amused Chase. (Peek-a-boo with the laundry basket was a instant success.)
Once Ryan was back home, we flip-flopped Chase time and I headed out for my workout! I took an early boot camp class that incorporated lots of plyometric and core exercises. I am SO happy with how my broken pinky toe is healing and, five and a half weeks later, I feel like I’m able to do most exercises I used to be able to do, though I am still absolutely cautious.
After my workout was over, I ran a few errands before heading home for a much-needed shower. I spent the rest of the morning catching up on blog emails and making a dessert for Saturday night’s chili cookoff.
We had a birthday party to attend on Saturday afternoon and, after Chase woke up from his nap, we headed out to celebrate Mack’s special day!
(Their matching pants kill me. Love!)
I met Mack’s mom Melanie through Pure Barre when we first moved to Charlotte and it was so much fun to watch Mack dig into his mini smash cake! So far, Mack and Chase take the cake for most enthusiastic cake-eaters at their respective birthday parties! (And yes, that pun was absolutely intended.)
Eventually Mack’s naptime rolled around, so we said our goodbyes and headed home for a couple of hours before it was time to give Sadie a kiss goodbye and drive to my friend Carrie’s parents’ house for a chili cookoff!
(Boots: Catherine Malandrino via RueLaLa – currently on sale via Saks Off 5th // Jeans: White Plum // Top: Rosio via Zulily )
I have never been to a chili cookoff before but I must say the whole party far surpassed my expectations. Carrie and her mom did such a great job with decorations and the format of the party was really cool! Everyone could sample different chilis and cornbreads (I think they had 14 different kinds!) and then vote on their favorites.
We had a blast drinking hot apple cider with rum (I’m sure there’s probably a legit name for this drink but whatever it is, it’s delicious) and eating until our stomachs were about to burst. Chase had plenty of playmates to play with and had a great time with some of his best friends.
Unfortunately toddlers’ bedtimes meant most of the parents with little ones at the party didn’t get to hear the results from the cookoff (Carrie texted me the results later because I was so curious), but we thanked Carrie’s parents for such a fun evening before heading home for another relaxing night on the couch.
Sunday
Sunday morning began on a rather odd note. Chase was incredibly cranky when he woke up and I wasn’t sure what was up, so after breakfast we put him back in his crib at 8 a.m. to see if he needed more sleep. He didn’t fall asleep, but he seemed to calm down quite a bit and, after 30 minutes or so, he emerged a new man. I’m not sure what the deal was, but apparently he needed a little alone time to begin his Sunday!
Once we had a happy toddler on our hands again, Ryan, Chase and I drove to Birkdale Village for smoothies from Clean Juice to fuel a little early holiday shopping. Though we didn’t end up buying anything other than food on our little adventure, we took advantage of a quiet Sunday morning at the usually busy shopping hot spot and walked around to look at all of the Christmas décor that went up the night before.
(Hat: Tart via Stitch Fix // Vest: C’est Toi via Zulily // Pullover Sweatshirt: Loveappella via Stitch Fix)
We popped into a few stores and I had to resist buying every children’s Christmas book I could find at Barnes & Nobel. So much nostalgia!!! Did any of you guys out there also love The Mitten as a kid? I actually met the author, Jan Brett, when she came to do a reading at my elementary school in Palatine.
On our way home from Birkdale, I told Ryan I had a craving for Belgian waffles and he was immediately on board for a quick pit-stop at Cast Iron Waffles. I ordered the pumpkin pie waffle (LOVED IT) while Ryan rolled with the cinnamon roll waffle. (<—Another totally intended pun. Can’t stop, won’t stop.)
Chase wasn’t into the waffles but the whipped cream called to him and Ryan and I realized, yet again, that our child is just like his mom and dad. Whipped cream is the best part of any dessert (or, in this case, brunch)!
After we were done eating, we drove home and Chase went down for his nap at noon. Nap time gave me a chance to work and I spent two hours plugging away at the computer and photographing a recipe I cannot wait to share with you guys later this week.
As always, Chase’s naptime flew by and once he was back up, we spent the rest of our Sunday running errands, playing fetch with Sadie and hanging out around the house before bedtime rolled around.
I hope you guys had a great weekend and I’ll see ya back here tomorrow!
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Chase and Ryan look like models. What a cute duo!
Your weekend looks so fun! I don’t have a baby but it always surprises me just how much busy mom can fit into one day! You go girl.
Sometimes I feel like Chase is the reason we’re busy! 🙂 He does SO much better when we get him OUT of the house, so that always motivates us to get going! 🙂
My baby is the exact same way! I think we’ve trained him to be best out and about, which we kick ourselves about when we just want to relax!
Loving all the matching outfits this weekend! And a chili cookoff sounds like such a fun party. We always do one at work, but I never really thought of hosting one. And those waffles!!! They look delicious. What a great weekend!
Is Chase down tow one nap these days? Also, Chase with Chase must be so cute! Love those little toddler toddles!
Thank you!! Toddler toddles melt my heart!! <3 And we're still in a bit of a transitional phase with naps, but for the past week and a half or so, we've been down to one nap every day. I'm still trying to figure it out, but one nap seems to be quickly becoming the new normal around here!
Sounds like such a great fall weekend! I know I mentioned this on instagram, but I LOVE your hair and how you curled it! I am hair challenged and would love for you to do a hair tutorial on how you did it! I know your a busy mama, but just a suggestion ? Have a great week!
A Chili cook off sounds fun! I’m not sure what that drink is called either I think i usually just say spiked cider haha. I’m loving those matching maroon pants! So cute!
Could Chase get any cuter?? So adorable! Glad you had a good weekend!
This looks like the perfect Fall weekend! (Love the pic of the neighborhood- I want to live there now!) That first pic of Chase is a hoot…it’s like Maculay Culkin sans the hands on the face! :-O
Julie!!! I absolutely freaked when I read the part about The Mitten- I LOVE that book! And no joke, I checked it out from the library last week because I seriously love it so much (even though my 11 month old isn’t all that interested in books yet- this was for me!!) I will definitely be buying it in the future, once the baby is less likely to tear it apart. 😉 Have a great week!
It’s such a good one! And the illustrations are so beautiful.
Chase is so stinkin’ cute!
Thank you, Jenna!!! <3 <3
Glad you had a good weekend!! Weekends with the family are my favorite! 🙂 Chase is SO cute!!! Hope you guys have a wonderful week 🙂
-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
Chase is just adorable!!! You had such a perfectly, festive fall weekend. I love your flannel!!
Sounds like a festive fall weekend, indeed! Chase is getting so big, I love his ‘woof’ smile for you! haha
Quick question, did you switch in your fitbit surge for a Tom Tom watch? I’m in the market for a great all around fitness tracker to wear 24/7 (gps for running, HR for workouts, plus steps and sleep!) and have came across the fitbit surge, Tom Tom Spark, and Garmin Vivoactive HR. Any suggestions?
Hi Michelle! I bought my Fitbit Surge after Ryan raved about it and still really like it! After several months (8+) Ryan and my dad both began to have major issues with its battery life though (Ryan’s completely stopped turning on a month or so ago). The customer service was great — they’ve already replaced my dad’s watch twice with no questions. While I haven’t had the same battery issues (I still really love mine), I’d definitely do some research! I actually just received the TomTom watch to review last month (a full post will be coming soon) but so far I really LOVE it. It’s user-friendly and the battery seems to last longer than the Fitbit. The Fitbit was probably a little easier to set up but the TomTom was still really easy to figure out and also holds 500 songs on it which is pretty awesome! I really like the TomTom and would recommend it for sure!
You were probably drinking Wassail! I think it German related… either way, it is so so good.
I am pregnant now (and really struggling with nausea) but reading your posts helps me focus on this good that will come. I have already bought plenty of children’s books but have not even thought about the Christmas ones! Our baby will be 6 months old (Wow… just realized this and now tearing up) next Christmas so I will need to stock up on these!
Your plaid top OTK boot outfit is ADORABLE! 🙂 So are your boys. Glad you guy had a great weekend, Julie!
Hi! Could you tell me what you use to curl your hair at the ends? Thank you!!
hi andrea! i just use a super hot curling iron and wrap my hair around the outside of it before hair spraying it like crazy, straightening the ends a bit with a flat iron and brushing it out! 🙂
Hi Julie,
I noticed you guys go to a lot of birthday parties! What types of presents do you typically get for the birthday boy/girl? My daughter is almost 1, so we are about to begin the birthday madness for all her little friends and I”m trying to figure out great gifts! Thanks so much!
hi rachel!!! i’ve honestly done something different for each kid! i typically do some kind of a toy/book for the kid and also an outfit because i feel like the clothes stop coming when kids hit 12 months and i know we really appreciated some new clothes for chase when he hit a year! as for the toys we get, i usually do something i know chase already loves (so it will hopefully be a winner) or i consult amazon reviews/other moms! i also LOOOOVE etsy for some more personal gifts for some of our close friends (they have the cutest headbands/barrettes for little girls) and think moccasins are a fun gift, too!
Omg, those two little girls with their adorable ponys! Too cute!!
Julie, I’ve been reading your blog for a few years and I love seeing your little family grow! It looks like you’ve so embraced motherhood and it fits you so well. I’m currently pregnant and have loved your weekly recaps and other resources. Did I imagine that you have monthly recaps on life with Chase? I thought I had seen those but don’t see them under Pregnancy/Baby. Would love to reread them as we near that stage 🙂
yes!!! you can find them all linked at the bottom of this post: https://www.pbfingers.com/12-month-check-in/ and BIG congrats to you!!! <3
Thanks so much!!
Also just reading the beginning of that 12 month post made me think of this post from another fav blogger, might be interesting to you:
http://www.emformarvelous.com/how-to-slow-down-time-part-one/
I love The Mitten! Such a sweet book. Author visits were one of my favorite parts of school as a kid. And a chili cook-off sounds like my kind of party! I’ll have to keep that in mind 🙂 So glad you had a great weekend!
Such a great fall-y weekend! Ok, I want to know how you make such great friends so randomly! Like you said you met her at pure barre and then just turned into mommy friends? It’s scary to think about moving to a new place in the next few months but that’s always encouraging to hear!
yes! honestly, i think the fact that we ended up pregnant at the same time helped us find something in common very quickly. she was actually the person who invited me to stroller strides with her where i then met one of my closest friends as well. i think just putting yourself out there and openly saying you’re looking for friends helps a lot because a lot of people are in the same boat!
Is Mack short for anything? My baby boy is a Mack, short for macklin. I’m always curious when I hear of other macks ;).
Those waffles look so good – especially the cinnamon one.
You are a complete family with duo … Chase & Ryan !!
I’m so glad to read your article. It brings me so much interest to read your upcoming articles like this. I’m waiting for it although I came here little late but it would be worthy visit to your blog again. Bookmark it 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Have a Great Year with your Duo Chase & Ryan !! 🙂