Normalcy Is Creeping In

The weekend has come and gone and it was a decent one. We are slowly finding our groove. Aside from a very, very vivid Pepper-related dream that wrecked me in the middle of the night on Friday, normalcy felt like it was creeping in. We are welcoming it with open arms and talking about Pepper with more fondness and less sadness every single day, even though it can very much still feel like a gut-punch that swallows me whole at times.

Our weekend technically began on Friday as all three boys had the day off from school. We spent the morning at home and headed over to my friend Lauren’s house where they hung out with her kids and a babysitter Lauren arranged while she and I had hair appointments. Guys, I think I’ve cracked the code on the misery that is long hair appointments. I get my hair done about every 6 months and now Lauren and I tag-team our appointments. (Lauren goes more often than me, but I pop in when I want my blonde freshened up.) Our friend Emily does our hair (she staggers our color) so it feels like an extended coffee date + catch-up time with two friends I look forward to rather than dread.

Friday night we did the soccer circuit for the big kids who had games on different fields. Shame on me for thinking I cracked the multiple-kids-in-activities-code by booking Chase and Ryder’s soccer practices and games on the same nights only to have Ryder’s practice day changed at the last minute and every single one of their games scheduled to take place on opposite fields. Ooph.

At least they’re both enjoying it!

Saturday

Saturday morning was low key and began with German pancakes, alternating workouts for me and Ryan and fishing at a local pond.

The boys are increasingly excited that “fishing weather” is back (aka the fish are actually biting again) and I’m convinced Chase would begin every single morning with a rod and reel in his hands if he could.

Eventually we made it home for lunch and some very early Easter egg decorating.

The boys were begging to use the Peeps spinning egg decorator I bought last year again after they saw it among our Easter decorations and I figured why not? It’s a really cool little find and rapidly spins the egg as you hold various colored markers in place to decorate it. (I also much prefer it to dyeing eggs from a mess and set-up perspective.)

Dog Training

After lunch it was time for Comet’s second official training session with Kristin, the trainer we hired from The Woof Pack. She’s been fantastic and all of her knowledge and tips are so fascinating to us. According to Kristin, our primary goal (which we are wholeheartedly aligned with) for our high-energy vizsla is for Comet to learn to be content “just existing” which, if you have a high-energy working/hunting dog, you know can feel a little lofty as they’re kind of insane and want to insert themselves into the mix of everything.

We’re currently in the beginning stages of teaching Comet “place” so he’ll learn a spot he needs to go to and wait or rest when we tell him (when young kids come to the door, when he’s jumping too much, etc.). Comet is so smart and learns quickly which is wonderful but he also has an ongoing case of FOMO so staying in “place” will be a challenge for him. He genuinely seems to love his training time and everything we’re learning from Kristin is so incredibly helpful. Working with a dog trainer feels very new to us and Ryan and I both already feel like it’s been worth every penny to have professional guidance, especially for a larger family dog.

Flag Football

After Comet’s training session, we didn’t have too much time before we had to load up the car and head out to a local athletic park. Chase is trying a new sport this spring — flag football — with a bunch of the boys from his school. His coach is next-level amazing. I wish I could copy + paste his emails and coaching philosophy here because he is a true gem who “gets it” and prioritizes teamwork, leadership, encouragement and love of the game all while helping the kids grow and progress. So far Chase is really enjoying it.

They played a team who has been playing together for years and won the championship last year so we were actually pleasantly surprised when they lost by only two touchdowns. It’s been fun to watch Chase try something new and we’ve also enjoyed connecting with school friends and parents outside of the classroom.

Saturday night was all about March Madness — we all have brackets and the boys are so into it — and chill time at home.

Sunday

Sunday morning was a good one and began with the early service at our church.

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One thing that really stuck out to me from Sunday’s service was this sentiment: “You cannot always control your circumstances but you can control how you respond.” Well if that isn’t the truth.

When we looked at the weather for Sunday and saw it looked like summer in March (85 and sunny!) we invited our friends Carrie and Nick and their kids over for a repeat of last weekend. Ryan set up our bounce houses (still going strong years later!) and the water bounce house got a lot of love as the temperatures continued rising.

The kids also all ended up kayaking and swimming in the lake at one point but it was more of a polar plunge situation because the water is still frigid.

Everyone took a brief break from lake time for lunch and March Madness before hopping right back into more outside playtime.

Once everyone was gone, I leashed Comet up for a solo walk because I was craving little movement and then we all took showers and snuggled up on the couch to begin watching The Rise of Gru for movie night. We are waaay late to the Despicable Me franchise phenomenon but dang those little minions are hilarious.

And now the boys are up and it’s time to get this Monday going. I hope you all have a great week and that some sunshine finds its way into your day today!