The weekend kicked off on Friday night when I headed off to a baby sprinkle for my friend Lauren who is expecting her second baby in September. Chase, Ryan and Ryan’s dad went out for pizza and had a boy’s night while I enjoyed quality time with my girlfriends, distraction-free. I stayed out way later than expected for a baby sprinkle but had so much fun. (And to address the elephant in the room, of course parts of the sprinkle were hard but I’m trying to focus on what we do have at the moment, not what we lost and what we’re longing for in the future. That is easier said than done… but it is getting easier day by day.)
I fell asleep within 10 minutes of climbing into bed on Friday night which is a huge victory for me these days. I woke up on Saturday ready for a day of fun which was a good thing since Ryan suggested a trip to Riverbanks Zoo for our little crew!
Saturday at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
Charlotte does not have a zoo in the city so if you want to visit a large zoo, your two best options are Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina or the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. Since we visited the North Carolina Zoo for Mother’s Day this year, we figured a trip to the Riverbanks Zoo would be a new experience and a fun weekend activity to enjoy together while Granddad was in town.
We arrived at the zoo just before 10 a.m. and immediately took off to see the elephants!
Chase is a huge animal lover and zoos and aquariums are almost always a huge hit with him these days. The Riverbanks Zoo was no exception! Ryan, Greg and I were all very impressed with the overall cleanliness of the zoo and the beautiful layout. Compared to the North Carolina Zoo, the Riverbanks Zoo was a little on the smaller size but there was more than enough to see and do with an energetic two-year-old.
The highlight of the zoo trip for Chase came when we spotted a carousel and he immediately wanted to hop aboard. As we went to select an animal for Chase to ride, he eyed a “gee-raff” (giraffe) and an intense love affair began. The giraffe was quite the hot commodity and another kid quickly claimed it before we could get on. When I tried to distract Chase with other options he absolutely refused to sit down. (How toddlers can mold their bodies into their parents’ waists to make it impossible to put them down, I’ll never know.) We ended up waiting another turn and bee-lined for the giraffe when the merry-go-round came to a stop.
Victory!
Chase’s favorite part of the carousel was looking for Ryan and Granddad every time we’d circle around and showing them how he could ride with no hands.
I was prepared for meltdown territory when he got off the giraffe but he pet his giraffe on the nose, told it “night night” (apparently it was naptime?) and we were off!
We all thoroughly enjoyed looking at the animals (the penguins put on quite a show!) and once we realized we had seen everything, we figured we’d take a quick peek at the gardens before heading home.
I’m SO glad we didn’t skip out on the garden part of the zoo because it was basically a kid’s paradise! They had a splash zone, lawn games, big tree houses and plenty of things for kids to do and explore in addition to the beautiful botanical gardens. (If we lived in the area, I’d absolutely want a membership to this zoo for the gardens alone!)
We wrapped up our day at the zoo around 1:30 p.m. and Chase crashed hard in the car on the way home, but only for 30 minutes. Thankfully he woke up in a pleasant mood and we read stories and played in the backseat for the next hour or so before we swung by the grocery store to pick up stuff to grill out at home. Our initial plans to go out to dinner in the city fell through thanks to a babysitter cancellation but it ended up being a blessing in disguise since we were all pooped after our day at the zoo and quite content to hang out at home.
Our friend Ben came over to join us (he’s a great friend of ours from our Florida days and moved into the area last month from Orlando) and we spent the rest of the night relaxing at home and eating an inordinate amount of ice cream.
Ryan, Greg, Ben and I all share an intense love for ice cream and I’m pretty sure the 10-minute conversation we had about what would go into a quality ice cream review – texture, flavor, testing the ice cream right out of the carton vs. 5 minutes after it’s been sitting out – (<— key for Ben & Jerry’s since it’s so hard right out of the carton) would’ve been mind-numbingly boring for many people but we got way too into it. And I just realized even writing about this discussion on the blog probably put some of you to sleep. Whoops.
Sunday at Freedom Park
Chase managed to sleep in past 7 a.m. on Sunday morning and I took full advantage and remained in bed as long as possible while Ryan and his dad took Sadie out on an early-morning walk.
Once everyone was back home and Chase and I were up and ready for action, we drove a little south of the city to pick up lattes and morning glory muffins at Sunflour Baking Company before spending a few hours at Freedom Park.
On our way to the park, we popped into CVS and I quickly snagged a few healthy snacks to help fuel us through morning park playtime. (Disclaimer: The next portion of this blog post is part of my sponsored partnership with CVS, a brand I’ve been working with for years and regularly use in my personal life as well!)
Can you tell I couldn’t resist digging into the pistachios on the drive over?
CVS is focused on adding more “better-for-you” options in their stores (175+ organic items!), and that’s a big reason we pop in to grab healthy snacks so often (and impulsively buy things like nail polish and another pinky-coral lip gloss I probably didn’t need).
Chase is in love with basically anything from Annie’s and now that his friend Lilly loves raisins, he does, too, so I grabbed those snacks for him, as well as some nuts, healthy snack bars (if you’re a fan of jerky, you must try EPIC bars!) and my favorite watermelon flavored waters.
While we were at the park, we spent quite a lot of time on the playground before making our way over to the mock NFL training course where Ryan and Chase practiced sprints and worked on their agility.
No trip to Freedom Park would be complete without a stop by the big pond to say hi to the ducks!
We made our way back home in time for Chase’s nap which was much-needed. While he snoozed away, Ryan and Greg went to the gym and I worked on this blog post before prepping some food for last night’s dinner and the week ahead.
We spent the rest of our Sunday close to home, enjoying quality family time. Ryan and I also spent an hour of our Sunday afternoon at Chase’s new preschool for orientation. I cannot believe he will be off to preschool in a couple of weeks! (He’ll only be going two days a week for three hours at a time, but still! I’m surprisingly way more emotional about it than I expected!)
The orientation went well and I’ll bring Chase by the school next week for a Meet-the-Teacher morning and I have a feeling that will make everything feel even more real! (Quick question: Do you guys bring your kids’ teachers gifts to kick off the school year? I’ve seen this all over Pinterest and while I’m definitely more than happy to do so, I don’t remember this being a thing when I was in school. I have lots to learn!)
I hope you guys all had a great weekend and enjoy the week ahead! Thanks for stopping by the blog today!
***
Disclosure: I’m proud to be working with CVS Pharmacy to help spread the word about #BetterHealthMadeEasy and how to #FindYourHealthy. All opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared should be verified at CVS.com or with the appropriate manufacturers.
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I teach 6th grade math in Ohio, which is different than preschool in a southern state! That being said, beginning of year gifts are not really big here across grade levels. I would save your energy for Christmas/end of year 🙂
My husband Ryan and I love exploring new zoos when we travel – Denver is a favorite, but we will have to check out Riverbanks Zoo next time we are in the area.
That mock NFL park is seriously the cutest! And omg I can’t believe Chase is starting pre school!
Looks like an awesome weekend……..lots of time outdoors. We had great weather all weekend, and spent as much time as possible outside, too. My 2 year old daughter is starting daycare/preschool (full time as I head back to school) and I am so nervous/emotional about it. I was home with her the first year, and she was home with my MIL last year, so this is all new. I don’t know about preschool teachers, but I don’t receive back to school gifts (though I always appreciate the parents that send in care packages of soft tissues, hand sanitizer etc. ) Have a great day!!
My son loves duck ponds as well! We did not take a gift on hi s first day but did for certain events and holidays, am delighted to say thank you at the end of the year.
Morning! 🙂
I am a preschool teacher and I have never received a “beginning of the year” gift – and I definitely don’t think something like that is necessary! Honestly, the thing I always appreciate the most are regular words of thanks and appreciation! Genuine, handwritten notes from my kiddo’s parents are what I treasure the most. I have a huge box of them that I read through on the tough days 🙂 Wishing Chase a wonderful beginning of preschool! <3
What a fun weekend! My kids are in preschool and I have not done or seen start of the year gifts, but usually do Christmas and teacher appreciation week things.
I can tell the zoo was a hit because Chase is looking at anything but the camera in the pictures! It sounds like you had a fun weekend with Greg and Ben. How fun to have a friend from Florida living near you now.
Have a great day Julie!
I’m a member of my local zoo, Barcelona Zoo and the amount of times I go I get in for 50c a visit! It’s a great way to decompress living in a city. The animals and plants allow me to get a nature fix. I usually go just before last gate entry and at times it feels like I have a big tropical garden to myself. Quite a few enclosures need updating but they do their best they can for the animals and are working on improvements. I’ve even made friends with some of the furry and feathery residents or I say I have 🙂
I love both your outfits this weekend! Could we have the deets please?
Wish you a great week ahead and can’t believe Chase is starting preschool!
If you’re ever in the Richmond area.. you HAVE to try Gelati Celesti ice cream! Their Just Ask flavor (white chocolate ice cream. peanut butter chunks, and oreos) or their new Panda flavor (coconut flavored ice cream with fudge and oreo chunks) are by far the best! You cant swing by RVA without trying! Especially if you’re an ice cream connoisseur! 🙂
We went to Columbia SC for the eclipse, and made it out to the Riverbanks zoo last weekend! It is so nice. So fresh and new and a great mix of outdoor/indoor and lots of shade! We loves the size with our 16 month old and his 2.5 year old cousin. I wish we would have had time to check out the gardens/splash pad, but with the heat we were all done after the zoo.
I’m sure Chase will love school. Our little guy sure does, and he learns so much!
This sounds like such a great weekend! Chase is SO cute. And that zoo looks so nice, too. I cannot believe he is going to preschool already! My fiance and I actually noticed our local CVS advertising their new healthier snacks not too long ago, so we have been popping in there way more than we used to. It’s so nice to know that there is somewhere that has locations almost everywhere that we can find something decent to eat at when we are in a hurry.
I don’t have children and I’ve been out of school for awhile now, but I don’t think anyone ever did beginning of the year gifts! If anything, maybe bake a little something to take in? Christmas and end of year were always more common for small gifts (but still not required at all).
An ice cream tasting night sounds fantastic!
Hi Julie- i just put 2 kids thru preschool in Davidson and Cornelius and I’ve never done a back to school gift. I did do Birthday, Christmas and end of year though. Hope this helps!! I love your ice cream talk. Have a great week!!
As a teacher, I’ve never received a start of school gift (although I would love it!). I also teach high school so maybe it’s different for preschool? Having said that, one year I had a mom that left a treat in my box every month. Mini banana bread, cookies, an apple. I loved it amd totally looked forward to it!
Looks like a great weekend with Grandad! Love the pictures of Ryan and Chase – so cute!
I bet Chase will love school – he seems like quite the social butterfly! I teach 8th grade and rarely get gifts…sometimes around Christmas and Teacher Appreciation Week but that’s about it. School supplies would be at the top of my list! Or giftcards to restaurants, coffee, etc.
Have a great day!
I would hold off on the “back to school” gift and provide supplies for the classroom instead.
Sounds like you guys had a fun weekend. The zoo here in Calgary also has some really pretty gardens that I always enjoy whenever I’m there.
You have the sweetest weekends! Love how much time yall spend outside!
When I was a preschool teacher, I don’t think the kids ever really brought anything to kick of the year. They usually did stuff for Teacher Appreciation Week (which is the first week of May), but that’s it. Maybe glace around and see if you notice any gifts when you drop him off lol.
What a full weekend! Sounds like a lot of fun to see the zoo through Chase’s eyes, that’s for sure. And I thought of you when my hubs brought me home a new ice cream last night — Limited Edition — Ben & Jerry’s Bob Marley One Love — full of banana, caramel and all sorts of deliciousness. It won’t last more than a night. 🙂
Sounds like a wonderful weekend. I was actually thinking of you and your ice cream addiction, when I saw a FB post from Ben and Jerry’s with new flavors. One of them was something with oatmeal cookie. Wasn’t that the flavor you were missing that they discontinued? Not sure if you saw it or not. Oat of this swirled http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/oat-of-this-swirled-ice-cream
I tried this one and it’s really good!!! Unfortunately it’s still not as amazing as my all-time fav (oatmeal cookie chunk), but it is quite delicious!!
I should have known. I would seriously read an ice cream blog! It’s just so darn good 🙂
I’ve been reading your blog for years and every time your post a photo of your father-in-law you can just see how proud he is of your family. That’s really such a wonderful thing!
Oh Julie, I just adore your pictures! You always have some of the most beautiful photos on your blog! It looks like you had such a fun weekend! I always love seeing what you have been up to on the weekends, you are always doing something exciting with Chase! 🙂 I hope you have a great week! Xoxo
Preschool teacher here! I never received beginning of thr year gifts but the one gift I loved the most was midway through the semester, so October ish a mom brought us one of thr Starbucks containers of hot coffee…not sure what those are called but it’s a big box of hot coffee, plus treats…THE BEST!!!
Looks like a fun weekend! Sometimes the smaller zoos have more interaction and are fun! I agree your photos are so beautiful! Those can not be iphone pictures ha ha!
Looks like a fun weekend! Sometimes the smaller zoos have more interaction and are fun! I agree your photos are so beautiful! Those can not be iphone pictures ha ha!
I didn’t take a beginning of the year gift but I would randomly ask if they needed snack, soap, tissues, or cleaning wipes when I’d do my Costco run. As a former teacher, I was always appreciative of extra cleaning items.
Love this idea!!
What a fun weekend! I’m a teacher, and yes, the teacher would appreciate a small gift 😉 I got my son’s teacher a Starbucks tumbler and some bath and body works stuff and gave it to her at meet your teacher and it seemed to go over well. Even something like nice pens/markers and post-it’s would be great!
Thanks for weighing in!!
I’m super intrigued by that Otter Paws ice cream! What flavor is that?!
It’s vanilla with a caramel swirl and chocolate covered pecans. So tasty!
Looks like a great weekend! I absolutely love how stores (and airports and restaurants) are adding more healthier options. I’m fine with a splurge from time to time, of course, but I know I feel better when I eat cleaner so that’s always a goal of mine and it’s nice to have those convenient options!
I would have loved to have been a part of your ice cream party! I could talk about (and eat!) ice cream all day every day.
As far as the teacher gift, I’m not 100% sure what proper etiquette is now? I would ask the teacher if they have a wishlist and purchase something that you know they need/want for the classroom! Teachers often have to provide their own supplies and extra items. I’m sure a Starbucks gift card or a small, cute item would be appreciated as well though!
P.S. Go Knights!
I love this idea!
I think I’ve said this before, but you always look like you have the best weekends! I’ll also admit that I was way into the ice cream debate and actually wish I had a friend group who was as obsessed as I am. I LOVE ice cream. I have my favorite brands and flavors, but all ice cream is a yes to me. 🙂
Julie, Like all your readers, I am sorry for you miscarriage, but don’t you think it is time to stop linking back? I think we have all read it by now.
Believe it or not, I am still getting emails and comments from people who just learned about our second loss. I’m sorry if it bothers you, but I didn’t think linking back for context as opposed to explaining everything again to avoid questions would be an issue.
I don’t think it’s an issue. If Jenny doesn’t like it, she doesn’t have to click the link.
It certainly doesn’t bother me at all and I appreciate whenever Julie links back to things no matter the subject. Just don’t click on it.
My son has been in daycare since he was 3-months old and I cried dropping him off today (he’s 2.5) after a few months of having him home for the summer so be prepared to cry!! They end up having so much fun though. Before our hiatus, I would drop him off and he wouldn’t even look at me and just run off any play haha. It’s always hard and emotional at first. I cannot wait to go to the zoo again here, but it’s still 105 everyday and way too hot to get outside. Looks like a fun weekend!
Hi Julie! I read your blog every day, but rarely comment. I’m working on changing that 😉 I just wanted to say how amazing I think you are. You are so open, honest and real about what you have gone through with your miscarriages. You, Ryan and Chase have such an adorable little family and I love reading about your adventures. I also gain so much inspiration from your healthy lifestyle, recipes and workouts. I can’t believe Chase will be starting preschool! My little guy will be 2 in October and it has gone by so quickly! I hope meet the teacher is a great experience for Chase 🙂
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, Larissa!! So good to hear from you! <3 And thank you for your kind words. They definitely made me smile!
I really love your baseball cap in the pictures (I’m desperately looking for one that fits great).
Hope you’ll be feeling better really soon. Best wishes from Germany!!!
Preschool will be exciting! We don’t do gifts for teachers in the beginning of the school year – and I’ve never seen anyone else do them, either. I’ve had kids in preschool for four years. We do gifts for teachers appreciation week and holidays.
I agree. Jenny doesn’t have to read. Jenny doesn’t have to click link. Want to guess what irritates me??? Have a great week Julie!! Enjoy your blog!!!
Looks like a great weekend. I am a Special Needs Pre-K teacher and have never heard of a beginning of the year gift. If you really want to do something we can never have enough hand sanitizer or Kleenex ☺️. However, I really don’t think it is necessary. Very sweet of you to think of it though.
Hi Julie,
Yes, dropping them off is hard but Chase will have a great time. I cried when I dropped my little guy off at 3 months old and I still tear up sometimes now and he is 3:(. It is fun to peak in their rooms before they notice you are there to see them in action! I only give gifts when they leave one teacher and move on to the next as a thank you not at the beginning.
In regard to the comment above about linking back… people that have never had a miscarriage don’t understand how painful attending baby showers and all things baby can be when all you want is to be pregnant yourself. You are so brave in sharing your miscarriages here and by sharing, you help so many women who have had miscarriages to not feel alone. Thank you!
Regarding presents to the teachers: I would ask first. At my daughter’s daycare/preschool, they don’t like gifts – it makes the teachers feel uncomfortable (so they told me, anyway). Instead, they will ask for help in keeping a good stock of tissues on hand, assistance in keeping toys clean (take them home and wash legos, for example [dishwasher is amazing for this!]), etc. After a few years, they have enough tumblers, pencils, note pads, apples to feed an army, etc. So, before they get something where they might appreciate the gesture but just don’t need, ask. 🙂
I read through the comments to see what people said about bringing gifts for the school year, and can I just say, I see nothing wrong with linking back to a post about your miscarriage. You link back to posts all the time, and I hope that comment didn’t discourage you at all. Besides, however you want to share about your miscarriage journey is up to you. Anyway, I didn’t know taking teachers gifts was a thing. We do gift cards for Christmas, but not for the new year. I just returned back to a daycare and didn’t take his teachers anything. And my friend is a teacher and she doesn’t get new year gifts. Pinterest moms be cray.
My sister-in-law is an elementary school teacher, and we talked about gifts recently–she said she likes the thought behind handmade things, B&BW items, and coffee mugs, but feels bad when she throws them out years later due to too much clutter. She said bring on all the starbucks gift cards and bottles of wine! Ask at the beginning of the year, and you’re sure to get a straightforward answer 🙂
Just wanted to pop in and say that I would loooooooooooooooove to have an ice cream party and conversation about ice cream perfection. I’m all about that cream!
Is it weird if I admit that *I* want to ride that giraffe? As an adult, I still get a kick out of merry-go-rounds! There’s one here that has unicorns (but not EVERY horse is a unicorn) and if there are no children (we usually are at the amusement park later in the day) then I make a beeline to those unicorns! Anyhow, that whole park looks AMAZING. Any kid would be so excited!
Also – love your blog, and don’t let any stray comments get you down. 😉 Keep on being you! <3
I live in Columbia and we got to the Riverbanks Zoo regularly… Did the little one get to feed the giraffe??? That is my four year olds favorite part!!!!