Long Weekend Fun

What a treat to have an extra day to the weekend.   I always kinda forget about these long weekends until they are here and it was WONDERFUL to have an extra day with Matt to do all the fun things. We kicked off the weekend with two Mellow Mushroom pizzas and then went straight to bed because we were both exhausted. I was on my phone the minute I opened my eyes on Saturday to see if Move That Dough Baking Co. made  gluten free donut this weekend (she posts in the middle of the night.)

She did! So,  I bounced out of bed and headed to The Hobbyist coffee shop (one of a few locations the donuts are sold) to pick up caffeine and donuts for us.  I got two zucchini brownie with vanilla  glaze (the gf ones) and then a pb & jelly and salted caramel for Matt & Emerson.  Mine were amazing, and I defiantly polished off both of them over the course of the morning.

We really wanted to have a house warming party after moving into our house, but between not feeling like it was “ready” and morning sickness, the idea kind of got away from us.  We figured it was now or never and decided to host a last minute backyard party. We spent most of Saturday grocery shopping, straightening up, and prepping for the party on Sunday.  We ordered this pool on Amazon for the kiddos and Emerson had blast helping Matt inflate all the different pieces.

Saturday night, we had a sitter and headed out on a date night.  I think we have one more booked before my mom comes at 39 weeks, so we’re soaking up every minute!  We had some time before our reservation and stopped into Craft Growler Shop for Matt to get a beer.  I got a 1 oz sample of a sour beer and then a drunk person knocked  it and spilled one of my two sips, ha. Matt’s pumpkins beer and the cooler breezes gave me all the fall feelings.

We had dinner at Bardo, a cool small plates concept that had an industrial warehouse vibe. Reminded me so much of Dallas. We had scallops, shishito peppers, steak with kimchi risotto, and lobster with mushrooms.  We liked everything and agreed the dishes had more delicate, complex flavors  – definitely something to appreciate but not as mind-blowing as say the dinner we had at Peppervine a few weeks ago.

We walked over to Golden Cow for ice cream and brought a flight of four flavors home with us. It was melty by the time we got to it – anyone else prefer eating ice cream on the couch versus a cold, crowded ice cream shop?

We did a few last minute things on Sunday morning – mosquito lantern, ice, more beer when we doubted our quantities, and then I prepped appetizers during nap time: a cheese board with grapes, figs, olives, salami, and three cheeses,

that classic pig in a blanket recipe with crescent rolls and these sage chicken sausages instead of the little cocktail hot dogs, bacon wrapped dates, and “7 layer” dip made with  refried beans, sour cream, cheese, salsa, and guac (ok, so not 7 layers).

Oh, and fruit juice popsicles for the kids.

The pool was a hit for a bit, but then the kids discovered the hammock and various dads took turns with hammock duty.

It was so lovely to have friends at our house and nice to look around and appreciate the wonderful new people  we’ve met since moving to Charlotte.

We were tired on Sunday night, but Matt still managed to clean the whole house. And we ordered a little Thai food because we were still hungry (slash sad not to sit down to real dinner after snacking all afternoon.)

Monday, I went to prenatal yoga and it was so revitalizing! After a week of rest due to my leg pain/slash no rest because I was taking care of Emerson, it felt good to move and stretch a bit and have 75 minutes to myself. I met up with Matt and Emerson at a park for the rest of the morning, and then we stopped into Amelie’s for sandwiches and salads for lunch.

And because we didn’t want the weekend to end, we took Emerson out for ice cream after her nap at the new Optimist Park food hall. Though there’s not much open yet, I am in LOVE with the space and think they did an amazing job with all the private little nooks where you can enjoy food. I’m sure it will become crowded soon, but it didn’t have that loud, hectic feel that a lot of food halls have.  We tried Honeysuckle Geltato and declared it the best ice cream in Charlotte after Jeni’s.  We made salmon burgers for dinner and then stayed up too late watching the new season of Catastrophe.

Something about Labor Day signifying the end of summer, Emerson returning to school this week, and hitting 36 weeks has me pinching myself that this is the final stretch.  I’m freaking out just a bit but also SOOO excited for what’s to come!!!!