Terry is officially on paternity leave! Weird, right? He gets six weeks total, and he chose to take four weeks right away when Marshall was born last May (HOW was that so long ago?!), but his project at work ended up getting pretty intense after that, so he is just now barely squeezing in the last two weeks before Marshall turns one. The whole point is for Marshall and Terry to get lots of time together, but it's also coinciding with our packing for the move, so my job is to pack (which I love) as much as possible and allow the boys bonding time.
To kick off Terry's time off, we took a long drive up north to visit my brother and sister-in-law. They are just the sweetest hosts; Chris called ahead of time to ask what kind of tea we drink so he could have a box on hand. How cute is that?
We left early Saturday morning and arrived at their house around 12:30. Marshall said hi to the dogs first!
We took the day super easy, enjoyed a long walk to the park with the dogs,
and struggled a bit with Marshall's second nap (his naps have been all over the place lately!). After the little guy finally went to bed, we had some deeeeeeelicious smoked pork. Chris is the smoke master, and we all agreed it tasted like bacon. Ashley's potatoes were perfectly cooked, I assembled a salad, and Terry sliced watermelon. We all devoured our meals--SO GOOD.
Then we adults decided to watch the big fight on PPV--a totally new experience for me! It was actually fun to watch (I definitely thought I would hate watching boxing, but these guys were impressive), and even though I slept through the middle of it I enjoyed the experience. Turns out a cold came on for me that evening, so I put myself to bed by 10 pm and fought through Marshall's multiple wake-ups that night.
On Sunday morning, Chris and Ashley offered to watch Marshall once he woke up. The best family members are the ones who take your child and let you go back to sleep. We have several of those, and we are so grateful. I got an extra two hours of sleep! Hallelujah!
Chris made breakfast on the grill (if you haven't had bacon and eggs cooked on a BBQ, you haven't truly lived), and we spent a quiet morning hanging out at home. Terry and I took advantage of some babysitters and enjoyed a "date" to JoAnn Fabrics and Costco. Try to reign in your jealousy.
Then we packed up some lunches and headed to Berryessa Brewing Company! Terry and I loved the relaxed outdoor atmosphere, complete with live music, dogs, and babies galore.
Marshall's first live band experience!
Marshall hanging with his aunt and uncle
Checking out the fans.
This gigantic dog was a huge hit with all the guests.
Two of my favorite people.
Marshall got to try watermelon for the first time this weekend! He loved it.
Sunday evening involved putting a very tired little boy to bed and enjoying some Mexican chicken soup. I was so glad Chris and Ashley liked it!
We also played Parcheesi (Ashley kicked our butts--beginner's luck) and watched a little of The Fugitive before calling it a night.
Marshall slept much better our second night there, and he woke up just in time to say goodbye to Uncle Chris. By the way, Marshall fell in love with his uncle while we were there, and no one else could make that kid happy. He only wanted to be with Chris. Including when Chris was giving the dogs treats.
(This photo wins for best picture of the weekend.)
Marshall's face when Uncle Chris handed him back to Daddy.
We took one more walk with Ashley and the dogs after Chris headed to work, and then we hit the road. The drive back was our last one before we move a little further north, and we can't wait to shorten that drive again!
Special thanks to Chris and Ashley for hosting us, helping with Marshall, providing incredible food, and taking us to the brewery! We had a blast and can't wait to see you guys soon!
I'll be back tomorrow with some other updates, like some phenomenal enchiladas and plans for the week. For now, I'm settling in for some TV and early bed--gotta love productive days and lazy nights!
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