The Perfect Long Weekend

When your Thursday starts with a playdate with some of your favorite people and then you get the "Come on up!" text from your favorite Jansens up north, you know you are in for a perfect end-of-the summer weekend.

Forty little dimpled toes. Eight beautiful blue eyes. Two ornery blondies and two sweethearts.

And on the other side of that picture, four beautiful, strong, loving, smart, funny women that don't get to see each other near enough. I love catching up and hearing about their lives. It's good for the soul to hear how they are doing or ask what you should be praying for next in their lives. Our lives are just going to continue to get busier... Girls, we should probably be trying to plan the next get together since it is usually impossible!

Earlier in the week, I had the itch to do something. Get away. But I wanted laid back and cheap. I immediately thought a trip up north to see Phil and Tari's needed to happen. I love that we can invite ourselves up, impose on their already set plans, and feel like we are in our own little cabin set back in the woods. We ate the best meal of the summer, stayed up way too late and destroyed their house. And they wouldn't have wanted it any other way. 

August and his traveling companions. The boy still hates a long drive so we played the pass back game. 

I think Em ate one normal meal and the rest were made up of powdered donuts, suckers, rainbow cereal and marshmallows. Oh well....we were on vacation!

Aug was exhausting but good. He sat down once the whole trip. He loved looking out their big windows and ate everything in sight. 

Phil and Tari had already planned on having friends over on Saturday but it is always the more the merrier in their home. Macie had a friend, Riley had a friend and lucky for Em, they had a little sister! So Emery got to follow along and be entertained by the big, middle and little girls. 

Highlight of her trip was probably this right here. She waited patiently allllll day for Uncle Phil to build her a fire. She brought out the marshmallows and "Bram Trackers" and enjoyed a sweet treat with us.

After the biggest helping of biscuits and gravy ever, we hit the road late Sunday morning. Both kids slept soundly until Champaign. Score!!

If you need to stretch your legs, and you are with my husband, your can bet your going to see a little of U of I. Which is always fine by me. Emery announced that she wants to be a Pup (St. A) an Eagle (Newton) a Cardinal (St. Louis) and an Illini (U of I). I wish her luck in all of these!

 

It was fun to walk around the quad with my man and my babies, the one where I have a picture of Doug and I on my first visit, and to think about how far life has taken us. We were just babies back then. 

 

Emery has already asked to go back and have another sleep over. August was completely exhausted. And Doug and I were just plain ol' happy after this weekend. 

Kaci, Kendra, Sharon---lets start planning the next get together.

Phil and Tari--plan on us sometime soon.