2nd Annual Asheville Glamping Weekend

Last weekend Matt and I joined our best friends, Brynn and Palmer, in Asheville for the weekend. We did this trip last year and it was so amazing that we decided to make it an annual tradition.

After coming off of a 3 day holiday weekend followed by 3 snow days, we couldn't have been happier to see Ms. Jamie bright and early on Saturday morning. Actually, the kids may have been even more excited for the change of scenery and we were ready for some adult time -- sans Doc McStuffins marathons.

A little over two hours later, we met Brynn and Palmer in Asheville at our hotel. We decided to try the AC Hotel in downtown this time and it is gorgeous, smells heavenly inside and offers the most incredible rooftop bar which we took full advantage of. We quickly checked in, dropped our bags in our rooms and ubered straight to lunch at my favorite Asheville BBQ spot, Buxton Hall Barbecue.

After lunch we walked down the street to Burial Beer Co. which was a really, really cool place for a few beers and some fun pictures in an old Ford truck. A little while later we decided to walk further down the street to Green Man Brewery for a little bit.



Afterwards we decided to head back to the hotel rooftop for cocktails at Capella on 9! This bar was absolutely gorgeous and the view was amazing. We lounged on giant couches over happy hour before heading to our rooms to get ready for dinner.

It was SO nice to have a late dinner reservation and leisurely get ready for the night out without our kids tugging on our shirts and asking for snacks. 

Once we were all ready we met B+P down in the hotel lobby for pre-dinner drinks before heading to dinner at another one of my (and Brynn's) favorite spots, The Admiral. I can't believe it had been almost 4 years since we dined here! And it was just as amazing as I remembered. Don't let the exterior fool you! I'll spare you pictures of every single thing we ate...minus the beef tartare and my scallops!

After dinner, the boys thought it would be a great idea to each take a 5 hour energy shot while Brynn and I stood by laughing and shaking our heads. Our last stop of the night  was at one of my very favorite cocktail bars, Sovereign Remedies. After a nightcap, Brynn and I headed back to the hotel to crawl into bed while the boys stayed out until...well, let's just say they didn't make it to breakfast the next morning. Before heading out of town, Brynn and I had some girl time over the most delicious breakfast at the cutest little spot next door to the hotel, Over Easy Cafe, before scooping the boys up back at the hotel and heading back home. 

It was another amazing trip to one of my favorite cities with some of my favorite people!

Mamas Spa Day + Quintuple Date Night

This weekend was one of the best weekends I've had in a very long time. For Mother's Day, Matt and four other husbands surprised a group of us with a spa day at the Ritz. And it took us six months for the five of us girls to find a date that all of us were in town. Finally, on Saturday we cashed in our Mother's Day gift...and it was magical.

We arrived early enough in the morning to secure the best five loungers in the pool area that were off in a more secluded area and conveniently next to the pool bar. The day was so amazing. We sipped on mimosas, lounged in robes, napped in the most gorgeous relaxation room, had facials + massages, sat in the salt room and all got ready together in the massive bathroom for dinner with our husbands later that night!

Sara + McKinsey + Lisa + Me + Laura

 

Photo credit: Laura

Hair credit: Also Laura

Once we were all dolled up we met the husbands downstairs in the Ritz lounge for a round of cocktails before heading to dinner.

Gosh, I love these girls so much. I seriously won the best friends lottery.

Yes, Andrew and Matt are wearing the same shirt. Naturally, we made them sit next to each other at dinner...

After dinner we made one last stop at RiRa for a drink on the rooftop before ubering home. The entire day was just perfect -- ginormous kudos to the husbands for the very best gift.

Weekend Rewind || Tom's 1st Hair Cut & Eye Update

I am in denial that our summer weekends are dwindling. I am going to miss pool days, shorts & tank tops, Popsicles and glasses of rosé as the cooler temps arrive. We've already seen a preview of fall this past week with a few cool days and as enjoyable as they are I am just not ready! Anyway, a few scenes from our weekend...

Friday morning Thomas had an eye appointment. It was a long one but we were lucky that our doctor was able to dilate his eyes over his contacts so we didn't have the added stress of removing and inserting his contacts during the exam (that usually tacks on an additional hour at least). Dr. D did a thorough exam and gave him an A+ in alignment (hallelujah for continued strabismus surgery success) and shocked us both when he informed us that his contact prescription did not need to be changed. This was his first appointment ever that his vision hadn't changed. It's not necessarily a good or a bad thing because we aren't 100% positive what his current vision even in. Our doctor explained that oftentimes aphakic kids (kids that have had their eye lens surgically removed) learn to navigate their world with terrible vision so it appears they can see well from our perspective when in reality it's all they know! Anywaaaaaay, we also received some big news that Thomas is now eligible for his next surgery -- the Intraocular Lens (IOL) implant. Now that his eyes have reached their full maturity in size (fun fact: eyes reach full adult size at 2 years of age) we need to be thinking about having the permanent lens surgically implanted within a year. After this surgery he will still need contacts but will then have the option for glasses too.

During our visit we also gave our doctor a gift -- a bow tie (his favorite accessory) and a scrapbook featuring Tom's eye journey since he's been under his care. He loved this so much and thought it was the most thoughtful gift ever. But what we didn't expect was his idea to show the book to his patients who show up in his office with a newborn baby scared to learn all about their child's cataract diagnosis. He can flip through the pages with them to ease their fears and show them what an extremely successful outcome looks like and all the steps and procedures along the way (patching, contacts, surgeries, recoveries, etc.). For readers stumbling on this page looking for cataract answers and support, here is a digital version!

On Friday evening we joined our friends, the Edwards (Caroline's best friend Austin), and a few other families, for a super fun pizza & pool play date. The kids splashed around for hours and ate their weight in pizza before crashing hard into bed.

Early Saturday morning we visited Matt's office to grab some files before stopping for cinnamon rolls for breakfast. The kids had a blast running through the halls, climbing the reception desk and nosing around a few of the attorney offices (sorry Jen & Rachel). And this is why they rarely get to visit during business hours.

 I see you, stack of lunch boxes that haven't found their way home!!!!

Sunglasses ($12) | Top ($22) | Shorts ($17)

Side note: I am obsessed with these $12 sunglasses and have received so many compliments on this embroidered top that is 40% off!

Later that morning our longtime handyman, Hector, arrived to make my to-do list dreams come true. He fixed and replaced so many things around the house that we haven't had time to address. Matt is one hell of a lawyer but definitely does not pretend to be a handyman -- especially when it comes to wires! Anyway, Hector repaired our broken garbage disposal, replaced all the weather stripping in the house, removed a super old door chime and a few broken fire detectors then patched & painted the holes in the walls, repaired our broken gate in the backyard, fixed our front door (it's been jammed shut and we couldn't open it) and fixed the kids' bathroom ceiling water damage from a recent roof leak. He is amazing!

The yellowed fire detectors looked like alien spaceships to me. Since we've moved in these things have creeped me out and I couldn't have been happier to say goodbye to them!

 

T-Shirts | Makeup Kit

Meanwhile, Caroline gave Thomas makeup lessons to distract him from interrupting allll the projects around the house.

After naps we joined the Samuelsons at McKinsey's parents' house for another pizza + pool play date! McKinsey's parents just finished a major pool renovation and had us over to enjoy the new pool! We also got to see just how NOT scared of the pool Thomas is. He is so wild and fearless.

On Sunday we took Thomas to get his first hair cut!

We asked Caroline if she wanted to get hers cut too but she felt strongly against it (& daddy wasn't quite ready either). However, Tom did fantastic and was hilarious the entire appointment. He was so excited about sitting in an airplane that he didn't even notice he got a trim. 

He looks so dang cute I can hardly stand it!

Last stop of the weekend was Cowfish at Caroline's request. She is so obsessed. And because both kids ate well and behaved themselves they cashed in (literally) on my penny bribe for the fountain!