A Long Weekend

James, Cullen and I finally got a long weekend together. Our last long weekend was almost two months ago, but it feels like it was so much longer. We were hoping for a quiet weekend, so we packed it as full of activities as we could.

We spent all day Saturday preparing for a neighborhood hamburger cookoff that was doomed from the start. No one else signed up for the contest, and the lady who organized it never actually got the prizes anyway. Just a couple of hours before the contest was set to begin (long after we had already gotten all but the cooking done), the organizer decided to cancel the competition portion (and let us know that no one else had signed up). This lady hasn't ever been held in my highest regard, so I wasn't particularly surprised.

She asked us to bring out our hamburgers to the gathering, so we dropped them off and headed back home. We had turned the event into a fun day with friends, so we spent the afternoon at home with Megan, Lee, and their dog Lucy. We had a great time just visiting, eating, etc. It was quiet, and I like quiet.

We spent Sunday at my parent's house eating ribs and swimming. I had been toying with the idea of not signing Cullen up for swim lessons this summer due to time constraints, but our time in the pool definitely convinced me that now is the time. Cullen was a fearless little guy jumping into the pool left and right. Since Cullen seems so comfortable in the water, I'm thinking it will be an easy transition into lessons. The highlight for me was watching my dad play with Cullen. Whether he says it or not, I think he was just waiting for Cullen to transition from baby to boy. Now that the difference has been made, they splashed and swam all over in the pool. Of course, my dad decided he was done with the pool about the same time I decided to get my camera out. I'll have to be faster next time!

On Monday, we had plans to go swimming with the Atwoods, but little Hadley was under the weather, so we stayed home and grilled. We went to Randall's to pick up some steaks that were a great deal, and we ended up picking up some lobster tails, too. Add on the risotto and baked asparagus I made, and we ended up with a pretty extravagant dinner. Aunt Peggy came over to spend the afternoon with Cullen. It was so nice to get to be the hostess for her this time. Usually, we're at her house when we get to visit.

During our outing to Randall's, we stopped at the local YMCA to sign Cullen up for swim lessons. It wound up being cheaper to sign up for the Y and get Cullen lessons than to just sign him up without a membership. James wasn't entirely sold on the program, so I'll be the one working out at the Y for the next two months. I'm hoping that I find enough programs that I like to continue going after two months.

Along with my Y membership, I also signed up for boot camp last week. I guess I was just in the mood to sign up for things... I also made a pretty recent decision to lose some weight. I've been exercising, but not very regularly. My biggest issue is food. I like food. I like good food. I like to eat good food. I've started using a free app to track my calorie intake, and I'm working out on a more regular schedule. I'm two weeks in, and I've lost four and a half pounds. It's a start. Most importantly, I need to keep up with Cullen. I am now getting up at 4:15, taking Scout for a walk, heading to the gym, and making it home before Cullen gets up in the morning. At some point, I'm going to need to start going to bed earlier.

The most momentous occasion of the weekend was Cullen's hair cut. He has had at least half a dozen haircuts, but I still feel like they're a big deal. They're incredibly expensive for such a tiny head of hair, so I usually get his hair cut just a little bit too short and let it grow out too long. You can see the transition from Baby Bieber to Little Boy. He's growing up too fast!

xoxo ashley