35 for Our Big D

We just closed out a most epic run of free babysitting (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and getting out on the town. I think I've eaten more meals out (or taken in) in the last week than I did all last month. I'm also pretty sure I've indulged in more adult beverages than I did in all of 2016. But that's not saying a whole lot...I really could have used a lot more to drink in 2016.

Really kicking back at the Meabon girls' birthday party over the weekend.

Getting out of the house is so much easier when kids can get themselves dressed.

Helping with the cupcake baking.

Dylan spent a ton of time on parenting duty on Monday while I checked out for all but a couple hours of the day.

Taking the pedal bike out for a short spin.

I kicked off the week at Chipotle with some dear girlfriends who I hadn't seen in WAY too long, and it was awesome for the soul. As Jess says, "It's not about where we eat, it's just about getting together." She couldn't be more right! We talked about grabbing a Frosty and sitting on a curb next time.

On Tuesday, the whole family loaded into the Highlander by 6:45am, along with a LOT of cargo. Lunches, school stuff, work stuff, a gym bag, a container of cupcakes, swim bag and an overnight bag for each of us. There were a lot of details to remember, but we had big plans because it was Dylan's birthday! We dropped each kid at their respective schools, and then Dylan swung me by the pharmacy before tackling a long day of doing a variety of things, himself. He showed back up in the afternoon 20 minutes before my shift ended with high hopes that I'd sneak out just shy of 4 o'clock. After all these years, though, nothing has changed. I don't even have time to pee when I'm at work, let alone check out early. But no worries...we made it to Craft 64 before the rest of the crew showed up and secured a perfect table out back.

It was a party of 9, a delicious selection of Moscow Mules and some of the best pizza in town. Literally. Craft 64 poached the head chef from Pizzeria Bianco, and their pizza game is no joke. We sang to Dylan, passed around cupcakes, and then it was down the street to The Escape Room. Dylan had done something like this with his family a little while ago and had talked about wanting to do it for his birthday. He deals with the logistics of large group events much better than I, so he actually pulled this all together himself. (At least I didn't forget the cupcakes!)

Singing Happy Birthday on Monday. Gavin blew that whistle "to the tune" of happy birthday for the entire song. 

Our birthday boy!

I'm not much of a game person, but I was certainly intrigued by this. I think I might actually be a little bit of a "game person," but I labeled myself as NOT one so long ago, and I'm having trouble shaking the title. My competitive spirit is lacking, but I do enjoy a good puzzle, and so this was actually pretty cool. The only bummer was that our group of nine was added to a group of three, so not only did we have to work with three strangers, but that was just WAY too many people for something like this.

In the end, it was actually pretty fun. We didn't escape the room in time...we were ten seconds too late. We had everything we needed to get out...the cash, the bonds and the key. (It was a Western bank heist theme.) But we were thrown off by one minor detail at the very end. I solved a riddle or two, but I also spent some time mentally checked out while everyone else scrambled looking for clues and keys and number sequences. Most importantly, the birthday boy had a great night.

We bid our friends farewell afterward so they could relieve their babysitters, and D and I headed to the Coach House for a final drink. Then it was off to the hotel in Old Town, where we were asleep prior to 10pm. After a quick breakfast at Daily Dose, we picked up the boys at my parents' house and brought Gavin to swim class, and then carried on with our lives.

Just cruising around at the swim school.

We got some new sporting equipment...and the soccer ball is already stuck on the roof.

Some new Spiderman pads for all the bike riding that he may or may not do.

I've been getting this face a lot lately. What a rascal.

Burning off some energy in the backyard before bedtime.

At this point, we're on the eve of our weekend. We talked about camping (again) but decided to put it off (again) because we have a lot of work to do around here. Our garage desperately needs to be purged. Can someone please just come over and do this for me? I'll give you my left arm. Other than that, I'll be working on shedding those extra lbs and that sneaky little potbelly that appeared after this week of partying. I know...what a thrill.