Ingle Family Visit - Part 1



I have been slacking on my picture taking this week - probably because I know that other people have had their cameras out to capture a lot of the action this week!  I will have to update the blog once those pics start rolling in :)

 

Last Tuesday, Greg's family flew out to Seattle for a visit!  Greg took a vacation week last week, so he was able to greet Karen, Chris, Alyssa and Broady when they arrived in the afternoon.  Later that night, Greg picked up his parents from the airport.

 

I decided to keep Ben up late so that he could see everyone before he went to bed.  I didn't want him totally overwhelmed with a house full when he woke up the next morning!  He has absolutely LOVED all of the extra attention, hugs, tickles, rounds of chasing and trips outside this week!

 

For the most part, we have all hung out at the house (on the deck enjoying beer!) this week.  Karen, Chris and the kids have gone on a couple hikes, we have gone out to dinner a few times, and on Saturday, we ventured down to Seattle to grab lunch and enjoy the beautiful day!

 

Here we are at Duke's Chowder House on Alki:

 

 

Searching for his nipple.  (Seriously, what is going on with this...)?

 

 

 

 

Exhausted after a long day:

 

 

Bonding with his cousin Alyssa

 

Playing "Where's Ben" at La Palmera

 

Aunt Karen tossing Ben around:

 

 

Showing Uncle Chris his water table:

 

 

Tonight, we have plans to go to dinner at Ivar's to get one last delicious seafood meal in before Karen, Chris and the kids head back to Wisconsin tomorrow.  We will be so sad to see them go!

 

Greg's parents, Marcia and George, will stay with us for another week!  I'm looking forward to having Marcia's help getting my house in order - as she is always so great about lending a hand!  She has ideas for meals to make and some landscaping to tend to - and of course, soaking up as many snuggles with Ben as possible!  It has also been so fun to watch George chase Ben around - he is getting a great reminder about what it's like to have a little one running around nonstop!

 

This weekend we hope to take a trip to the zoo and The Children's Museum, and we also have plans to get out for a date night!   

Wine Tasting and a Wedding!

We had a busy and fun weekend!  On Friday night, Rachel came over after work to watch Ben for us :)  It always makes me laugh (or cry?) how well behaved Ben seems to be for everyone except for me!  I mean, he is great for me a lot of the time, but he definitely allows himself to be comfortable and have his moments when he is with his mama. 

 

Ben apparently was extra snugly and fell asleep on Rachel on the couch, and then transitioned into his crib for the night with a breeze - before his usual bedtime even!  

 

 

 

While Ben was at home, we were at our friends Jamie and Collin's house to help with the tedious task of selecting champagne and wine for their upcoming wedding and reception!  It was a rough job, but we were happy to help ;)  I didn't get a picture, but Jamie made these crackers and they were amazzzzzing.  I will absolutely be making a batch for the next time I'm hosting or attending an event.



 

 

 

On Saturday morning, we got in the car early (one of us...me....a tad hungover from the night before), to drive to Stevenson, Washington for a wedding at Skamania Lodge.  Greg's old roommate and longtime friend Jason (aka Bustos) married his fiance Victoria, whom I had never met before but was looking forward to meeting!  Ben did a surprisingly good job on the 4 hour car ride - we stopped for lunch and a diaper halfway through.  Here he is fighting a nap on the way down.

 

Due to the unpredictability of our toddler, and my not wanting to be mortified by any toddler-like behavior during the ceremony, I sent Greg down to view the ceremony on his own while I entertained Ben in our room.  It was a good call, because on our way down to meet Greg at the reception, Ben lost his shiz over not being able to push every button in the elevator.  I promptly turned around and text Greg to meet us in the room (with wine) so that he could escort HIS CHILD downstairs with me.  I hope nobody reading this blog thinks I dislike my kid...but OMG I totally understand how parents of kids this age feel now.  It is hard work, I tell you.

 

But - Ben definitely enjoyed himself once he was outside and able to run around a little. 



 

An attempt to get a picture with Ben :)  PS - he loves to suck on lemons?!

 

He even got to touch an owl!?!?

 

 

And bartend!

 

Once we got inside, we parked him next to his new buddy Fisk and pulled out the trusty iPad.

 

Back in the room...a few minutes before he passed out.

 

Greg stayed up and closed down the reception.  His Father's Day was spent napping and recovering ;)  

Adventures at Callie's!

Some of these pictures may have been posted before, but I stole a few more from Callie's blog to show how much fun Ben has been having with Callie and the girls over the past few months! 

Ben is finally back at their house after a WEEK of being sick (double ear infections - no joke), and then won't be back for a couple weeks since Greg's family will be in town soon!  I am sure he will have a blast over there today with their new PUPPY! :)

 

Thanks again, Callie, for always take such good care of my baby!  XOXO



   

 

Jamie's Bachelorette - AKA My Weekend of FREEDOM

 

Last Friday morning, I dropped Ben off at Callie's and was soon on my way to Chelan for Jamie's bachelorette party!  I will admit I was a tiny bit sad saying goodbye to my little dude, but I knew how much fun he was going to have with Greg - and I think Greg was looking forward to having a "man weekend" with Ben :)

 

Jamie, Tif and I drove over together - stopping to meet Jamie's mom and Aunt for lunch in Leavenworth.  No trip to Leavenworth is complete without a stop at the Munchen Haus!

 

 

 

 

Before checking into the house we were renting at Wapato Point, we snuck in a quick wine tasting at Hard Roe to Hoe:

 

 

We soon were able to check into the house, and OMG was it beyond my expectations.  It was SO gorgeous and such a perfect place to spend the weekend!

 

 

We then proceeded to drink champagne and this punch on the deck for the next  (I have no idea how many) several hours as the rest of the group arrived. 

 

 

Weird that instead of driving into downtown Chelan for dinner (which was the original plan), we decided to walk to a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant around the corner ;)

 

 

 

While dining, we could hear the karaoke music pumping from the dive bar next door, so it was the obvious choice as to where to spend the rest of the evening.

 

 

 

It worked out perfectly, as Jamie was lucky enough to get serenaded by both this bachelor party...:

 

....as well as her bachelorette party:



 

The next morning (which came much too early) we boarded the wine party bus at 11 for 6 hours of wine tasting and lunch!  This was by far the part of the weekend I was most excited about, as it is something I have always wanted to do!  We had a great time, tasted some amazing new wines, and we made sure to send Jamie home with her favorite bottle from each place we stopped.

 

 

 

At Benson Winery:

 

 

At Karma Vineyards, where we had lunch:

 

At Tsillan Cellars:

 

Impromptu Wine Bus Dance Party:

 

The rest of the evening we spent swimming in the lake, (seemed like a fantastic idea after drinking wine all day), eating a delicious Italian dinner prepared by Jamie's mom and aunt, and just relaxing at the house.

 

The next morning, we stopped at Blueberry Hills on our way our of Chelan for the most amazing breakfast ever.  Seriously, GO HERE the next time you are in the area.  The eggs benedict was hands down the best breakfast I've ever had.

 

 

 

 

The only bummer from the weekend was that I was getting updates from Greg about my sick baby at home :(  I have to say, Greg was doing a great job of handling him on his own and was only updating me because I was BEGGING him to.  I couldn't believe that my first time really being away was probably the worst time for Ben - as he is a guy that wants only his mama when he is in that condition.  From the moment I got home on Sunday afternoon, I'm pretty sure Ben didn't leave my arms - which I obviously am not complaining about :)

 

So, the lesson I learned from this weekend was that it is 100% okay and amazing to take small chunks of time away from your kid.  I think it was good for both of us, and good for Greg, too!  He told me that he wants more time alone with Ben so that Ben can get used to him comforting him instead of always choosing me when he is sad/hurt/sick.  There was a time when I never thought I would be able to feel okay about this, but I know that it was important for me to let loose and enjoy some time with friends (especially celebrating my amazing friend, Jamie)!  It felt SO STRANGE to pack a bag only for myself.  To spend a couple days where I wasn't constantly concerned about what Ben was eating, when he was napping, what he was getting into, and where he was running off to.  To not have to carry around boogie wipes, snacks, water cups, diapers, and toys with me at all times.  To not get sweaty from being in warm weather with a kid that wants to hang on me or be carried.  And instead of making me long for more days like this, it made me miss my little sidekick like CRAZY!