Katie's Collective

I can’t believe that Memorial Day weekend has already come and gone. Just like that – time is flying! This year, we spent our long weekend just enjoying some family time and loving that we didn’t have a lot of plans.

We kicked the weekend off with a fun play date with our friends Toby and Alex and their little guy, Peyton. Peyton, Evie and Brennan had a blast playing on their playset and running wild. Toby and Alex grilled brats and made corn cakes for us, and we enjoyed on their deck on a beautiful night. It was a lovely way to start a wonderful weekend.

Brennan and I were up bright and early (thanks B) on Saturday morning so we cuddled and read books on the couch until Evelyn was up to join us. Once the three of us played for awhile, our tummies started to growl, so we decided to make pancakes. It’s always an adventure to cook in the kitchen with two cute little helpers, but they love it, and we had nothing but time to kill, so pancakes it was! After the two tiniest cooks had mixed up the batter and supervised their mama workin’ the griddle (no, I didn’t let them anywhere near the hot surface), Neil was up and we ate a yummy breakfast as a family.

Since we had found ourselves plan-free for the day, which almost never happens, we asked the kids what they wanted to do. Evelyn quickly shouted she wanted to go to the zoo, and Brennan shouted “daahhhh” so we took that as agreement and decided to head to the zoo! We quickly got ready and packed up some sandwiches for lunch, then took off on an adventure.

After the zoo, we made a quick stop at the outlets, where we scored some tennis shoes for the boys. After a whirlwind shopping trip – shopping with two toddlers without a stroller is no joke – we headed home for nap time. I took advantage of the dual nap time for the kids and headed to the local greenhouse to pick up some flowers for our front porch, and some starter plants for a little raised bed that we decided to try this year!

Once everyone was up and at ’em, I took the kids outside to help me plant. It was messy, hilarious and well, I’m surprised that the flowers survived their loving but not-so-gentle hands. After dinner and some much-needed baths, we tucked the kids into bed, and had an at-home date night with yummy steaks, potatoes and asparagus. Oh and wine, of course! 🙂

Sunday started very early for Neil when his alarm buzzed before 6 am for an early morning round of golf. I lounged until I started to hear little voices, then Evie, Brennan and I spent a lazy morning relaxing and playing until it was time to get ready for church.

I feel fortunate that our church has an awesome kid’s program, so after dropping the kids off in their respective rooms for playtime, I settled into a pew and enjoyed a calming and thought-provoking service in peace. After church, we headed home to grab Neil, then we headed off to celebrate the baptism of our friend’s littlest guy. It was great to see a lot of our “framily” and before we knew it the party was over and it was nap time for our littles. We headed home, tucked them into their beds and decided that we needed naps too! We all napped until the late afternoon and then played with the kids until bedtime. It was pretty dark and we experienced some sprinkles, but that didn’t stop us from playing with our bikes and chalk in the driveway. After Evelyn and Brennan were asleep for the night, we ordered takeout and started watching The Crown on Netflix. I’d heard it was good, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Monday was rainy, so we read a lot of books and spent a lot of time cuddling. When we got a break in the clouds, we headed out to the backyard and played in the sandbox and chased Sasha around the yard.

We were itching for something a little different by lunchtime, so we popped in the Trolls movie and let the kids eat lunch on the porch. Monday afternoon was filled with naps, meal prepping for the week, and some household chores. While it wasn’t the most exciting afternoon, it was a great relaxing way to round out such a fun weekend.

I spent a lot of time reflecting on the reason for the weekend, and am truly grateful for the brave men and women who gave the ultimate gift for our freedom. While Memorial Day is a wonderful way to celebrate those men and women, it’s important to remember them each and every day, as well as say thank you to those currently serving.

That’s a wrap on the weekend at the Witte house. We aren’t even halfway through the week, and I’ve got to say, I’m already looking forward to the next one…