Fun with mom (and dad)

I officially started working 3 days a week recently, so I've found myself trying to figure out how to create a good balance of my time now that I have much less of it! The days I'm home with Benjamin (now only Wednesdays and Fridays) seem too short, so I try to make the most of it when I can (without wearing myself out too much). Last week, we had a blast, and no matter how difficult it can be to juggle time/obligations/fun/chores, I know that I'll never regret sharing so many great times (and laughs) with my son. 

Here are a few of the things we were up to last week, me and my buddy Benjamin Willys :)

Wednesday we went to Ikea. Just me and Benjamin. And wow, I think I deserve a medal for keeping that boy happy through lunch and TWO hours of shopping. Not to mention how hard I had to work to reign him in while we loaded the cart with our great finds. And do you think anyone stopped to help the mom with a toddler as she was hauling 60 lbs boxes to her cart? Of course not! {Side note: we had to go back with dad on Saturday to return a few things and pick a few additional things up, and Matt could barely handle it for 30 min!! I quietly, or not so quietly, said "now don't you think I deserve a medal?" ;)}

As a reward for being such a great shopping partner/trooper, we spent the rest of the day in the backyard where I set up a nice little water park for Benjamin. He loved it! 

And on Friday, we met up with Kari & Co. at the zoo and had an awesome time. We didn't see too many animals this time, but we did beat the heat by enjoying a visit to their water play area (which is awesome for little kids!!). I had no clue it was even there. Benjamin had a blast with Noah and Fisher. We'll be back, I'm sure!

And not to leave dad out, we headed to Boulder after BWL's long afternoon nap (that zoo tuckered him out!!) to meet up with some friends and get a personal tour of the Boulder Emergency Squad. It was so fun to explore the gear, trucks, and other equipment these awesome volunteer emergency personnel use, and the kiddos had a blast! Benjamin already loved fire trucks ("cucks!"), but now he looooves them. We topped it off with dinner at Wahoos, but Benjamin was exhausted from the fun day, so we ate quickly!