Hey hey!! I am writing to you at 4 AM CST from the back seat of the car. We are going to a wedding this weekend (probably this past weekend by the time I publish this), and decided to leave at midnight since Quinn hates the car. We were hoping to take advantage of her usual sleeping hours- and y’all – it’s working!! We’ve been on the road for almost 5 hours and we have had one stop with very little fussing. Only a couple hours to go!

DJ and I have both stayed up the whole trip together talking, even though we should probably take turns sleeping. It’s been really nice though, it’s rare to have this type of uninterrupted time together.

I’ve also eaten an entire days worth of food over the last few hours- what is it about traveling that really revs up the appetite?

Anyway, I’m going to use the next hour or so to whip up a quick post!

Last weekend, Saturday August 6th, we had a lot to celebrate! It was Quinn’s three month birthday and our seven year wedding anniversary was the following Monday!

My MIL and Gordie soo graciously offered to watch Quinn so we could go out for our anniversary! She was not wanting to nap that day, so by the time I finally got her to fall asleep I had exactly 26 minutes to get ready. Pre-baby I usually allotted about an hour to get ready, but I was ready in less than that with a little extra time to spare. And I’m sure my makeup and hair reflected that 😆.

DJ and I chose Lanning’s restaurant for dinner. This is a place we have both passed countless times growing up but never have actually dined. They have a mouth-watering menu without a lot of frills, which is actually desirable given my dairy and soy restrictions. It’s hard to say no to a bunch of unique things on a menu, so this was exactly what I was looking for- and we suspected whatever we ordered would be divine.

When we arrived, the maître d’ gave us a card wishing us a happy anniversary from the owners & staff. Such a sweet, personalized touch!

In the card, we were gifted a certificate for a complimentary cheesecake or triple chocolate mousse!

To start, they came around with a bread basket with an assortment of carby morsels that had my name written all over them. Butttt since most bread rolls have soy or soybean oil, I had to say no. Do you know how hard it was to turn down a bread basket?! And they served whipped butter 🥲. DJ chose one of their pretzel bread sticks, and he told me, with a note of apology in his voice, that it was one of his favorite parts of the meal. I’ll have to go back once I can have that bread & butter again!

We also shared a glass of Austin Hope wine. It was wonderful and so smooth.

As a starter, we opted for some oysters. I couldn’t have oysters while pregnant, so I was one eager beaver to have them again. They were every bit as good as I remembered 😋. DJ and I cheers every oyster shell before slurping it down, anyone else? Or just us? 😆

DJ also tried the lobster bisque, which he said was really good.

The staff was extremely accommodating with my restrictions. PS. If you missed it, Quinn has a cow’s milk protein intolerance, so I have to avoid dairy and soy while breastfeeding. As a people pleaser and a chronic oversharer (heck of a combo), I apologized profusely for being high maintenance and told them I would be back once I was done breastfeeding and could have dairy and soy again. In the mean time, I had their stellar lamb chops (minus their house steak sauce) with mint jelly and a side of rice pilaf. It was all deeeelish. I wanted so badly to pick up that lamb and get into every crevice with my teeth, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem like the time nor place. Although, if I had, I’m sure others who had the lamb chops would understand.

I also tried a side of their carrots – I don’t know what it was about them, but they were amazing. I could have had a whole other plateful.

Lanning’s is also situated right on yellow creek river lending the window seats a beautiful view.

And we ended with a car selfie to remember the day. Best 7 years ever! ❤️ We drove around town for a few minutes and admired plots of land we dream of owning one day.

By the end of the date, I was so ready to get my girl back in my arms, but am really grateful for that time and celebration with DJ! Quinn had a great time with her Gigi and Grandpa Gordie too!

Oh! And DJ decided to take their cheesecake to go. He said it was delicious. I had some oatmilk coffee ice cream with a chocolate dairy free muffin at home, my go-to lately!

On Sunday, August 7th, we just got ready for the week. Quinn was extra tired that day, so I just let her nap lots in my carrier.

That afternoon, one of DJ’s good friends from childhood came by to meet Quinn.

Then he took over dad duties while I ran off to quickly get a lash lift and tint with Amaris . I decided to try this out as it can be hard to even find time to put mascara on most days, and I have never been able to curl my lashes. Plus I’m in a couple weddings coming up. This is actually so much more affordable than getting false lashes (it only uses your natural lash) – and just gives them a little curl and tint. I haven’t put mascara on yet since getting it done and am obsessed! It’ll last about 8 weeks. Also, Amaris just opened her own studio in Fairlawn 😍.

Just don’t look closely at the brow 😬🙈.

On our actual anniversary, August 8th, midday, someone rang the doorbell. I didn’t think much of it- probably just an Amazon delivery, I expected the courtesy ring and that be that… But this person was insistent. They alternated knocking and ringing for a while. I tried to look out the door from the upstairs window but couldn’t get a good view. It made me nervous being home alone with Quinn, so I called DJ to see if he knew who it was while huddled with Quinn. DJ just goes, “Oh, I’m having flowers delivered to you!” .. leave it to me to make a whole drama out of a romantic anniversary gesture 😅.

They were so beautiful!! And the guy delivering them was so darn nice too haha.

Pete came over that afternoon to visit. He is in town helping my Grandma Vi move. It was wonderful quality time all together and the highlight of my day. Quinn was mesmerized by her Grampy!

While Pete was here, we decided Quinn wasn’t a huge fan of Goodnight Moon. When reading it she got a bit fussy and started to pick up momentum in her bouncer. We joked she was trying to launch out of it to get out of hearing any more Goodnight nobody, Goodnight mush!

The next day, the usual trail was closed to construction so we went on the trail across the way called Happy Days. Moose seemed to love the change of scenery.

I also recently learned about Wonder Weeks and leaps. The basic premise is babies go through mental leaps in development and as a result develop new skills. However, during these leaps, they may become extra fussy or clingy. When I downloaded the app and tailored it specific to Quinn it was like a lightbulb turned on. She was in the middle of a leap and definitely was being more fussy and clingy to me than usual. The descriptions of the leaps/new skills are so accurate it’s wild!

That week we also received this adorable personalized monogrammed clothing set with Quinn’s initials on it from family friends!

Quinn also got her next Lovevery box! She has been putting everything in her mouth lately, and she particularly loves this little teether that came in the box.

Aaaand I’ll keep it nice and short today.

Question for you:

* How do you prefer to pass the time on long drives?

<3,

Mackenzie