I don’t usually write posts like this unless we’ve been traveling, but the past weekend was so much fun, I want to be able to look back on it! Last week was kind of rough–Dave had a bunch of after-hours work events, so I was on my own with Charlie for a few days. He was really good, but it’s not quite what we’re used to. I think that made the weekend feel even better, because I was extra excited to spend it together as a family. Plus, we had lots to celebrate, between by 27th birthday on Saturday and Easter on Sunday!

Charlie was sooo excited for my birthday, he decided it should start at 6 A.M., ha! Being up early meant extra snuggles and plenty of time to make chocolate chip pancakes, so Dave and I weren’t complaining. After our unexpectedly fun breakfast and Charlie’s morning nap and “brunch” feeding, we hopped in the car to head to Fearrington Village, which is about 45 minutes from our house. Some of you may remember that Fearrington is where we held our wedding reception, so it’s one of the most special places in the world to Dave and me. We hadn’t been in a long time, and the last time we went was kind of a bust (we went for a work dinner when Charlie was two months old, and I ended up spending almost the entire dinner nursing him in the car), so we were grateful for a gorgeous day and a happy baby to enjoy it with! Our first stop was The Granary for lunch on their terrace. It was the first time Charlie has sat in a high chair at a restaurant and he loved it! Dave and I both had pork schnitzel sandwiches, which were delicious, and then we split an ice cream sandwich for dessert. They use brownies instead of cookies, and it was amazing. It was also huge, so I decided to count it as my birthday cake :)

After lunch, we wandered around the village to show Charlie the animals and check out the little shops–many of which we’ve actually never been into. One of the best parts was seeing all of the beautiful flowers in bloom. Fearrington’s gardeners sure know what they’re doing! Of course, we also had to stop by the barn (our reception venue) for a family photo :)

On our way back to our house, we popped through Durham for a few errands. First was our annual visit to the Polish grocery store to pick up pierogis, kielbasa, and Dave’s yearly supply of Polish mustard for our Easter dinner! We’ve been making Polish Easter dinners (in honor of our shared heritage) since we were engaged, and it has become such a fun tradition for us. I can’t wait till Charlie can eat pierogis next year! We also stopped by the mall so I could try on a romper I’d been eyeing online (and it is SO cute–I can’t wait to wear it in Charleston in two weeks!) and pick up my free birthday drink from Starbucks. I am thoroughly enjoying the new coconut milk mocha macchiatos, and it’s fun to get something more exciting than my go-to iced coffee every once in awhile!

For the rest of the day, we relaxed at home, and then ended the day with Mellow Mushroom takeout pizza and a bottle of prosecco on our back porch. It was honestly the best birthday I can remember, and I’m so thankful to those cute boys who made it so special!

The next day, we were up early for Easter Mass! We usually go to a late morning Mass and arrive an hour early to get a seat (our church is really small), but I was nervous about Charlie’s ability to sit still for that long. So, to 7:30 A.M. Mass we went! We got there at 7:20 and probably should’ve arrived ten minutes earlier, but it worked out fine. Our favorite priest said Mass, and aside from a few little yells, Charlie did a great job. I could not deal with how sweet he looked in his Easter outfit!! If it was up to me, he’d be dressed like this every day, but unfortunately, our budget says otherwise :P We have been really good about taking Easter pictures every year (here we are in this same spot in 2014!), but this one is my favorite yet!

On our way back from church, we stopped at Rise for biscuits and doughnuts (we figured since we weren’t making an Easter ham, we could count Rise’s ham biscuits instead :)), and spent the day at home getting some chores accomplished, hanging out on our porch, and walking around our neighborhood. It was so relaxing, and since we were up so early again, the day felt gloriously long. We finished it off with our Polish dinner and some Reese’s peanut butter eggs!

Thanks for indulging me with this recap post, and I hope your weekend was wonderful, too! Did you do anything fun for Easter?