Happy Monday! Hoping you had a wonderful weekend and a great yesterday celebrating the fathers and father-figures in your life. Our weekend was pretty jam-packed, so I thought it would be fun to share a weekend recap with you today – since I haven’t done one in awhile.
I arrived back from Boston (for a work trip) around 5pm on Friday and was greeted by shrieks and happy screams from Ava and Maeve – Ava’s friend we share a nanny with during the week. (We host the nanny share at our house). It was definitely the sweetest thing to come home to. I spent the next couple of hours catching up with Tommy, Ava, and Violet over conversation, snuggles and hugs, and a couple episodes of Doc McStuffins (Ava’s favorite show right now). Once I had put Ava down to sleep and walked V, it was time for my belated gals birthday dinner at the DC Wharf!
My friend Arlene was kind enough to pick me up, so I kissed Tommy and Violet goodbye and we were on our way!
The restaurant I chose to have dinner at was Del Mar, one of the most “of-the-moment” restaurants to eat at in D.C. – and for good reason! The restaurant carries a Spanish flair with its cuisine and the space and ambiance is pretty hard to beat. It’s set in a Spanish-like villa with waterfront views and the food is AMAZING.
Our party decided to do what probably most people do here, we opted to order two tapas each so we could sample a variety of the dishes Del Mar had to offer. The standout dish for me had to be the Paella de Pescado y Marisco. It was as beautiful and delicious, as it was HUGE!
Maine Lobster, Wild Calamari, PEI Mussels, Tiger Prawns.
And, I of course, just had to order myself a mocktail. Lucky for me, there was a special “Mocktail” section on the drink menu!
I settled on the LUNA LLENA ~ Hibiscus, Lemon, Club Soda
Our group had a grand old time, chatting, eating, and drinking until about 11:30pm. Thanks for making a gal feel special ya’ll!
Our Saturday began with our entire crew sleeping in until 8am! We spent the next hour or so gathering ourselves, eating breakfast, and walking V before we had to make a Trader Joe’s pit stop to pick up some picnic goodies for our day’s adventure. We had plans to meet a friend and mentor of Tommy’s, Marie, at Seven Oaks Lavender Farm in Catlett, VA. While Marie, Ava, and I had been here before (though not together), Tommy hadn’t, so I was excited for him to see this beautiful farm, just as much as I was excited to see Ava fall in love with this place all over again, and visit with Marie again, since it had been awhile since we had seen her.
As one might guess, there are lavender fields that you can walk through here and pick your own bunches to take home. There are also lavender plants and other herbs and wild flowers for purchase, but the farm has also done a great job at making it a “day destination” if you will, especially for families.
There are places to have a picnic – picnic tables in the shade, a wraparound porch to sit on, or fields to sit in. There is also a caged area for people to watch and feed the rabbits should they want to, a sandbox for kids to play in, and another separate kids area with a dollhouse, riding animals, and other fun toys to keep them occupied. Drinks and desserts are also available for purchase.
Part of our picnic.
We couldn’t say no when Marie offered to take some family photos of us in the lavender fields.
We all spent a good solid 3.5 hours here enjoying being outside and each other’s company before we parted ways.
The rest of our Saturday included some down time at home, a trip to the grocery store, and a clam pasta meal that Tommy gratefully cooked for us for dinner because I was rather tired from our day’s adventure!
Our Father’s Day the next day began with Ava and daddy swimming lessons while I hit up my regular Sunday morning prenatal class. I hadn’t been able to go in a couple of weeks and boy did it feel good to get some good stretching in!
A little while later, Tommy, Ava, and I were back in the car for the day’s adventure per daddy’s request. A short hike to Calvert Cliffs State Park’s public beach! The drive out there was about an hour and back, so not too bad. While my mom, Violet and I had been there before years ago when we still lived in Chesapeake Beach, Tommy and Ave hadn’t and were in for a small treat!
The hike to the beach was 1.8 miles each way, but totally worth it. The scenery is gorgeous and the trail isn’t too strenuous, and this is what awaits you:
While we certainly weren’t the only ones with the idea of hitting a beach for Father’s Day, the crowds weren’t terrible. I think it was because we chose to go mid-day to the beach (due to our morning activities and commute) and because the 1.8 mile hike each way may deter some folks from coming. We made the most of our several hours there though!
We got home around 5:30pm and promptly whipped up a dinner of steak and chili before more or less settling into our normal Sunday evening routine. Tommy tried out one of his Father’s Day presents and loved it (more on this in Thursday’s post!)
QUESTION:
What did you all do this weekend and for Father’s Day?!
♥♥♥