Good morning, good morning! We had another beautiful weekend over here in Chicago with temperatures in the 70s so we definitely made the most of it!

The playground ’til the sun went down, a trip to the LP zoo for some trick-or-treating, the Arts in the Dark parade, moms brunch, and patio dinners! We squeezed as much as we could out of this weekend and it was wonderful.

Friday

We went straight to the park after pick-up and stayed until sundown.

Ishu was very much into all the ladybugs and Riyu was very much into all the airplanes.

I also started watching Nobody Wants This and started reading this book for one of my book clubs.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, we took the bus over to the zoo for some trick-or-treating and fall-festing.

Ishu wore his Spiderman PJs (his Captain America costume hasn’t arrived yet) and Riyu debuted his baby Hulk costume (sans the Hulk’s face because there’s no way we can keep a hat on this kid).

I love how beautiful Lincoln Park is, especially at this time of year. So many beautiful, colorful trees.

I’ve joked about this years ago, but it still remains true. I love that my 4-year old gets just as much of a thrill about chasing the squirrels around outside the zoo as he does seeing all the animals Inside the zoo. He really requires so very little to entertain himself, haha.

After the zoo, we went to RJ Grunts for lunch before heading back home.

We touched down at home for about an hour before Ishu and I head back out to State Street to watch the Arts in the Dark parade.

It was so unbelievably cool and we got VIP access thanks to Meggan, which made it easy to see all the floats and organizations participating.

I don’t know whether it was the free wine or just my own hormones that made me so dang emotional, but I kept getting teary after the first few floats passed by. Just thinking about how cool and inclusive and diverse this city is. I have really fallen in love with this place SO MUCH over the past few years. I feel so lucky to call Chicago our home right now.

It ended around 8, but by the time we got back home, we had a very very tired kiddo on our hands. Once he was in bed, he passed out pretty quickly. Ankur and I stayed up a little while later to talk to our parents and book our AirBnB for Thanksgiving. So looking forward to all the family time that’s coming up!

Sunday

Sunday morning, we had a nice, slow start to the day.

In the afternoon, Ankur stayed home with the kiddos while I went to Stax Cafe for a moms brunch. Cinnamon roll waffles, pumpkin painting, and breakfast margaritas. And conversation that wasn’t interrupted by little monkeys wanting or needing something. A delight.

Afterward, I met the family at Lakeshore East Park for a little bit and we all walked home together. The riverwalk and the streets were filled with people who were also trying to enjoy the last bit of this beautiful weather. (Also I laugh because I keep saying “last bit of beautiful weather,” but somehow it’s still around).

Ankur took on bedtime routine for the babies so I could go out to Old Town to meet up with some mamas for a night out. We went to Happy Camper and sat out on the patio, which felt like such a nice little treat given that it’s almost the end of October!

We ended up staying ’til 10:30ish, taking great pleasure in the fact that our kids were all asleep by this point.

I’m not gonna lie – I can sometimes feel a little guilty as I walk out the door to an activity that is solely just for ME. Especially when I leave when there’s a lot going on at home. But I feel beyond grateful for a partner who recognizes the extrovert in me and encourages me to do the things that fill my cup.

I definitely feel like a fuller, happier, more energized version of myself when I can take the time to do these things.

This weekend felt so special and full in all the best ways.

Wow. I got from beginning to end of this blog post and the family is still sleeping! What a fun surprise. I’ll go start the coffee and we’ll see if I can get through that before they’re up too.

It’s Ishu’s half birthday today! (We have a 4.5 year old, WHAT?). And I wanted to surprise him with a half day to go get half a cake. Ha. We’ll see what he thinks. I feel like he’s super into this second work cycle thing so he may not be interested. But, I mean, who am I kidding? Of course he’ll want a half day.

Okay, I’m off!

Happy Monday!