Day 61 | A Blueberry Popsicle Kind of Day

The sun is shining, the temperature is high and the blender was calling my name. The perfect opportunity to use our popsicle molds for the first time (they were a wedding gift eight years ago!).

Here's the recipe I used.

Pretty much followed directions except I omitted the sugar and didn't substitute anything for it. I think they turned out plenty sweet so no regrets there.

The popsicles were just as yummy as they look. The yogurt was a little overpowering but still delicious. Chase appreciated the flavor (blueberry, of course) and enjoyed getting ridiculously sticky. He does have some work to do preparing his teeth for cold treats, though. He couldn't bite into the popsicle so I had to assist more than I should have!

Happy summer. :)

Day 60 | All is Quiet

And by quiet, I mean full of the requests of an attention-deprived toddler. The last of the family left today (time for one last choo choo playtime with Uncle Matt).

It's going to be a rough transition back to reality this week. Good thing it's a holiday weekend. I think I can make it through four days solo. I'm pretty sure, at least. 

*On a side note, I did do a blog post yesterday but, to my horror, I just realized it didn't publish. Boo! To my devoted followers, please accept my apologies. That's the last time I trust you blindly, Internet. 

Day 59 | And It All Comes to an End

The family parted ways this morning. It honestly could not have been a better break from reality:

-the resort was perfect 

-there was a ton to do on and off site

-the weather was just fine for what we were hoping to do (Virginia in late June could be disgustingly hot)

-everyone got along (not terribly surprising but you never know with that many people for a whole week)

I love my boys and our new house but I  am not ready to face everyday life again away from the constant support (people actually want to rock my baby to sleep?!?), the meal planning and preparation organized by someone else (I think I did one load of dishes all week...sorry, guys), the distractions from everyone when I wasn't feeling particularly positive, the list goes on and on. 

I'm feeling very lucky to call these people family. And after a week with me, they still agreed to take the above selfie. That's love. 

Day 58 | Vacation: Cramming it all in

The days just fly by too quickly on vacation. I'm not ready to call it quits. I've actually got a bit of the depressions about it. So, instead of fixating on that (sniffle, sniffle), I'll focus on what a fun last full day of vacation we had.

Another beautiful day beckoned us to the pool. Chase got even more comfortable in the water and had his dreams come true to be joined by all his cousins, uncle Matt, Grandpa Paw, Grandma Mary and his Dad. I started out on Robbe duty until he was willing to sleep solo on a lounge chair...and good thing...it was hot out!

My friend, Val, was sweet enough to join us for lunch. It has been years (years!) since we've seen each other and yet it felt like no time has past. Isn't that the test of real friendships? We had a ton to catch up on and we shoved as much into an hour as could be imagined. I wish we could see each other more often, but I'll take what I can get. 

After putting the kiddos down for their naps, mom and I snuck out to the outlets to spend some quality baby-free time. Ahhh...a taste of a past life. 

As if all that excitement weren't enough, we came home to a Gullicksrud Family Mini Putt contest and another delicious meal. 

Seriously, vacation life is the best. Now you see why I have the depressions?

Day 57 | Vacation: Poolside firsts

The rest of the fam headed to an amusement park this morning (shout out to Val for helping with tickets!) so we decided to spend a quiet morning by the pool.

I think Chase is on attention overload with all the family around (definitely not complaining!!) so the morning with just our family is hopefully what he needs to snap him out of the crankiness that's been following him around the last couple of days. The poolside morning could not have been more perfect: the shade was a comfortable temperature, it wasn't too busy, and both boys checked a first off the list.

Robbe went swimming for the first time! He seemed to enjoy it...no tears at least. His brother even splashed him in the face a couple of times but no problem. He also enjoyed a lovely poolside nap in his dad's arms. Nothing better than that!

Chase's first? He jumped in from the side of the pool. This probably doesn't seem that impressive, unless you know our toddler who takes a lot of encouragement to try new things. He went from only wanting to spend time in the 4-inch deep kiddie pool to jumping off the side of the big pool, floating on his back, and learning the doggie paddle. Big day! He kept asking to go back with IsabelleAnneLane (all one word) to show off his new tricks!

Day 56 | Vacation: Beach day

And by "day," I mean beach hour and a half for me and the boys.

Apparently the beach is not Chase's idea of a fun way to spend the day. I'm all about pushing him out of his comfort zone to encourage him to try new things and usually it works and he enjoys whatever it is (ie the carousel). After a few too many wake ups with Robbe last night, though, I just didn't have the energy to offer enough "encouragement" for Chase to enjoy himself. So, after an hour and a half at Virginia Beach which consisted of Chase playing on a pretty average playground and the boys sitting with me on a towel in the shade, we loaded the car and headed back to the resort with my dad (who was sweet enough to give up the rest of his beach day to haul us back). 

They'll learn to appreciate it eventually, right?!?

*On a happier note...Robbe decided to spend the first few minutes of his beach lounging learning to roll from back to front. He's done the front to back a couple of times but apparently he was waiting for the right motivation (the ocean...not silly toys like other babies) to tackle the more complicated maneuver. 

Day 55 | Vacation: A boy with his grandpa

Chase is smitten with Grandpa "Paw". He asks about him constantly and will do just about anything to be by his side.

It might have something to do with the acrobatics that ensue when Grandpa is anywhere near the couch (see above photo). 

The relationship that is developing/has developed mostly long-distance is really very sweet (and that's true with all his grandparents, actually). I have a feeling this bond will continue to grow as the years go on. I can only hope. 

Day 54 | Vacation: Old timey town

Family trip to Colonial Williamsburg!

We might not have gotten the earliest start this morning...thanks to our boys, but we made it to the Revolutionary City before noon and were able to have a lot of old timey fun.

Highlights:

-Chase "baa-ing" at the sheep
-Old timey crafts for the girls
-Authentic bonnets = pretty pricey
-Chase can now say blacksmith
-It was the first occasion in Chase's short life that he skipped his nap. He did amazing. Really no meltdown. I couldn't believe it. Makes me very happy and a little nervous (he can't drop that nap!).
-Cool summer breezes = the best
-We learned that there's a breed of sheep that have heart attacks during thunder storms. There aren't many left...surprise, surprise.

We celebrated the great day with a special ice cream treat. Chase requested blue but had to settle for purple.

Day 53 | Vacation: Family is the best

Seriously...the best.

How lucky we are to be surrounded by such amazing people that don't mind (and maybe even semi-enjoy?) taking care of us and spoiling us with their attention and cooking and diaper changing (ok, no one enjoys that) and toddler chasing and baby bouncing. 

Have I mentioned how happy I am to be spending quality time with my neices, specifically? Our recent visits have been too short and too far apart for my liking. This week is just the ticket for learning more about the young ladies (eek!) they've become. 

Day 52 | Vacation Begins Today

A deep sigh of relief...a much needed vacation starts today. We arrived in Williamsburg this evening but the real vacation started when my parents arrived yesterday.

The boys need some undivided attention.  Chris is looking forward to a break from work. And me? I'm going to soak up as much family help in the childcare department as my mom, dad, brothers, sister in-law, and neices will offer!

Is it terrible that when I took the photo above my first thought was, "oh, such a sweet moment" followed very very closely by the thought, "I'm just so happy to not be the one putting him down for the nap"? Thank goodness for family. 

It's going to be a glorious week. For all of us. 

Day 51 | Movie Time

From left to right: John, Chase and Caroline.  Getting ready for the show.

Chase joined his friends Caroline and John for a movie at the National Air and Space Museum today (mom and Robbe tagged along, too).

The crew saw One World, One Sky starring Big Bird and Elmo. This was Chase's first exposure to these characters outside of his bandaids (so he did have immediate recognition) and he loved every second of it. The movie was shown in the planetarium theater so it spanned the ceiling and totally captivated Chase. He laughed at some of the "jokes" and got so excited every time Big Bird reappeared. Somewhat shockingly, he was able to sit patiently through the 25 minute showing even while almost getting folded up in his chair. Overall, a huge hit! 

Day 50 | A Miniature Train Ride

Well, we've finally started exploring the options for kiddos outside of tree park. A whole two weeks have gone by!  It's hard to discover things to do it turns out. I'm so glad I stumbled upon today's adventure during Robbe's 4am feeding, though.

We headed to the Wheaton Regional Park to ride the carousel and, more importantly, the miniature train. The morning was a big hit. Chase didn't even have to be coerced (that much) to get on the carousel this time. Making progress! And the ten minute train ride through the woods was just perfect for him. Of course now he just keeps talking about how Daddy needs to go with next time. No respect around here!

Looking forward to discovering more gems like this in our new area. 

Day 49 | Depicting Motherhood

Is this really what I look like?

Chase gets two baby magazines in the mail and he loves them. For the most part, they're great. New reading material every month, fun songs to learn, and ideas for projects to create.

Over the last few months, though, I've started noticing a trend in how they depict moms. A sweatsuit (and sweatband!)? Hair kerchiefs and aprons? A scrunchie? I swear they have no idea how to represent a modern mom.  I don't get worked up about many things and I can't say that I would consider canceling our subscriptions or anything severe like that, but I wouldn't mind seeing a few more moms that represent me and the moms I see everywhere I go. 

I'm going to go find an apron to put on now...

Day 48 | A Morning Surprise

Daddy and Chase talking birds.

Since Chris has to be at work at 8am, he's long gone before the boys wake up (yippee for me, sad for him).

This morning, however, he's making his rounds at government agencies (the Social Security office and DMV, to be exact) to continue our never ending quest to update our registration and get a new parking permit. Turns out when he went last week his middle name was not spelled out on his Social Security card and "W" could stand for anything (?!?) so now he needs a letter from them verifying his identity. Even though he already has a DC license. Lame. 

Anyway...the happy part of the story is that he left later this morning. Chase couldn't have been more excited to spend some surprise time with his daddy. They sat together over breakfast and discussed their new favorite topic...birds. It was one of my favorite moments: just listening to the two of them and thinking about how lucky we are. A nice reminder after a less-than-ideal night with Robbe. Somehow it's so much easier to focus on the hard moments until sweet ones (like this morning) snap you back into reality. 

Day 47 | Water Break

It's a hot one out there today but that didn't keep us down. Chase's friend John came up for a visit and of course we had to show off tree park. 

As you can see from the photo, the boys stayed well hydrated so a good time was had by all. So much fun to have our friends from the old 'hood up for a visit. See? We're not too far away!

Day 46 | Happy Father's Day

Do other Dads like to match with their boys?  This Dad does!

I'm crazy lucky to be surrounded by such amazing male role models for my boys. This Father's Day, I've been thinking a lot about three specific dads.

1. My dad, of course. He's worked so hard his whole life to help provide for our family and to be a true example of a good work ethic and a real friend to everyone he surrounds himself with. As a father and grandpa, he continues to impress me with his upbeat disposition and energy for life. 

2. My husband, also, of course. I know a lot of people think it, but my boys really do have the best dad. I don't know how he does it. Works long hours (but not as much anymore!) and comes home to engage the boys without sitting down or taking a break for a second and never (really, never) complains. All day, everyday he has more patience and energy for our kids than I could ever imagine. Am I envious? Umm, yes! I couldn't be working as a stay at home mom with anyone else or any less support. I love watching him with our boys and seeing the crazy/imaginative/bizarre activities he comes up with. And the fact that Chase understands and appreciates his dad's sense of humor better than almost anyone is about the sweetest thing in the world. These boys won't understand how lucky they are for a very long time. But I will continue to clue them in.  

3. My big brother, who probably won't read this. Since I was a senior in high school, he has been an inspiration to me with his girls. He doesn't have to do the things he does: make props for dance routines, help with hair updos, make the silliest faces/noises/comments, and be a real guys' guy but still have a soft teddy bear demeanor. I don't envy any future love interests of my nieces. They'll never live up. 

Day 45 | Welcome to District Day Dreams

Chase having a blast at our neighborhood splash park
and supporting DC at the same time.

There's a whole new audience for the blog today.  Welcome!  I hope you enjoy this peek into our family's life in the District. 

In case you don't have time to dive too deep into the history, here's a quick overview of what to expect and the players involved:

A little about the blog.

Meet the team.

It's been a lot of fun chronicling our adventures...and it's only just begun.

Day 44 | Miga Settles In

A perfectly organized closet (that will last about two days, I'm sure) and this is where I've been finding Miga the last couple of days.  That's ok, I didn't want those sweaters to be free of cat hair anyway.

She's handling the transition to the new house pretty well, in case you're wondering. She has fully explored all the nooks, crannies and windows. Her crazy loud meow wails have subsided (I think she just wanted us to know she was present). She can't go outside anymore, though (we had a closed in patio at the old house), but that hasn't stopped her from trying. She bolts out of any open door like she's running after her long lost mother (I can only assume that's how excited she'd be to see her). This trend is not particularly appreciated and will undoubtedly result in her getting into serious trouble at some point. The grass is always greener, I guess. 

Day 43 | Library Auditions

Chase and Robbe at Takoma Park Library.

Turns out there are quite a few libraries in our new neighborhood. Today we visited the Takoma Park Library in Maryland.

The verdict? Great selection of books that we really enjoyed reading. Our personal favorite from this morning was, "That Cat Can't Stay" by Thad Krasnesky. However, since we live on the District side of the road, we would have to pay $60 to loan books from here. Umm...no thanks. We'll keep shopping around. :)

Day 42 | Call Me Crazy

Chase's favorite chairs at the DMV.

Who decides to tackle a trip to the DMV and the cable company in the same morning...with two babies? This girl. 

The boys were amazingly patient (more so than me through the waits) and we managed to get out of both with only a few tears. Who cried, you might ask? Robbe would have been a safe bet since he should have been napping, but no. Chase got tired of waiting and broke down, might be another guess. Nope. In fact, after spending about 45 minutes at the DMV (there was a crazy line even if the photo above doesn't attest to that), Chase cried when we were leaving because he wanted to sit on the chairs some more. That kid. Hysterical. 

If only I could say it was a perfectly executed trip. Unfortunately, because Chris's name is first on our car registration (mine is also listed, mind you), I couldn't change our address and, more importantly, walked away without a parking permit. Can anyone explain why it matters who is listed first? Not cool. Not cool at all. 

Day 41 | Back to Reality

Sweet photo of the boys.

My mom left today so it's just me and the boys once again. Always a rough transition back after having such great help. Somehow the boys seem to sense they have to go easy on me, though, and for that I'm grateful.

I won't be getting as much accomplished at the house the rest of the week, I'll be a little more exhausted at the end of the day (maybe that's not even possible!), and everyone will be a little more starved for attention (including me and Miga) now that my mom's gone. The one upside is that I am forced to spend more of my energy focusing on the boys instead of my to do list when I'm here alone. I've missed them even though I've barely left their sides. Crazy how that happens when you get wrapped up in being extra busy. 

Day 40 | Exhaustion Ensues

We all feel this way.

Moving is exhausting. Surprise, surprise. 

We're making good progress at settling in and are loving the house but there's just so much to do. I'm beyond thankful for my mom's willingness to be here and help with the kids, the laundry, the meals, the unpacking, the organizing, the random projects, the Target run...seriously, what have I been doing?!?

It's times like these that I'm almost too thankful for naptime. I need to get stuff checked off the list (slower than I'd like), the babies need to wind down after all this chaos, and sometimes sneaking sweets while the toddler sleeps is the only option.  

Day 39 | Exploring the Neighborhood

Beautiful flowers and local strawberries from the farmers market.

We took a much needed break from unpacking this morning to explore a bit of our new neighborhood. We went to the farmers market and Chase broke in the splash park that's right near our house.  He loved it!

Day 38 | Making Progress

Big day. Huge. 

Hill house cleaned out: check

Cable/internet hooked up: check

Blinds installed: check

Chunk of boxes unpacked (including a complete kitchen!): check 

Whew. 

Day 37 | Hello, New House

Chase's new favorite spot: his train viewing chair.

We're home. It's amazing...and a mess.

Day 36 | Farewell Capitol Hill

Chase and Caroline enjoying the day.

Today is our last full day as Hill residents. We couldn't be more excited about our move tomorrow but we will be sad to leave this neighborhood, our friends, and the house we brought Robbe home to.

In celebration of our last day on the Hill, we took advantage of the proximity to the Capitol and the gorgeous day to pay a visit to the ducks at the Capitol reflecting pool. Chase and his friend Caroline had a blast feeding the ducks until they literally swam away because they couldn't eat anymore. I didn't know that was possible!

Day 35 | Up and At 'Em

Robbe bright eyed and full of smiles this morning.

Both boys were up early this morning (as in 7:30). Apparently they were just too excited about Chase's last day of playgroup to sleep any longer.

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this group. We met some very sweet people who we'll be sure to stay in touch with once we move off the Hill (Friday!) and have enjoyed having this relatively low cost and low key activity every week. We will miss our CHLG friends. 

Day 34 | Tree Park

I have a feeling this is going to be a common scene this summer. This amazing park, dubbed "Tree Park," is just a few blocks from our new house. We had to swing in today to drop off a few things so it seemed only right to stop at our new neighborhood park, too.

Did you notice that Robbe is picking up one of Chase's favorite hobbies?

Day 33 | Happy Baby

Robbe full of smiles.

Robbe is three months old today. He's probably the smiliest baby you've ever come across. It's one of my favorite things about him.

One of my not-so-favorite things? The speed at which he's growing out of his clothes (more specifically, his perfectly timed brother's hand-me-downs). At three months he's already fitting comfortably in 6-9 months. That's no joke.

Day 32 | Home Ownership

Day one: close on house

Day two: visit house

Day three: first trip to Home Depot

Sounds about right.