Day 91 | Fun with Miss Sarah

What a crazy fun morning. Our friend, Miss Sarah, joined us for another jumping session at Sky Zone. The adult-to-child ratio of one-to-one is much better for this type of outing. Chase had so much fun with the focused attention and engagement. Makes me wish I could give him more of that on a daily basis. I guess we'll just take advantage of sweet friends to fill this void in the meantime.

I also got a special treat from Sarah this afternoon: she made me the delicious salad pictured above. Seriously...so yummy. It was so kind of her to host an impromptu lunch date with us. 

Day 90 | Superman

I wasn't planning on another yoga post today but after a friend snapped this photo in class today, I couldn't resist.

All three of us doing superman pose. :)

Day 89 | Differing Perspectives

We graduated Robbe to the big boy seat in the stroller recently. Quite the exciting development!

I thought it would be fun to capture what the world looks like from each or our perspectives in one photo. From left to right: mine, *Chase's, Robbe's. 

*Notice that Chase's includes his favorite view...tree park. 

Day 88 | A Bold Endeavor

I finally got brave enough to try a full-scale grocery trip solo with the two kiddos in tow. We've been stocking up on weekends when Chris or I can just pop out, but who wants to spend their precious weekend time doing that?

So here we are. One baby in a carrier. One toddler riding in the cart bribed with goldfish crackers. 

It was a highly successful trip, I'm happy to report. The toughest part was getting all the groceries into the house and put away with two babies stretched to their patience max. 

I'm pretty sure this will be our new Monday post-nap activity. I promise not to write about it every week, though. 

Day 87 | Breakfast with the Boys

I'm a lucky lady. 

Day 86 | Playing Tourist

Inspired by Chase's Clifford Goes to Washington book, we loaded up the car and headed down to the Tidal Basin to take in a few of Clifford's favorite spots.

The weather was lovely and the boys (ok, mostly just Chase) really enjoyed the outing. If you ask him, Jefferson was his favorite but from my perspective, Roosevelt's dog, Fala, was the real highlight. 

Day 85 | I'm So Vain

If I have any choice in the matter, you will not see me without makeup. I know as a stay at home mom it probably doesn't make a ton of sense from a time management (it only takes me five minutes, I swear!) or financial perspective (makeup is expensive, after all, and there are some days I see practically no one). But it makes me feel better about myself. Is that vain? Probably.

No judgement to folks that go natural, but to me there's nothing worse than feeling exhausted from a rough night and then being reminded of that exhaustion every time I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. At least if I've made an attempt to look decent (that's really all I'm aiming for these days), the face looking back at me semi-resembles the better-rested, higher-energy version of myself. 

So, two tips to share on the makeup front that took me far too long to learn:

1. Wear mascara. It immediately makes you look more refreshed. It's really amazing. 

2. Wear blush. This one was quite the epiphany to me recently. Taking five seconds to add color to your cheeks makes a world of difference. I wasn't sold on this forever but now I don't go a day without. 

There you have it. If you have two minutes (seriously, two minutes), add these two items to your morning routine. Or don't and continue embracing your natural beauty. Maybe I'll get there someday but not now. Now I'll take all the help I can get. 

Day 85 | Botanic Garden Redo

We decided to give the US Botanic Garden another shot today after the semi-disaster of the last trip. I'm happy to report that today's trip was much more enjoyable with less reprimands (none, actually!) from the staff.  

Highlights this time around:

• The catwalk over the jungle with our good friends Caia and John: It is pretty fantastic.
• Getting soaking wet in the Children's Garden:You might remember Chase was devastated about getting his sleeve wet last time. This time he was drenched and perfectly fine with it.  Toddlers...you never know!
• Smelling the aromatherapy corks: This time Chase enjoyed practicing saying the names of the scents (lemon verbena, patchouli, thyme, etc.)

Day 84 | New and Improved Mealtime

After far too many hours, we have a new dining room table with six chairs (and a hidden leaf!). I was going to share a photo of the completed project but then I snapped this moment right before breakfast. It took place at the new table, at least.

In addition to the table, Chase's new chair came from Grandma Mary and Grandpa Paul. Robbe (true to little brother tendencies) got Chase's old chair (it's more suited for a baby) and Robbe loves it. Can you tell from the photo?!? 

Looking forward to all the memories we have ahead of us at the new table. 

Day 83 | Making it a Home

After eight plus years of using lots of hand-me-downs and buying needed furniture on the cheap (thanks for the good memories, IKEA), we decided to splurge on a few real pieces of furniture for the new house. Be on the lookout for future posts about our new loveseats for the living room (6-8 weeks...urgh!) and the new built-in bookshelf for the basement (hopefully next week!).

Today, though, I'm excited to announce that our new dining room table has arrived! This was a big deal for us. We eat 95% of our meals together as a family...that's right, all four of us when Chris is home or me and the boys during weekday meals. I feel like it brings us together and teaches the boys the importance of manners during mealtimes. I know every family can't do this (we couldn't have when Chris was at his old job)...we recognize how lucky we are. 

So my plans during nap and post-bedtime? Unpacking these boxes and putting together our new table!! I can't wait. Finished product photo to come. 

Day 82 | Grateful for Friends

We had another visit from friends today. Pearl is Chase's age and their family will soon be welcoming a new little guy Robbe's age. Laura and I met at the yoga studio in a past life and have managed to stay in touch through several moves. Shocking!

We're still in the process of meeting friends in our new neighborhood so we're incredibly grateful for our friends from our old neighborhoods who are willing to come visit (even super pregnant!) and see our new digs. 

Day 81 | National Harbor

In all his trips to DC, Mike has never been to National Harbor (not really that surprising, for the record). We decided today was the perfect day to do something DC-y without being in the District.

They recently opened the Capitol Ferris Wheel at the Harbor and we had to check it out. It had less-than-impressive views of the city but was overall really enjoyable. Chase had a great first Ferris wheel ride and no one got queasy. Success!

Chase also rode the carousel three times (and not always on the lame bench shown above). We even made it home for nap without the baby falling asleep in the car seat. Overall a lovely outing. 

Day 80 | More Visitors!

Uncle Mike came to check out our new house and spend lots of quality time with the boys (including his little brother). Aren't we lucky? And the weather couldn't be more perfect. I'm hoping we can convince him to uproot his family and move here. No luck so far but I'm optimistic!

So far Chase has learned how to eat bricks, how to estimate the number of monkeys he can fit in his bed, and the value of being able to run really fast. And that's just one day's worth!

Day 79 | A Purr-fect Afternoon Outing

We took the boys to tour another one of our neighborhood treasures this afternoon.  The Washington Animal Rescue League is quite possibly the best animal shelter in the world (in my limited experience).  It's bright, clean (really...it doesn't even smell!), there's water running over the doggie dens (not cages), and the kitties are allowed to run around on the floor together.  Kitty and puppy paradise, that's for sure.

Chase loved frolicking among the animals and luckily didn't realize that he should ask to bring one home.  No way, sir!  For now we'll just enjoy visiting.

Added bonus? Chris surprised us by coming home early so we got to go as a family. Woohoo!

Day 78 | Summer Hair

I purposely left Chase's hair long for the past couple of months to see if the District summer humidity would bring back the curls from last summer (see above). Unfortunately, no luck.  The curls seem to have been a short-lived, one-summer phenomenon.

With that realization, it was time for a new short do for Chase for the summer.  He looks so grown up!

Day 77 | Sweet, Sweet Robbe

I feel like Robbe doesn't get his fair share of publicity around here.  His brother tends to be in the action a lot more than this little dude so the blog reflects that. 

At four and a half months, he remains the happiest baby I've come across (and I'm not just biased!).  His days are filled with observing our household chaos, smiling constantly, entertaining himself (probably too much), tickling his own feet, and, of course, eating and sleeping.

We still haven't gotten over the rough nights.  I'm hopeful I'll have good news to report soon but for now we will keep taking it one night at a time.  It's hard to hold the crappy nights against him when he wakes up in such good spirits.  All. The. Time.

Day 76 | Visitors!

We have family in town! Reidar and Kaitlen arrived last night for some fun in the District. We're so happy they are here.  

This morning we took them to the National Air and Space Museum. Chase showed them all around some of his favorite spots.  I'm sure they fully enjoyed being lugged around by a toddler (or, more accurately, lugging him around). They were definitely good sports about it, though. Chase has two more best friends.  

Day 75 | Mommy's Big Helper

It dawned on me today how much of a helper sweet Chase has become. The pictures above are all from today...and none of them staged. 

1. Sweeping the floor

2. Changing Robbe's diaper 

3. Carrying the shopping basket

4. Starting laundry 

So far my workload hasn't exactly lightened up but maybe soon? 

Day 74 | Happy Birthday, Grandma Bibi

Since we couldn't celebrate in person, we decided the second best way to celebrate Grandma Bibi's birthday was to spend the morning at her favorite store: Target.

It's always a production when you walk through those doors, isn't it? We ended up with WAY more than we expected but it was a worthwhile trip for sure. Chase and Robbe were real troopers. In fact, Chase really enjoyed his quality time with the red balls out front and one of the chairs on display (we practically had to rip him away from it). 

Happy birthday, Grandma Bibi. Sending lots of hugs!

Day 73 | Mommy Marshall Morning

Last weekend, we celebrated Daddy Marshall Day so today we had to even the score with a Mommy Marshall Morning.

Even though it was a pretty lovely day (weather-wise), we decided to check out a really close neighborhood attraction that has been on our list since we moved. Chase and I walked to the Takoma Aquatic Center for some indoor swimming fun. The kiddie pool wasn't open which was a bummer but Chase did great in the big pool. Lots of jumping off the edge, kicking on a kick board, using a noodle to float, and walking up and down the ramp into the water. 

I really enjoyed the one on one time and I think Chase did, too. We'll definitely be back to the Aquatic Center (maybe we'll go when there's bad weather next time...). What a fun activity to have two blocks from our house. 

Day 72 | Frozen Yumminess

I made this really delicious frozen dessert this week and have been waiting for a quiet day to share it with all of you.

I followed the recipe fully this time...sometimes sugar is, in fact, needed. I did add some of our fresh-picked blueberries to the strawberries. It ended up being about a cup of each. 

I'm in love with the granola bar crust/crunch topping. And the frozen center is just perfect on these hot days. If you have a trusty baking assistant, it makes the dessert even tastier. 

Highly recommend this one:

Frozen Strawberry Crunch Cake 

Day 71 | Jump for Joy

We managed to get out of the house in time to make it to Sky Zone in Columbia to help celebrate a friend's birthday this morning.

Chase enjoyed the trampoline park much more than I would have guessed (remember, he takes awhile to warm up to things). He had a blast jumping in the foam pit, honed his somersaulting skills, and started jumping from his feet onto his bum. It was very sweet to see. 

Of course, Chase left wanting to go back again...with Daddy. Seems all of our outings are just dry-runs for the real deal later on with Daddy. Ha!

Day 70 | Hello, Old Friend

Chase and his friend, John, doing legs up the wall.  Cutest thing ever.

We got back on the yoga train after taking a few weeks off. Since we've moved, the Arlington studio of Tranquil Space (where we have been taking tots yoga) is just a bit too far. So now we're taking class at the Dupont location...my first yoga love.

This is where I spent a little over a year (practically every day) finding myself, working a job that I truly enjoyed (What? That's possible?), detoxing from a stressful past work experience, and enjoying my last baby-free moments (even though that wasn't completely appreciated at the time). I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming, nurturing environment as a place to fall in love with yoga and discover a wonderful community of people at the same time. 

It's strange going back now after giving so much of myself to those walls. To see someone else thriving in my old role and experiencing all the same ups and downs that go with it. 

It will always feel like home walking through those doors...even if I'm completely anonymous now. 

Day 69 | Another Trip to the Doctor

One of the downsides to living in a big city is that you never really make personal connections with anyone other than friends. Your dentist won't remember you. The grocery store clerk has no idea if you frequent the store. The bank teller and pharmacist always have to ask for your name.

For those of you living in the city, that's totally normal. Having grown up in a town of 1,000 people, though, this every day occurrence is very odd to me. I don't mind it, in fact the anonymity is kind of nice. Just takes a bit to get used to. 

Where am I going with this? It dawned on me today that we have been going to the doctor so much lately (between Chase's rash and Miles's frequent infant well-visits) that the doctor and staff actually know our names. Whoa. 

The appointments went well. We've got a couple new things to try with Chase for his skin and Robbe proved to be the perfect patient once again. Smiles all around and he showed off his impressive tummy time and rolling skills. He continues to top the charts with height (98th percentile) but his weight trajectory slid a bit (from 88th to 75th percentile). He's happy and healthy, that's all that matters!

I made another appointment for Robbe's six month well-visit...hopefully we will make it that long without another trip!

Day 68 | We Miss Our Neighbors

Our neighbors from the Hill came up for a visit today. The people, including and especially these neighbors, are really the only part of our old life that we miss.

It was always so fun to be sharing a wall with a family with kiddos the same age as ours. We leaned on them so many times and continue to be grateful for the friendship. Hopefully the relationship continues to grow now that we're so far away...a whole five miles!

Chase showed Copeland all around splash park (although he was less than enthusiastic about it himself today, for some reason). You'll notice in the photo that Chase didn't even need a towel. More of a bystander this time around. You never know with toddlers!

Day 67 | Mommy and Robbe Morning

 

Chase and Chris went out for some big boy fun this morning so Robbe and I stayed home for some quality (and quiet) mommy + Robbe time.  It's amazing how productive you can be when you're only responsible for one other human being.  Try telling me that when Chase was a baby and I would have thought you were crazy.  Now, having just a four month old in the house is like a relaxing break from reality.

Day 66 | A Berry Picking Kind of Day

We survived the barrage of fireworks in our neighborhood last night...some of us got more sleep than others. To celebrate, we decided to head a bit outside the city to pick some yummy berries.

Butler's Orchard was great. It was packed.  I mean, crazy packed, but it was really well organized and there were plenty of berries to go around. Seriously, I can't imagine what more plentiful bushes would look like.  We walked away with 2.5 pounds of blueberries and .75 pound of black raspberries. The best deal? Chase ate at least that much of both so we got double for our money! If you ask him, though, he ate "just one."

Day 65 | Happy Independence Day

It's a beautiful day in the District. Perfect for celebrating the Fourth.

So far today:

Patriotic breakfast: check

Outfitted in patriotic attire: check

Discussion about the significance of the holiday: check 

Neighborhood parade: check

Stop at tree park (that's how Chase celebrates): check 

We'll see what other festive activities we can squeeze in today. Just to keep expectations in check, I wouldn't bet on seeing us during the Mall's fireworks show. 

Happy Fourth, everyone!

Day 64 | Sleep Like a Baby

 

Not every day is a dream. 

Full disclosure: I wrote this post several days ago. I didn't post it at the time because I didn't want to bring you all down into my black hole with me. I purposely waited until Robbe had a couple good nights (he has!) to give us all (ok, mostly me) a little bit of hope. Who knows what tonight will bring and who knows how long the next good stretch will last. I'll just hold on to the last couple of nights and keep reminding myself it's all a phase. 

Sleep like a baby? What a joke. How did this phrase come to be? Obviously it originated from a non-parent. Babies are not good sleepers. They are loud breathers, stir constantly and the slightest bit of tummy rumblings wake them up (or is it just my boys?). And that's not even mentioning the frequent night wakings. Which is what brings me to this post...

I'm tired. Really really tired. Possibly because it's 4am as I type and so far I've had about 2.5 hours of sleep tonight. Not my favorite. 

Call it a sleep regression, call it a wonder week, call it coming down with something, call it gas, call it just being a baby, call it whatever you want, I just want it over with. 

As a second time parent, I know that everything is a phase and all the really hard moments will pass. Somehow that doesn't make it any easier when you're up for the third time before 330am. When will it end? Will I survive to witness the end? What comes after the "end"? 

Have I mentioned...I'm really really tired. 

Day 63 | My Photogenic Boys

This post was going to have a different focus today (think: complaining about yet another fruitless doctor's appointment for Chase), but after spending the morning with my beautiful babies and capturing some sweet shots, we'll let the photos above speak for themselves.

Day 62 | Library Auditions: Take two

Chase posing with the loot from completing the challenge.

We found our library home.

It's a short walk and the story time is actually pretty good. Chase seems to really enjoy it. Maybe it's just the fact that he's older but he's so much more comfortable and focused during this story hour. He approaches the librarian without hesitation, gets smooches from the stuffed rabbit, Benjamin, that she uses, and follows along with the dances and songs. They even have choo-choo books (Thomas, specifically) on the shelf...always a hot commodity at the Hill libraries. 

To top it off, Chase and Robbe completed their first challenge today. They both took on the DC Library Summer Reading Challenge. We needed to check off eight out of 16 items in three months to complete it. Both boys managed this accomplishment by day two. Some of the tasks? Ask a librarian for help finding a book (we're looking for train books, obviously), attend a library program (story time!), sing a song about animals (all day, everyday), practice turning pages (more of a challenge for Robbe), etc. Each of the boys won a book for completing the challenge, Robbe got a rubber duckie, and Chase got a free kids meal to Chipotle (??). Quite the haul!