Day 598 | Home Sweet Home

As sad as we were to say goodbye to Wisconsin and our lovely vacation, there's really nothing better than being home again, is there? I feel crazy lucky to feel that way.

The flight went perfectly. I even read a few pages while Robbe napped on me (a seriously unusual circumstance). The travel day could not have gone better. 

Thank you, family and friends, for the best holiday trip yet. So many things to be thankful for as we inch toward 2016. 

Day 597 | Wrapping It Up

We had a busy last day in WI: visit to the Children's Musuem, lunch at a new spot, quality time with the sister in-law, a evening visit to the farm, a pizza party with the whole fam, and reading time with Chase and the girls. Oh, and packing, lots of packing.

Whew. Tomorrow's travel day will feel like a relaxing break. Just kidding, of course, here's hoping it's just as uneventful as possible. Happy thoughts, please!

Day 596 | Winter Wonderland

Look what we woke up to this morning! Better late than never.

Day 595 | Christmas #3

Our third (and final!) Christmas celebration occurred tonight while we watched the snow fall. A perfect ending to a completely wonderful Christmas season.

Thank you, family, for spoiling us with time, conversation, and gifts.

Day 594 | Girl Talk

Sometimes, although not frequently, something blog-worthy happens after I've completed my post for the day. Hard to believe, I know.

Last night, my favorite pre-teen/teenage nieces and I enjoyed each others' company while playing a board game (Girl Talk), watching a movie (Home...it was cute), and playing cards (Kent...a middle school favorite of mine). Grandma Mary even got in on the action. It was the kind of evening that made me more convinced than ever of our need to move back to Wisconsin. I want to be a bigger part of their lives during this super-important, super-influence-able time for them. I miss these girls.

Oh, and the little cards we're holding in the photo are from the Girl Talk game. We all passed out cards that we think best describes each person and then each of us picked our favorite card we received. The selected cards?

Isabelle: Giggles a lot
Ann: Incredibly caring
Sara: Can be trusted with a secret
Grandma Mary: A good listener
Lane: Very confident

Day 593 | Trains!

We found trains in Wisconsin! Whew. We were starting to go through withdrawals.

There was a nice little holiday exhibit of model trains at the Chippewa Valley Museum. And, to top it off, there was a whole room dedicated to a toy train track that Chase, in particular, loved. Robbe seemed more interested in exploring the nooks and crannies of the rest of the museum. He found a fishing pond, a downtown bus, and a cow...to name some of the highlights. 

That, in addition to Mancino's for lunch = a pretty fantastic morning. And thanks, Grandma and Uncle Matt for going along on the adventure. 

Day 592 | Merry Christmas!

Today was just about perfect. Ecstatic boys on Christmas morning, lots of family time, delicious food, sweet treats, and wonderful reminiscing.

Merry Christmas, friends and family!

Day 591 | Happy Christmas Eve

For the fourth time ever, we celebrated Christmas Eve with my dad's whole family tonight. It was madness and totally wonderful at the same time. I'm not sure how it's possible to feed 55+ people in a smallish house all at the same time but my Grandma and aunts managed just that. And flawlessly. I'm beyond thankful to call this group of people my family.

Oh, and Santa even stopped by during his gift-giving tour. Can you believe it? Chase was enamored, Robbe was terrified. At least they're consistent!

Happy Christmas Eve!

Day 590 | Pizza Party

After another family-filled day (we're soaking it all in!), we decorated our Christmas cookies and had a pizza movie party tonight. My stomach is still way too full. As it should be.

Day 589 | Cookies

Another busy day of holiday prep around here. Lots of errands and planning...and lots of family time and fun, too. 

Chase and I made sugar cookies for our Christmas celebration on Wednesday. We've still got frosting to do tomorrow, so hopefully they last that long. 

Day 588 | Meeting Santa

Whew. We can finally cross meeting Santa off the list. December 20th is a little too close for comfort. Thank goodness Grandma M saved the day and found the big man today. Both Santa letters were successfully delivered but both boys did not successfully sit on his lap. Poor Robbe was shaking at the thought of being handed off to the stranger's lap. We'll settle for a photo of the boys (and me) with Santa this year.

Oh, but don't worry! Chase gave the jolly elf Robbe's wish list, too. Hopefully that means both boys will be rewarded on Christmas morning. 

Day 587 | Family Time

Another lovely day in central Wisconsin. We had a ton of quality time with the cousins...like a full day of quality time with the cousins. I don't think Chase has played that hard in his life. He spent almost every waking moment with a toy in his hand. Vacationing is serious business around here.

Oh, and we got to take Archer and Maria (pictured above) for our Christmas present outing! They love crafting at a sweet little pottery shop where you can paint your own project. We had a blast. Archer chose a lego bank, Maria selected a spunky Christmas tree, and I painted a fun and festive holiday bowl. Chris took on the role of assistant, his preferred crafting position. Yay for spending time together instead of just more money on a plain-old gift.

Day 586 | Settling In

We're settling into vacation living just fine. We did practically nothing today. The boys didn't leave grandma and grandpa's house. It was just about perfect. Oh, and it snowed! The boys were thrilled and even willing to help with some manual labor. 

Vacation is the best. 

Day 585 | Christmas Vacation!

We made it! It was a long day but the boys were troopers and Chris did ok, too.

Vacation starts now!

Day 584 | Getting There

In case you're curious, here's what packing for a family of four looks like at our house.

We've got some work to do tomorrow but our mid-afternoon flight gives is ample prep time (I hope!) in the morning. 

Day 583 | Yoga at Home

No, the boys aren't "helping" me with my home practice. Chris keeps them happily entertained. They are just allowed to enter the "yoga room" when a photographer is needed. That's Robbe showing off his down dog, by the way. :)

As much as getting out for a yoga class is about the best thing ever, I've resigned myself to start a more active home practice. I just can't seem to carve out the 2+ hours needed to get to a studio class (including transit, parking, and practicing time). Sad, but true.

So, my new goal has been to squeeze in two 30 minute home practices per week right after Chris gets home from work. I can't say that I meet that goal every week, but I'm trying. And it's amazing how much better my back feels on a daily basis if I can just stick with it. Yoga=good. 

If you're interested in a yoga-at-home resource, check out YogaGlo. There are tons (and tons!) of classes of all levels, yoga styles, focuses, and duration. It's free for the first month then $18 after that (the cost of just one class here)...such a steal! My favorite teacher is Stephanie Snyder at the moment and I highly recommend the vinyasa style of yoga (it's a more active form of yoga that focuses on moving with the breath). Give it a try. Your body and mind will thank you. 

Namaste. 

Day 582 | American History Kids Area

The photo is from yesterday, but we got all four kids to look so it had to be shared!

There's a brand new kids attraction in the District! The American History Museum just added a super-fun children's area called the Wegman's Wonderplace. As much as we love this museum, it has been missing an area for the kiddos to run free...problem solved!

There's a market (with an egg drop, Chase's favorite), a kitchen, a climbing structure (Robbe's favorite), lots of building blocks, and a guarded baby area. My only complaint is that it could be a bit bigger, but I'll take it.

The new area is for kids from 0-6 and is open every day but Tuesdays (I'm including this information here in the hope I internalize it).

Day 581 | Trains on the Ellipse

The whole gang loaded into the minivan for an excursion to The Mall to take in the American History Museum and the National Christmas Tree. The highlight? The trains around the tree. For sure. 

The bummer? Santa was a no show again. No setup or anything this year. I guess that's where our government has decided to cut back spending. :( 

Day 580 | Visitors: Round 3

Look who showed up at our door last night? Our favorite Ouagadougans (not sure if that's the real word for people living in Ouagadougou or not, but it sounds right). Even with trying to manage some jet lag, we had a really nice day catching up with Chris's brother and his family. Chase is smitten with Elizabeth, again, (the older cousin) and Robbe was delighted to be reunited with his twin (he and Robin were born about a month apart).

For the record, our house *may* be a bit small for four kids. It's been a little chaotic but very enjoyable. 

Day 579 | Fishing Craft

I've made it a tradition to make a homemade present for the boys the last couple of years. Two years ago, I made Chase this cowl and last year I made both boys favorite things tees.

This year, I recruited a little help from my loving husband (yay, Chris!) and we went all in for a homemade toy: a fishing set with fishing rods that actually reel and magnetic fish. Adorable, right? The boys are really loving it and I think it'll be a hit for a long, long time (they haven't been able to figure out the reel yet...so that's something to look forward to!).

In case you're interested in attempting the same project, here's the step-by-step tutorial we used. This website went above and beyond explaining how to create everything with almost too many photos (is that possible?).

The breakdown of the project at our house? Chris made the fishing rods (he's so handy!) and I sewed the fish and little worms to slip on the end of the string. I think I got away with the easier project this time around. No complaints here!

In case it's not obvious, we're both pretty proud of the finished product. And no one in the whole world has another fishing set just like it. That's just icing on the cake.

Day 578 | A Typewriter

I mentioned that I gave Chris a typewriter for Christmas. I figured all of you must be interested in some of the details. 

It's a 1936 Underwood typewriter. It's fully functioning and is really beautiful. Amazing how now we have all this plastic junk that doesn't hold up, right?

Chris requested this gift as he decided he'd like to start typing his correspondence (mostly to the boys and me so far). We both agree that the thing is much harder to use that we expected. Turns out we're pretty used to the backspace function on our trusty computers. It's super fun to use, though, and it's going to be a family treasure forever. :)

Day 577 | Playtime!

Robbe and I met a friend at a brand new play place this morning. It's called Magic Gathering (or something like that...I didn't keep my ticket) in Columbia Heights (same building that the Target is in) and it's so much fun! Robbe had a blast playing in the ball pit, climbing the play structure, hoarding the toy trucks, and coloring a couple of pictures for his big brother.

Yeah, we'll be back with Chase some day. 

Day 576 | Farewell...Or Not

Here's the farewell photo when we dropped Chase off at school this morning. Little did we know that these two would be reunited so soon!

We got a bonus night with Grandma Mary tonight! I'm not sure she was thrilled with the change of plans (stupid plane problems), but we aren't complaining. 

Think happy thoughts for a more successful day of travel for her tomorrow. 

Day 575 | Panic Attack

For the record, I took this photo after I parked at the gas station (and after I took my seatbelt off). Don't worry, I wasn't driving down the street taking photos of my dashboard without my seatbelt on. :)

In case you're not familiar with a minivan dashboard, the photo above is depicting my worst nightmare. By the time I dropped Chase off at school this morning, I had less than one mile of gas remaining in my tank. Did I mention that I also didn't have my wallet with me (which I rarely ever walk out of the house without)?

Yes, that's when my panic attack kicked in. You can relate, right?

Here's the scenario:

• Chase and I jump in the car this morning (my mom stayed with Robbe, thank goodness) to find out that there are 10 miles of gas remaining. Terror strikes, but it's fine because there's a gas station about halfway between us and Chase's school (i.e. one mile away).
• The range meter ticks quickly from 10 to 5 as I pull off into the gas station. Whew...we made it.
• I reach for my wallet. It's not there. Oh crap. Chase senses the stress in my voice (even though I didn't swear...impressive, right?) and starts freaking out. He brainstorms ideas from having to push to asking if buses run down this road. It was adorable and so sad all at the same time.
• After much consoling, Chase is convinced we're going to make it to the next gas station (right next to Chase's school). I am less than convinced.
• I continue to watch the range meter tick from 5 to 4 to 3 to 2. We're so close! I hope this meter is correct.
• Shortly after the meter ticks to one, I park at the gas station near Chases's school and sigh a huge (HUGE!) sigh of relief.
• One teeny problem still remains...I don't have any money. Luckily, one of the sweet moms at Chase's school had cash and loaned me $10 to get me back home after drop off.

Can I just say that I've never been more relieved in my life to not have to push my giant minivan with a toddler inside down a busy DC street in rush hour. And my takeaway message for all you loyal readers? Stash a $20 bill in your car...just in case.

p.s. I never EVER let my gas tank go under a 1/4 tank. I still can't figure out how this morning's situation arose. I blame my mom for distracting me too much with enjoyable conversation while I've been driving over the past week.

Day 574 | St Nick's + Family Christmas

It was quite a day. Quite a day.

We woke up to St. Nick filling our shoes with all kinds of goodies. Then we were off to our favorite breakfast spot for some delicious egg sammies. There was time for a quick haircut for Chris before I headed out for my own indulgent haircut (my second one this year...it's a new record).

My mom and I did some holiday shopping and then got home just in time to get the family Christmas celebration under way (we decided to open presents early for several reasons). We all had a splendidly spirited evening. Gift highlights? Chris and I made an awesome (really awesome) fishing set for the boys (I'll do a separate blog post on this soon). I got the perfect customized bracelet set (I love it!). And after meeting with a very interesting (to say the least) traveling typewriter salesman, I tracked down a 1936 fully-functioning typewriter for Chris (for all his important, but not time-sensitive correspondence).

It couldn't have been better! The perfect start to the holiday season.

Day 573 | Date Night

My mom was sweet enough to hang out with the boys so Chris and I could sneak away for some quality kid-free time. Glorious! We even found a happy hour with $6 cocktails=Chris's dream come true.

Thanks, mom!

Day 572 | Botanic Garden Train Time

Our annual holiday tradition continues: we made it down to the Mall for the train exhibit at the Botanic Garden. It was a crowd pleaser once again and Robbe didn't even pick a leaf (our big fear leading up to the outing).

We all agreed, however, that this year was less impressive than years past. The theme (Pollination Station) and scale (seemed more understated) left a little something to be desired as compared to previous displays but still nothing to complain about. 

Day 571 | Grandma Mary!

Our next visitor arrived today: Grandma Mary! We're beyond excited to be spending part of the magical holiday season with her.

Day 570 | Minnesota Tees

Check out the sweet new tees the boys got from Aunt Kelli! They might not be from Minnesota but the boys are happy to represent in their glow in the dark tees.

Day 569 | Baby Gordon

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family: Baby Gordon. He's Robbe's new best friend that sleeps with him and goes pretty much everywhere with him. It's about the cutest thing ever.

This morning, Baby Gordon (named after Gordon the train, by the way) decided to take a quick bath in my bowl of cheerios before breakfast. He did leave a couple spoonfuls for me to eat (and so did Robbe in case it's not clear by the fistful of cheerios he's swiping). I have a feeling Baby Gordon will be making several future cameos on the blog. Stay tuned.