Day 718 | Decluttering

Chris and I are taking full advantage of having two extra adults around this weekend and, man, were we productive today. My mom and dad helped us clean up the yard (a big, huge job). We also decluttered three of our bookshelves, and continued giving away some of the random things we have outgrown. We'll call it a little spring cleaning.

Yeah, it feels so good.

Day 717 | Our Friend Thomas

Our second annual trip to hang out with our friend, Thomas, was a huge success! The best part of the Day Out With Thomas? Robbe and Grandma Mary got to come along this year (last year Robbe was just a *bit* too little to participate).

The weather could have been warmer (what happened to Spring?!?), but the festivities were a hit once again. New additions this year were our kiddos' favorite parts: a bouncy castle for Robbe and a magic show for Chase.

Thank you, Thomas. We'll take a day out with you any time.

Day 716 | Strawberry Aliens

I lied. There was one more birthday celebration for our sweet four year old today: his school celebration.

Thanks to my mom's help, we made these adorable strawberry aliens as the birthday treat. You know it's a good fruit treat if only one four year old asks why there isn't cake. I'll take it.

Here's the "recipe" if you're interested in creating your own friendly strawberry aliens.

Day 715 | Porch Revamp

Somehow a little elbow grease + a paint job can make all my dreams come true. Our front porch has never looked better. And it makes me so happy.

Day 714 | Meet Petey, The Chrysalis

Can you believe we discovered a caterpillar on Sunday and already have a cocoon? No one else can either. If you look at this photo, the cocoon is the little white speck on the bottom of the cage. We brought Petey in for Chase's class to keep an eye on during this transition.

Robbe wasn't thrilled that his new buddy doesn't live with us anymore. At least we'll still be able to visit (twice a day). And Chase's little classmates were over the moon to see a caterpillar yesterday and a cocoon today. Let's hope they'll get to see a moth in about two weeks or so.

Day 713 | Meet Petey

We have a new [temporary] pet! I'd like to introduce you to Petey, our friendly tent caterpillar. He was named because it's a word Robbe can say, in case you're wondering.

The good/bad news? Our time with Petey, as we know him anyway, has already come to an end. He started cocooning tonight. Exciting times around here. 

Thanks to Uncle Matt for our new insect hotel that prompted this education in life cycles. 

Day 712 | Simple Sunday

It was a good day. A good, lazy Sunday with a few bursts of productivity to balance everything out. Included in that productivity was finishing our front porch revamp. New paint job: done! I'll post photos of that when the paint is dry enough.

Day 711 | Busy Busy

We've had a very productive day so far. I dropped a load of too-small baby clothes off at a friends (along with some toys), I unloaded two garbage bags full of clothes at a donation site, I ran an errand in the pouring rain with both boys (not as easy as you might guess), and I cleaned our bathroom. Plus, we even had time for some quality puddle jumping (see above). Then the sun came out just in time for me finish cleaning off the porch (scrubbed the siding clean and brushed, sprayed, and washed the floor in hopes we can paint it tomorrow).

And, our big plans for the night?!? A hot date night (at Chris's boss's house). An all around pretty fantastic day. You've got to love when productivity and fun come together.

Day 710 | Morning with Ray

We had the pleasure of hanging out with sweet Ray all morning. She and Robbe have become quite the duo lately and this morning was very eventful.

We saw this squirrel eating a granola bar. No joke. We went to two parks. We sang at their tot music class. We played a little t-ball. We even managed to cross a couple of errands off my list. See? I told you it was eventful. Both babies took a good nap this afternoon. Success!

Day 709 | A Happy Outing

I wouldn't have guessed that an unexpected trip to the Honda dealership could provide so much happiness and excitement for this little guy today.

We went to have a punctured tire patched and walked away with a Frozen sticker book, a new balloon, and watched this construction vehicle do it's job for several minutes. Seriously, there couldn't have been a better outing for Robbe. It's nice when things work out.

Day 708 | Little Brothers

This morning was rough for sweet, sensitive Chase. Both of his teachers were gone today. Two substitutes. In the world of a new four year old, that's about as bad as it gets (at least our new four year old).

After an extra 20 minutes in the classroom, Robbe and I did manage to exit without tears. It took just about every tool in my mom arsenal to get to that point. Robbe immediately walked out of the classroom door and decided he needed to wedge himself in this empty milkcrate sitting in the hall. 

It's funny how the little brother can just fly above it all. Thank goodness. 

Day 707 | Moon Rocks

After a failed attempt at moon sand a couple of weeks ago (remember this?), I shifted course and opted to make playdough "moon rocks" for the birthday party instead.

It worked out perfectly. I made three batches of this recipe and just added blue food coloring and some glitter stars for dramatic effect. Then I put out little containers for the kiddos to fill with moon rocks and take home as part of their goodie bag.

Try making your own playdough. I promise it's super easy and you probably have all the ingredients in your cupboard right now.

Day 706 | Skipping Spring

It seems as though DC has decided to skip spring altogether.  No joke, it was 85+ degrees today. And it's supposed to be a similarly warm day tomorrow.

Although I was pretty bummed out about the heat (I love spring!), we made the most of it and had our first dinner on our deck. Aside from Chase being a little concerned about all the bugs, it was a big success.

Day 705 | A Space Firefighter Party

Our little space firefighter had an amazing birthday party today. He got to tour a real fire truck, put on a mini firefighter uniform, practice his paper airplane skills, collect moon rocks, eat an "earth cake," and received some very sweet and thoughtful gifts. 

I can't say I'm sad to see birthday season go, but it's been a good run. Until 2017, my friends, I will hang up my party-planning hat.

Day 704 | Party Sneak Peek

The big day is tomorrow and we're *almost* ready!

Enjoy this quick peek at some of the fun + festivities our guests have in store for them. 

Day 703 | Zoo Trip

It was the perfect day for a morning at the zoo. The weather, the company, the animal friends (we met the new panda cub!). It was all just lovely.

Day 702 | Good Times, Good Friends

I miss these ladies from our Tranquil Space days. Seems like so so long ago.

Day 701 | Little Legos

Chase got his first little Lego kit for his birthday (thanks, pen pal Kerry!) and he had a blast putting it together with his dad tonight. Big day!

Day 700 | 700!

700 is a lot. Like a lot, a lot. Blogging is not always the easiest task to check off my daily to-do list, but it's moments like this (looking back over 700 posts!) that makes it totally worth it. We've come a long way, friends.

Name: Sara
Favorites: everything about springtime, witty texts from Chris + friends, birthday party crafting (the final party is this weekend!), giving away unneeded baby gear (purging feels so good), enjoying a quiet cup of coffee, making my boys belly laugh, finally having our ceiling fixed (remember this), post-sleeping baby hugs (they’re just so warm and cozy + smell so sweet)
Biggest Hurdle to Overcome: managing a million appointments. Between physical therapy and other misc back, wrist, skin, pediatrician appointments, I'm burnt out. Thank goodness for friends that have helped ease the load.
Dreams for the Future: decluttering + purging after surviving the season of gift-giving around here (i.e. Christmas, birthdays, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc).

Name: Chris
Favorites: his new $1.44 t-shirts (practically a steal), a warmer walking commute, his lovely wife making his daily pb&j sandwiches for lunch at work, eating breakfast out, house hunting (it doesn't hurt to look, right?), coming up with entertaining new games for the boys
Biggest Hurdle to Overcome: deciding when it's safe to make the switch back to flip flops again. This spring has been a tricky one.
Dreams for the Future: taking a weekend trip with his brothers. It'll happen someday. Some day.

Name: Chase
Favorites: anything related to space, Frozen, getting hair cuts (so he can watch movies), correcting his parents when they misspeak (who knew it happens so often), gummy gums (his fancy term for the special Easter gummy carrots he enjoyed), comfy pants, receiving gifts, ice cubes in his water, singing, playing make believe, talking about his school friends, breakfast for dinner, asking Siri questions about space
Biggest Hurdle to Overcome: building up his stamina to go for longer scooter rides (he's really become quite an expert).
Dreams for the Future: warmer weather so we can start hitting the playground circuit again (something we're all dreaming about).

Name: Robbe
Favorites: trucks, trucks, and more trucks, harassing Miga, running as fast as he can with his belly sticking out, licking his mom (odd, I know), wearing his fireman coat, watching YouTube truck videos, eating, playing guitar, playing with whatever Chase is playing with (usually relatively peacefully), mommy snuggle time, stickers (a lot!)
Biggest Hurdle to Overcome: attempting to communicate. He wants to be understood so badly. He's making progress but not as fast as anyone would like.
Dreams for the Future: a day where we drive/walk by some sort of large construction equipment every other minute or so. That's not too much to ask, is it?

And, if you're interested in looking back over the past *almost* two years of team blog posts, here's your chance:

• Day 600
• Day 500
• Day 400
• Day 300
• Day 200
• Day 100
• Original posts: Chase, Robbe, Chris & Me

Day 699 | Finally Spring

After weeks of cooler temps (at least it has felt that way), I picked Chase up from school in 70 degrees today. We broke outside for some fun in the sun before dinner. The boys entertained themselves happily with bubbles (Chase even refilled their bubble dishes by himself) while I tested out their mini kites and entertained Miga.

Then, while I cooked, the boys once again entertained themselves by making a total mess in Robbe's room. My most braggable parent moment from the day? The boys cleaned this disaster up by themselves before we all sat down to eat. Woohoo!

Day 698 | A New Space Colony

This is what happiness looks like with our favorite four-year-old. He received this entire space colony as birthday gifts and he couldn't be happier about it. Luckily, there are enough spaceships to go around so sharing hasn't even been *that much* of an issue.

Day 697 | Avocado Egg Salad

For some reason, since Easter, I've been craving egg salad. The really odd part of that is that I don't like mayo, a staple in most egg salad recipes. I found one that uses avocado instead of mayo, though, and it's delicious. Totally hit the spot.

You can find the recipe here, if you're interested. Enjoy!

Day 696 | Guitar

Robbe and I have been taking a music class since January and he's finally starting to get into it. Today he even wanted to wait in line to play the musician's guitar afterward (up until now he's been too shy). That's big. He waited very patiently for his turn and then walked up without hesitation to pluck away at the strings. And, although, he's not talking much yet, he kept bringing up the experience all day. So cute.

Day 695 | And He Turns Four

I know you've been waiting for this...

Top 10 Best Things About Four-year-old Chase

1. His compassion: this kid has the biggest heart you can imagine. He's amazingly thoughtful and generous and understanding. Much more so than you would expect from a four-year-old.
2. His intellect: he's a little smartie, that's for sure. His little brain is just a sponge picking up so much from school (and a little from us). My current favorite example? Often he interjects in normal conversation, "hey, that's alliteration!"
3. His deep interest in space: books, toys, videos, anything space related is a big hit. He told me yesterday that he probably can't fly to the moon until he's eleven, though. 
4. His love for vacation: yes, we've taught him well. This kid definitely knows the appropriate amount of excitement, enthusiasm, and anticipation to exhibit when a vacation rolls around. 
5. His super-expressive, unwavering love for mommy and daddy: he often turns to Chris and me out of the blue and says, "I love you, mommy/daddy." Other iterations are "I love you so much I believe in you" and "I love you so much and I like you so much" and "Mommy/daddy, you're my favorite (a family saying)."
6. His love for school: sending him to full day three year old preschool was a tough decision. A tough decision. Man, was it the right one. This kid loves being a Bulldog (their classroom mascot). He loves all his little Bulldog friends. And the Bulldog teachers could not be better (not exaggerating). Not only has his mind expanded with all this classroom time, but socially he's made leaps and bounds this year (our biggest hope when sending him). 
7. His imagination: this part of his brain is working in overdrive as of late. He loves acting out stories, coming up with new games, and including any/all of his family members in the productions.
8. His kid-isms: kids say the funniest things, right? This guy is no exception. My latest favorite occurred when a penpal of his (thanks for coordinating, uncle Matt) sent him foreign currency in her latest card. He opened it and looked up at me in surprise and said, "How did she know I like money?" Hahaha. 
9. His natural ability to be the big brother: we couldn't have asked for a better role model for sweet Robbe. Chase has already shown an interest in helping his little brother navigate life a little easier. He's patient with him, gentle towards him, understanding of his shortcomings, translates as well as I do, shares his toys, and genuinely wants him around. It's the best.
10. His rule-following: yep, still going strong with his impressive ability to listen and follow rules. It's pretty amazing from a parenting perspective. And luckily he takes it with him to school, too. Not to brag but he's the only Bulldog to not have used the "take a break chair" (where you go when you need some time to compose yourself) at school yet. Fingers crossed he can make it to the end of the year. Maybe he'll win an award!

Almost exactly four years ago (to the minute), we welcomed this little baby into the world that changed every second of our lives moving forward. We couldn't be more proud of our amazing 4-year-old and the little gentleman he's becoming. We love you, Sweet Pea.

Day 694 | This is Two

Looks pretty good, right?

Day 693 | Self-Made Fun

I brought this baby gate upstairs to motivate myself to try to sell it (and I did!) but in the meantime, the boys adopted it as their own and played with it for over an hour last night. Oh, and Miga got in on the fun, too.

Why do we buy toys at all, right?

Day 692 | Moon Sand

Birthday party prep is well underway for our fourth (and final) birthday in the last 7.5 weeks. Today's activity? Making a trial batch of Moon Sand for the big birthday party. I had envisioned making a couple of patches and then putting it out in a big tub for kids to play with and then put in to-go containers as part of their party favors (collecting Moon Sand, get it?).

After today's trial, I think I'm going to have to reevaluate. The recipe was super simple (just flour and baby oil [and food coloring, if that's your thing]), the boys enjoyed "dumping" all the ingredients, and they had a total blast playing with it. That doesn't seem surprising unless you consider that neither of my boys really prefer to get their hands dirty (I have no idea where that comes from). However, it was messier than I think I can justify for an indoor birthday party.  I'm not giving up on the idea...just brainstorming other options/tweaks.

Here's the recipe I used for it, although I did a half-batch and ended up using a lot more baby oil to reach the consistency I wanted.

Enjoy!

Day 691 | T-shirt Hack

I made this pretty sweet gift for my niece's 11th birthday gift. I cut up a too-large t-shirt. Here's what I did:

• I cut out the neck so it's more of a scoop neck.
• I cut off the sleeves and then rolled them up and tied them with t-shirt scraps.
• My favorite element? I cut three strips up each side and then braided down to bring the sides in so the shirt would actually fit.

I hope she actually gets some use out of it. I heart DC!

p.s. Sorry for missing my post yesterday. I have no excuse. We did literally nothing yesterday. I guess that's the problem, I just didn't have anything to report on and it didn't register to me that I missed it. My bad.

Day 690 | So Long, Farewell

Chase: I'm excited and sad. 

Me: Why's that?

Chase: I'm excited we're going home but sad to be leaving Wee-sconsin. 

Me: I feel the same way. What are you going to miss?

Chase: I like seeing the grandmas and grandpas more. 

Me: What do you like about them?

Chase: They do nice things for me. That makes me happy. 

Special note: Both (both!) boys napped on the plane. I don't think Chase has napped on a plane since he was 3 months old. It was a Christmas (in April) miracle. I guess that proves how exhausting our week has been. I have to say, almost a perfect travel day from start to finish.